Top 5 countries with the most churches in the world

Christianity is one of the world’s most popular religions, with one-third of the global population identifying as Christian.

The first church was the Dura-Europos church in Syria. It was established between 233 and 256 AD.

There are many denominations, including Pentecostal, Catholic, Anglican, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Orthodox, among others.

According to the Burge Report, there are between 350,000 and 400,000 churches in the United States. While having many churches doesn’t necessarily mean they are full every Sunday, it’s still a significant number.

Brazil’s RAIS labour database reveals that over half of the 124,529 religious institutions in 2021 were Pentecostal or neo-Pentecostal churches, with official places of worship for these denominations quadrupling over two decades.

Italy has over 20,000 churches, with some estimates suggesting as many as 65,000. At least 1,000 confirmed abandoned churches exist, with many more unnamed due to lost records, according to research by Roman Robroek.

Vatican City, the holy city located in Rome, Italy, is one of Europe’s smallest countries with a population of around 1,000 people. It is home to about 1,700 churches, making it the country with the most churches per capita.

Spain has a strong Catholic tradition and history. Many towns and cities have their own parishes, and there are a vast number of churches across the country.

According to Statista, in 2022, there were approximately 23,000 parishes and around 712 monasteries in Spain.

Nigeria has a population of over 206 million people, many of whom are Christians.

According to the Smartscarper database, Nigeria has 16,146 churches. Wikipedia reports that Nigeria has 16,300 churches, which equates to about one church for every 3.6 million people.

The population size of a country may influence the number of churches within it, although Asian countries with their large population don’t have a lot of churches.