Christianity Growing in Asia Despite Widespread Persecution
Although Christianity remains a minority religion in much of Asia, it is steadily gaining ground in such nations as China, South Korea and Nepal.
About 8 percent of Asia’s population now identifies as Christian, up from 3 percent in 1910, according to “Crosswalk Headlines.” .Last year, the Center for the Study of Global Christianity reported that Asia is home to 415 million Christians, which is more than the entire population of the United States.
China has seen one of the most dramatic shifts. Following decades of government-imposed atheism, Christianity has surged, with an estimated 6 percent to 9 percent of the country now identifying as Christian, representing 85 million to 128 million people. Protestants, especially those in unregistered house churches, account for the vast majority of Christians.
Although only two countries in Asia are considered majority Christian — the Philippines and East Timor – the faith is growing in dozens of countries. Mathews George Chunakara, general secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia, told “The Economist: that the center of gravity of Christianity is shifting globally from Europe and North America to the rest of the world. Although much of the growth is happening in Africa and Latin America, Asia is also contributing. Between 2020 and 2025, the number of Christians in Asia increased by about 1.6 percent each year.
Christianity has become one of South Korea’s largest religions, with roughly one-third of the population identifying as either Protestant or Catholic. Megachurches dominate Seoul’s skyline, and South Korea now sends more missionaries abroad than any country except the United States. Once a Hindu kingdom that banned conversions, Nepal now counts more than half a million Christians, up from just a few hundred in 1961. Evangelical and Pentecostal churches have spread in both urban centers and rural villages.
China has tightened regulations in recent years, shuttering churches, editing sermons and banning minors from religious instruction. Nepal’s constitution prohibits proselytism, and several pastors have been arrested under the law. Still, Christianity continues to expand in less expected places, including Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Mongolia/ In Mongolia, where the Christian presence was virtually nonexistent just two decades ago, there are now hundreds of congregations.
–Alan Goforth
