Christian church statistics at a glance
Christian church statistics are telling a very clear story: the broad Christian share of the U.S. population is still large, but the religious landscape is more diverse and more unaffiliated than it used to be.
Key number: 62% of U.S. adults identify as Christian in the 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
That single figure sits alongside a second major shift: 29% of U.S. adults are religiously unaffiliated in the same study (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS). The gap between those two numbers is one reason this topic draws attention. Christianity remains the largest religious category by a wide margin, but the religiously unaffiliated are now a major part of the picture.
Fast facts
- 62% identify as Christian (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 29% are religiously unaffiliated (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 19% identify as Catholic (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 16% identify with evangelical Protestantism (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 12% identify with mainline Protestantism (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 10% identify with historically Black Protestant churches (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 1% identify as Orthodox Christian (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 2% identify as Mormon/Latter-day Saint (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 5% identify with non-Christian religions (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 1% identify with something else religiously (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
Table of contents
- What the latest Christian church statistics show
- How the U.S. religious landscape has changed
- Christian church statistics by tradition
- Regional patterns in Christian affiliation
- Scripture reading and religious practice
- Congregation makeup and shared identity
- Marriage and religion in Christian households
- Global Christian population context
- What the church data means for readers
What the latest Christian church statistics show
The newest Christian church statistics point in two directions at once.
On one hand, Christianity still reaches most of the U.S. adult population. On the other hand, the religiously unaffiliated have grown into a very large share, and the Christian total is lower than it was in earlier survey waves.
The trend line in the supplied data is clear:
- 78% of U.S. adults identified as Christian in 2007.
- 71% identified as Christian in 2014.
- 62% identify as Christian in 2023-24 (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
That is a substantial multi-wave decline.
At the same time, the unaffiliated share moved in the opposite direction:
- 23% of U.S. adults were religiously unaffiliated in 2007.
- 29% were religiously unaffiliated in 2014.
- 31% were religiously unaffiliated in 2023-24 (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
Why it matters
These figures show that Christian identity is still dominant in the United States, but it is no longer so dominant that other categories can be treated as marginal. The unaffiliated population is large enough to affect how churches think about outreach, attendance patterns, family life, and community visibility.
At a glance comparison
| Measure | 2007 | 2014 | 2023-24 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identify as Christian | 78% | 71% | 62% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Religiously unaffiliated | 23% | 29% | 31% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
How the U.S. religious landscape has changed
The most important statistical pattern is not only the current snapshot, but the movement across time.
The Christian share fell by 16 percentage points from 2007 to 2023-24, while the unaffiliated share rose by 8 percentage points over the same span (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS). That is enough change to reshape the baseline expectations people may have about faith, membership, and church participation.
A second useful way to read the data is to compare major Christian subgroups within the U.S. adult population:
- 19% Catholic (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 16% evangelical Protestant (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 12% mainline Protestant (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 10% historically Black Protestant (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
Those shares do not just describe labels. They show that Christian church statistics are not one single number; they represent several communities with different worship patterns, regional concentrations, and participation habits.
Big number
62% Christian vs. 31% unaffiliated is the headline split in the latest data (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
That does not mean the remaining 7% is irrelevant. It means that Christianity, unaffiliated identity, and smaller religious groups together define the current religious profile of the U.S. adult population.
Christian church statistics by tradition
The denomination-level data is one of the most useful parts of the dataset because it shows the internal structure of Christianity rather than just the overall Christian total.
Christian identity breakdown
| Group | Share of U.S. adults | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Christian, total | 62% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Catholic | 19% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Evangelical Protestant | 16% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Mainline Protestant | 12% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Historically Black Protestant | 10% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Orthodox Christian | 1% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Mormon/Latter-day Saint | 2% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
What stands out
- Catholic identity is the single largest named Christian tradition in the data at 19% (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- Evangelical Protestantism follows at 16% (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- Mainline Protestantism remains a major share at 12% (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- Historically Black Protestant churches account for 10% (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- Orthodox Christianity is small in the U.S. adult population at 1% (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- Mormon/Latter-day Saint identity is 2% (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
Key takeaways
- The Christian total is broad, but internally varied.
- No single subgroup accounts for anything close to the entire Christian population.
- Catholic, evangelical, mainline, and historically Black Protestant communities together make up the core of the reported Christian landscape.
A practical reading of the numbers
If you are trying to understand Christian church statistics in a useful way, the subgroup data matters as much as the total. A 62% Christian share can sound uniform, but the tradition-level split shows that churches, congregations, and worship styles are distributed across different communities and identities.
Regional patterns in Christian affiliation
The dataset also shows that geography still matters a great deal.
Among U.S. Christians, 42% live in the South (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS). That regional concentration is even stronger for some Christian traditions:
- 64% of historically Black Protestants live in the South (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 52% of evangelical Christians live in the South (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
Those figures indicate that Christian identity is not spread evenly across the country.
Regional snapshot
| Group | Share living in the South | Source |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Christians | 42% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Historically Black Protestants | 64% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Evangelical Christians | 52% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
Why this matters
Regional concentration can affect many practical questions, including where congregations are concentrated, where church life is most visible, and where different Christian traditions are most likely to shape community rhythms.
The South is clearly central in the supplied data, but the numbers also show that the Christian population is not confined to one region. Even with a strong Southern concentration, the category remains nationally significant.
Scripture reading and religious practice
One of the clearest markers of engagement in the dataset is reading scripture or related devotional material at least monthly.
Across the full U.S. adult population, 35% read scripture or other holy texts, devotions, or inspirational literature at least monthly (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
Among Christians, the share is higher at 48% (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
The same pattern appears within major Christian groups:
- 57% of Protestants read scripture or other holy texts at least monthly (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 66% of evangelicals do so (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 34% of mainline Protestants do so (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 66% of historically Black Protestants do so (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 28% of Catholics do so (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 28% of Orthodox Christians do so (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 76% of Latter-day Saints do so (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
Reading habits by group
| Group | Monthly scripture or devotional reading | Source |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. adults | 35% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Christians | 48% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Protestants | 57% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Evangelicals | 66% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Mainline Protestants | 34% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Historically Black Protestants | 66% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Catholics | 28% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Orthodox Christians | 28% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Latter-day Saints | 76% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
Why it matters
This is one of the strongest indicators in the dataset that Christian practice varies sharply by tradition.
- Some groups read scripture frequently, with shares above 60%.
- Others are notably lower, with Catholics and Orthodox Christians both at 28%.
- Mainline Protestants sit well below evangelicals and historically Black Protestants.
The pattern suggests that Christian church statistics are not just about affiliation. They also reveal how often religious texts and devotional materials remain part of daily or monthly life.
Congregation makeup and shared identity
The data also looks at the social composition of congregations, which adds another layer beyond self-identification.
Among U.S. Christians, 53% say most other congregants in their place of worship share their race or ethnicity (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
Among Protestants, 56% say the same (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
When attenders are asked more directly about similarity within their congregation, the shares stay high across many Christian groups:
- 66% of Christians who attend services say most other congregants are the same race or ethnicity as they are (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 68% of Protestant attenders say the same (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 66% of evangelical attenders say the same (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 73% of mainline Protestant attenders say the same (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 72% of historically Black Protestant attenders say the same (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 66% of Catholic attenders say the same (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 69% of Latter-day Saint attenders say the same (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 81% of Jewish attenders say the same (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 35% of Muslim attenders say the same (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
Congregation composition at a glance
| Group | Say most other congregants are the same race or ethnicity | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Christians who attend services | 66% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Protestant attenders | 68% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Evangelical attenders | 66% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Mainline Protestant attenders | 73% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Historically Black Protestant attenders | 72% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Catholic attenders | 66% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Latter-day Saint attenders | 69% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
What the pattern suggests
The numbers point to strongly bounded social worlds inside many congregations. For many attenders, worship spaces are places where shared race or ethnicity is the norm rather than the exception.
That is useful context for interpreting church life. Christian church statistics are not only about belief categories; they also describe the social composition of the spaces where those beliefs are practiced.
Marriage and religion in Christian households
The dataset also includes marital religion patterns, which show how faith lives inside family relationships.
Among married U.S. adults:
- 36% are in same-religion marriages (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 25% are in mixed-religion marriages (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 38% are in marriages where neither spouse is religiously affiliated (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
For married respondents who say religion is very important in their own life:
- 68% are in same-religion marriages (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 21% are in mixed-religion marriages (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 10% are in marriages where neither spouse is religiously affiliated (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
Discussion frequency in marriage
- 36% discuss religion with their spouse weekly or more often (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 47% discuss religion with their spouse monthly or less often (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- 16% never talk with their spouse about religion (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
Marriage and religion table
| Measure | Share | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Same-religion marriages among married U.S. adults | 36% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Mixed-religion marriages among married U.S. adults | 25% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Marriages where neither spouse is religiously affiliated | 38% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Same-religion marriages among married respondents who say religion is very important | 68% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Discuss religion weekly or more often | 36% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
| Never talk about religion | 16% | Pew Research Center 2025 RLS |
Why this is important
Family life often reflects religious commitment in a direct way. The dataset shows that when religion matters more to a respondent, same-religion marriage is much more common, and conversations about religion are more frequent.
That makes marriage one more setting where Christian church statistics connect belief, identity, and behavior.
Global Christian population context
The supplied statistics also include a broader worldwide frame, which helps explain why Christianity remains one of the most important religious traditions globally.
In the 2010 global religious landscape, Christians numbered 2.2 billion, or 32% of the world’s population (Pew Research Center Global Religious Landscape).
Within that global Christian population:
- 50% were Catholic (Pew Research Center Global Religious Landscape).
- 37% were Protestant, broadly defined to include Anglicans and independent and nondenominational churches (Pew Research Center Global Religious Landscape).
- 12% belonged to the Orthodox Communion (Pew Research Center Global Religious Landscape).
- 1% belonged to other Christian traditions such as Christian Scientists, Mormons, and Jehovah’s Witnesses (Pew Research Center Global Religious Landscape).
The global geography is also striking:
- 61% of Christians lived in the Global South and 39% in the Global North (Pew Research Center Global Christianity).
- 11% of the world’s Christian population lived in the United States (Pew Research Center Global Christianity).
- 8% lived in Brazil (Pew Research Center Global Christianity).
- 5% lived in Mexico (Pew Research Center Global Christianity).
Global context table
| Measure | Share | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Christians in the world | 2.2 billion | Pew Research Center Global Religious Landscape |
| Share of world population that is Christian | 32% | Pew Research Center Global Religious Landscape |
| Catholic among Christians | 50% | Pew Research Center Global Religious Landscape |
| Protestant among Christians | 37% | Pew Research Center Global Religious Landscape |
| Orthodox among Christians | 12% | Pew Research Center Global Religious Landscape |
| Other Christian traditions | 1% | Pew Research Center Global Religious Landscape |
| Christians living in the Global South | 61% | Pew Research Center Global Christianity |
| Christians living in the U.S. | 11% | Pew Research Center Global Christianity |
| Christians living in Brazil | 8% | Pew Research Center Global Christianity |
| Christians living in Mexico | 5% | Pew Research Center Global Christianity |
Why the global figures matter
The global data reinforces a simple point: Christianity is not just a U.S. story. It is a worldwide religious tradition with a majority of adherents in the Global South and a substantial share of the world’s population.
For readers looking at Christian church statistics from a U.S. perspective, this broader frame helps separate local change from global scale.
What the church data means for readers
Several themes repeat across the dataset.
- Christianity remains the largest religious identity category in the U.S., but it is no longer as overwhelming as it once was (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- The unaffiliated population is large enough to shape the overall religious landscape, not just sit at the edges (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- Christian traditions differ sharply in scripture reading, region, and congregational composition (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- Family life and worship patterns both show that religion still structures everyday relationships for many people (Pew Research Center 2025 RLS).
- Globally, Christianity remains a major world religion, with a strong presence in the Global South and a diverse denominational mix (Pew Research Center Global Religious Landscape; Pew Research Center Global Christianity).
Quick synthesis
If you only remember a few numbers from these Christian church statistics, remember these:
- 62% Christian in the 2023-24 U.S. study.
- 31% unaffiliated in the same study.
- 19% Catholic, 16% evangelical Protestant, 12% mainline Protestant, 10% historically Black Protestant.
- 48% of Christians read scripture or devotional material at least monthly.
- 42% of U.S. Christians live in the South.
- 2.2 billion Christians worldwide in the 2010 global landscape.