Churches are sacred spaces where Christians congregate to worship and pay homage to their faith.
Except in countries where Christianity is explicitly banned, churches are ubiquitous, providing a communal haven for Christians worldwide.
As one of the most widely practiced religions globally, Christianity boasts an estimated one-third of the world’s population as adherents.
The Dura-Europos church in Syria, built between 233-256 AD, holds the distinction of being the world’s first church.
Christianity encompasses a diverse range of denominations, including Pentecostal, Catholic, Anglican, Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, and several others.
Here the top 5 Countries with the most Churches in the world:
1. Nigeria
With a population exceeding 206 million, Nigeria is home to a significant Christian community. According to the Smartscarper database, Nigeria has 16,146 churches, while Wikipedia estimates the number to be around 16,300, translating to approximately one church for every 3.6 million residents.
2 . Spain
Spain has a rich Catholic heritage, with numerous towns and cities featuring their own parishes and a substantial number of churches throughout the country. As reported by Statista, in 2022, there were about 23,000 parishes and around 712 monasteries in Spain.
3. United States
According to the Burge Report, the United States has an estimated 350,000 to 400,000 churches. While this large number does not guarantee that they are all filled every Sunday, it reflects a significant presence.
4. Brazil
Data from Brazil’s RAIS labor database indicates that more than half of the 124,529 religious institutions reported in 2021 were Pentecostal or neo-Pentecostal churches, with their official places of worship increasing fourfold over the past twenty years.
5. Italy
Italy boasts a wide range of over 20,000 churches, with some estimates suggesting the number could be as high as 65,000. Research by Roman Robroek indicates that there are at least 1,000 confirmed abandoned churches, with many more unrecorded due to lost documentation.
Vatican City, located in Rome and one of the smallest countries in Europe with a population of around 1,000, is home to approximately 1,700 churches, making it the country with the highest number of churches per capita.
While the population of a nation may impact the number of churches it has, some Asian countries with large populations have relatively few churches.