Christianity is a religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who lived in the 1st century CE. Christians believe Jesus is the Son of God and that he rose from the dead. With about 2.3 billion followers in 2020, it is the world’s largest religion. Its holy book is the Bible.
Christianity quick facts
- About 2.3 billion people were Christians in 2020, 28.8% of the world.
- The largest share of Christians, 31%, lives in sub-Saharan Africa.
- The three largest groups are Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant.
- Easter, not Christmas, is the most important Christian festival.
- The Bible has two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament.
What is Christianity?
Christianity is a religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who lived in the 1st century CE. People who follow it are called Christians.
It is the largest religion in the world, and it has spread to more places than any other faith.
In 2020 there were about 2.3 billion Christians, according to the Pew Research Center. That was 28.8% of all the people in the world, a little under three in every ten.
Who was Jesus?
Jesus was born more than 2,000 years ago, in the land then called Palestine. As an adult he travelled and taught, and he gathered followers called disciples.
Jesus taught people to love God with all their hearts, and to love their neighbours as themselves.
Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God, both fully human and fully divine. They believe that he was crucified, died, and rose from the dead on the third day. This is called the Resurrection, and it is at the heart of Christian belief.
The title Christ means “the Anointed One” of God. It is where the words Christian and Christianity come from.
What do Christians believe?
Christians believe in one God. They also believe that God is known in three ways, called the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, who is Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit.
Christians sometimes describe these as the Creator, the Redeemer and the Holy Spirit who makes people holy. The Trinity is not three gods, but one God known in three ways.
Christians believe that God has shown himself through the Bible, and most clearly through Jesus.
They also believe in life after death. Easter celebrates the hope that, because Jesus overcame death, believers will share in eternal life.
The Bible
The holy book of Christianity is the Bible. It has two main parts.
The Old Testament contains the Hebrew scriptures, which are also sacred to Jews. You can read more about that faith in our Judaism facts for kids.
The New Testament tells of the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus, and of his first followers. It includes four Gospels, the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Only two of the Gospels, Matthew and Luke, describe the birth of Jesus. The Gospel of Mark begins when Jesus is already an adult.
Christianity: Words to Know
- Christ — A title meaning 'the Anointed One' of God
- Disciples — The followers who travelled with Jesus as he taught
- Resurrection — What Christians believe happened when Jesus rose from the dead
- Gospels — Four books about Jesus: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
- Bible — The holy book of Christianity, in two main parts
Different kinds of Christians
Christians do not all belong to one church. The three largest groups are the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches and the Protestant churches.
The Oriental Orthodox churches are among the oldest of all. They were out of contact with the other churches from the middle of the 400s until the late 1900s, because of a disagreement about the nature of Jesus.
Protestant churches include many different groups, such as Baptists, Lutherans and Presbyterians. There are also many independent churches around the world, and movements such as Pentecostalism that cross the lines between churches.
Where do Christians live?
Christianity began in the Middle East, but today Christians live all over the world.
In 2020, the largest share of Christians lived in sub-Saharan Africa, 31% of them. Next came Latin America and the Caribbean, with 24%, and then Europe, with 22%.
Sub-Saharan Africa has now overtaken Europe as the region with the most Christians.
Between 2010 and 2020, the number of Christians grew by 122 million. But the world’s population grew faster, so Christians made up a slightly smaller share of it, down by 1.8 percentage points.
How Christians worship
Christians worship God in churches and at home. A church can be anything from a small village chapel to a huge cathedral. Many Christians go to church together on Sundays, the day of the week on which they believe Jesus rose from the dead.
Prayer is an important part of Christian life. Christians pray to God, following the example Jesus gave his disciples.
People who become Christians are usually baptised, often with water. In the Church of England, the person being baptised, or their parents, is asked whether they believe and trust in God the Father, in his Son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit.
Many churches also share Holy Communion, also called the Eucharist. At this service, bread and wine are shared to remember Jesus.
The cross
The cross is the main symbol of Christianity. It is a reminder of the Crucifixion of Jesus, and it stands both for Jesus himself and for the faith of Christians.
There are several shapes of cross. The Latin cross has a longer lower arm, and tradition says it is the kind on which Jesus died. The Greek cross has four equal arms.
Making the sign of the cross with the hand can be a prayer, a blessing or a way of showing faith.
Worship and the Cross
- Baptism — Often done with water when someone becomes a Christian
- Holy Communion — Bread and wine shared to remember Jesus
- Prayer — Speaking to God, following the example Jesus gave
- Latin cross — Has a longer lower arm
- Greek cross — Has four equal arms
- Sign of the cross — Made with the hand as a prayer, a blessing or a sign of faith
The Christian year
Christians mark the year with festivals and seasons.
Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus. Most churches keep it on 25 December, but many Eastern churches celebrate on 6 or 7 January. The Christmas season runs from Advent, the weeks of waiting before Christmas, until Epiphany. Find out more in our Christmas facts for kids.
Since the early 1900s, Christmas has also become a family holiday for many people who are not Christians, with presents and Santa Claus. For many families, the season is a time of hope, joy, generosity and goodwill.
Lent is a 40-day season to prepare for Easter. Many Christians fast or give something up, remembering the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness. They are also encouraged to give to people in need. In Western churches, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. In Eastern churches, it starts on the Monday of the seventh week before Easter.
Lent is very old. In the early church it was a time to prepare new Christians for baptism at Easter. It was made official at a great meeting of church leaders, the First Council of Nicaea, in 325 CE.
Easter is the most important Christian festival. It celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus on the third day after he was crucified. In some places it also brings egg hunts and baskets of treats, enjoyed by Christians and non-Christians alike. Easter celebrations have been written about since at least the 2nd century.
Pentecost, which comes after Easter, is another important date in the church calendar.
Some well-known holidays have Christian roots, too. Read about one of them in our Halloween history for kids.
The Christian Year in Order
- Advent The weeks of waiting before Christmas.
- Christmas Celebrates the birth of Jesus.
- Epiphany Brings the Christmas season to an end.
- Lent Forty days of getting ready for Easter.
- Easter Celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus.
- Pentecost Another important date, which comes after Easter.
Stories Christians tell
Christians learn about their faith through stories from the Bible, often told again every year.
At Christmas, many churches retell the Nativity, the story of Jesus’s birth. In Luke’s Gospel, the angel Gabriel tells Mary that she will have a son, and that he is to be called Jesus.
At Easter, they retell the story of the empty tomb. The Gospels tell it in slightly different ways. In Matthew’s account, an angel shows the empty tomb to Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary”.
Music is part of worship in many churches, from hymns and carols to choirs and bands. Many of the best-known Christmas carols retell parts of the Nativity story in song.
Three things people get wrong
Christians do not all belong to one church. The largest groups are Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant, and there are many others.
Most Christians do not live in Europe. In 2020 the largest share, 31%, lived in sub-Saharan Africa.
Christmas is not the most important Christian festival. Easter, which celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus, is the principal festival of the Christian year.
Did you know? Many Eastern churches celebrate Christmas on 6 or 7 January rather than 25 December.
Christianity: True or False?
- All Christians belong to one church.
- In 2020, more of the world's Christians lived in sub-Saharan Africa than in any other region.
- Every church celebrates Christmas on 25 December.
- Only two of the four Gospels describe the birth of Jesus.
- Christianity began in Europe.
- In Western churches, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.
- People have only celebrated Easter for about the last 100 years.
- Between 2010 and 2020 the number of Christians grew, but their share of the world's people fell a little.
Try it
Look at a calendar and find the dates of Christmas, Ash Wednesday and Easter this year. Count how many days Lent lasts, not counting Sundays.
Knowledge check
What is the Trinity?
Show answer
The Christian belief in one God known in three ways: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit.
Which is the most important Christian festival?
Show answer
Easter, which celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus.
Frequently asked questions
What is Christianity?
Christianity is a religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who lived in the 1st century CE. It is the world’s largest religion, with about 2.3 billion followers in 2020.
What do Christians believe?
Christians believe in one God known as the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They believe Jesus is the Son of God, that he died and rose again, and that believers will share eternal life.
What is the Christian holy book?
The Christian holy book is the Bible. It has two parts: the Old Testament, which contains the Hebrew scriptures, and the New Testament, which tells the story of Jesus and his first followers.
How many Christians are there in the world?
There were about 2.3 billion Christians in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center. That was 28.8% of the world’s population.
What are the main Christian festivals?
The main Christian festivals are Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus, and Easter, which celebrates his Resurrection. Lent is the 40-day season before Easter, and Pentecost comes after it.
What are the main branches of Christianity?
The three largest branches of Christianity are the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches and the Protestant churches. The Oriental Orthodox churches are among the oldest.
Sources
- Pew Research Center: how the global religious landscape changed from 2010 to 2020 — the number and share of Christians and where they live
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Christianity — the origins of Christianity, its size and its main churches
- United Religions Initiative: Christian beliefs — the life and teaching of Jesus, the Trinity, the Bible and the three main streams
- Church of England: what we believe — belief in God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Bible, prayer and baptism
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Easter — the meaning of Easter and the Gospel accounts of the Resurrection
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Christmas — the dates of Christmas, the Christmas season and the Gospel accounts of the Nativity
Christianity Final Challenge
- In 2020, about how many of the world's people were Christians?
- What did Jesus teach people to do?
- Which part of the Bible contains the Hebrew scriptures, which are also sacred to Jews?
- Which of these is a Protestant church?
- What split the Oriental Orthodox churches from the other churches in the 400s?
- In Luke's Gospel, who tells Mary that she will have a son?
- What do many Christians do during Lent?
- Why do many Christians go to church on Sundays?
