New research findings by a leading American research group, Pew Research Center suggest that the number of Christians in various denominations and sects is steadily rising in Africa and could dominate the faith numerically worldwide for decades to come.
With Uganda taking the 4th place, the study revealed this month (April) that there will be 727 million Christians in Africa by 2060, with six nations in the top 10. They are likely to be (in order of population) Nigeria, Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia.
According to International Christian Concern, the size of the Christian population in Nigeria alone is already the largest on the continent and is projected to double by 2060, according to the report. In addition, Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya are projected to replace Russia, Germany, and China.
In 2015, only three African countries were included among the top 10 in numbers of Christians by population: Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ethiopia. Together, these nations accounted then for just over 216 million Christians.
The newly published research also draws comparisons between global Muslim numbers and Christian populations as it foresees Islam catching up with Christianity later in this century.
Elsewhere, in a reversal from nearly five centuries ago when Christian missionaries first brought the religion to African communities, African preachers, led by “reverse missionaries,” are increasingly taking charge of the gospel in nations outside Africa, as Quartz Africa reported.
The upsurge in the African Christian population matches general population growth projections; while around 2.2 billion people could be added to the global population by 2050, more than half of that growth will occur in Africa.
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