Question: How many sects of Christianity are there?

List of Christian denominations by number of members

This is a list of Christian denominations by number of members. It is inevitably partial and generally based on claims by the denominations themselves. The numbers should therefore be considered approximate and the article an ongoing work-in-progress.
The list includes the following Christian denominations: the Catholic Church including the Eastern Catholic Churches; all the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches with some recognition and their offshoots; Protestant denominations with at least 0.2 million members; the provinces of the Anglican Communion with at least 0.2 million members; all the other Christian branches with distinct theologies, such as Restorationist and Nontrinitarianian denominations; the independent Catholic denominations; and the Church of the East. With about 2.42 billion adherents all over the world,[1] Christianity is the largest religious group in the world.
Christian denominational families


Christianity – 2.42 billion
Catholic Church – 1.285 billion


Figures below are in accordance with Church’s Book of Statistics, at the end of 2014.[2]
Latin Church – 1.255 billion
Eastern Catholic Churches – 16.3 million[3]
Alexandrian Rite
Ethiopian Catholic Church – 0.2 million[4]
Coptic Catholic Church – 0.2 million[4]
Eritrean Catholic Church – 0.2 million[5]
Antiochene Rite
Maronite Catholic Church – 3.1 million[4]
Syro-Malankara Catholic Church – 0.4 million[4]
Syriac Catholic Church – 0.1 million[4]
Armenian Rite
Armenian Catholic Church – 0.4 million[4]
Byzantine Rite
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church – 4.3 million[4]
Melkite Greek Catholic Church – 1.3 million[4]
Romanian Greek Catholic Church – 0.7 million[4]
Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church – 0.5 million[4]
Hungarian Greek Catholic Church – 0.3 million[4]
Slovak Greek Catholic Church – 0.2 million[4]
Italo-Albanian Catholic Church – 0.1 million[4]
Belarusian Greek Catholic Church – 0.1 million[4]
Byzantine Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia – 0.05 million[6]
Georgian Byzantine Catholic Church – 0.01 million[7]; not sui iuris
Albanian Greek Catholic Church – 0.01 million[4]
Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church – 0.01 million[4]
Greek Byzantine Catholic Church – 0.01 million[4]
Macedonian Greek Catholic Church – 0.01 million[4]
Russian Greek Catholic Church – 0.01 million[4]
Chaldean Rite
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church – 3.8 million[4]
Chaldean Catholic Church – 0.4 million[4]
Canonically irregular groups
Society of Saint Pius X – 0.5 million[8]
Protestantism – 920 million

Protestantism is the second largest major group of Christians after the Catholic Church by number of followers. Estimates vary considerably, from 400 million up to more than a billion.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15] One of the reasons is the lack of a common agreement among scholars about which denominations constitute Protestantism. For instance, most sources but not all include Anglicanism as part of Protestantism (see below). Moreover, Protestant denominations do not form a single communion comparable to those of the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodoxy. Nevertheless, 900 million is the most accepted figure among various authors and scholars, and thus is used in this article. Note that 900 million figure also includes Anglicanism, as well as Anabaptists, Baptists and multiple other groups which have in their scope some denominations that might disavow a common "Protestant" designation, and would rather prefer to be called, simply, "Christian".
Historical Protestantism – 300–400 million[10]
Baptist churches – 75–105 million[10][16]
Southern Baptist Convention – 15.0 million[17]
National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. – 7.5 million[18]
Nigerian Baptist Convention – 5.0 million[19]
National Missionary Baptist Convention of America – 3.1 million[19]
National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. – 3.1 million[19]
Baptist Union of Uganda – 2.5 million[19]
Baptist Community of Western Congo – 2.1 million[19]
Baptist Convention of Tanzania – 2.0 million[19]
Baptist General Convention of Texas – 2.0 million[19]
Brazilian Baptist Convention – 1.6 million[19]
Progressive National Baptist Convention – 1.5 million[19]
Council of Baptist Churches in Northeast India – 1.3 million[19]
American Baptist Churches USA – 1.2 million[19]
Baptist Bible Fellowship International – 1.2 million[20]
Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention – 1.1 million[19]
Baptist Community of the Congo River – 1.1 million[19]
National Primitive Baptist Convention of the U.S.A. – 1.0 million[20]
Myanmar Baptist Convention – 1.0 million[19]
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship – 0.8 million[19]
Baptist General Association of Virginia – 0.6 million[19]
Baptist Convention of Kenya – 0.6 million[19]
Nagaland Baptist Church Council – 0.6 million[19]
Korea Baptist Convention – 0.5 million[19]
Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches – 0.5 million[19]
Orissa Evangelical Baptist Crusade – 0.5 million[19]
National Baptist Convention (Brazil) – 0.4 million[19]
Church of Christ in Congo–Baptist Community of Congo – 0.4 million[21]
Baptist Convention of Malawi – 0.3 million[19]
Garo Baptist Convention – 0.3 million[19]
Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches – 0.3[19]
Ghana Baptist Convention – 0.3[19]
Union of Baptist Churches in Rwanda – 0.3 million[19]
Conservative Baptist Association of America – 0.2 million[22]
National Association of Free Will Baptists – 0.2 million[23]
Convention of Visayas and Mindanao of Southern Baptist Churches – 0.2 million[19]
Manipur Baptist Convention – 0.2 million[19]
Baptist Community in Central Africa – 0.2 million[19]
Lutheranism – 70–90 million[10][24]
Evangelical Church in Germany - 21.5 million (11 million United Protestants, i.e. Lutheran & Reformed; 10 million Lutherans; 1 million Reformed)[25]
Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus – 8.3 million[26]
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania – 6.5 million[27]
Church of Sweden – 6.0 million[28][29]
United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India – 4.5 million[30]
Church of Denmark – 4.3 million[31][32]
Batak Christian Protestant Church – 4.0 million[33]
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland – 3.8 million[34][35]
Church of Norway – 3.7 million[36][37]
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – 3.6 million[38][39]
Malagasy Lutheran Church – 3.0 million[40]
The Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria – 2.2 million[41]
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod – 2.0 million[42]
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea – 1.2 million[43]
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia – 0.7 million[44]
Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil – 0.6 million[45]
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa – 0.6 million[46]
The Protestant Christian Church – 0.5 million[33]
Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia – 0.4 million[44]
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod – 0.4 million[47]
Evangelical Free Church of America – 0.4 million[48]
The Indonesian Christian Church – 0.3 million[33]
Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ – 0.3 million[49]
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon – 0.3 million[50]
Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Austria – 0.3 million[51]
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe – 0.3 million[52]
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia – 0.3 million[53]
Christian Protestant Church in Indonesia – 0.3 million[33]
Church of Iceland – 0.2 million[54]
Simalungun Protestant Christian Church – 0.2 million[33]
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil – 0.2 million[55]
Protestant Church of Augsburg Confession of Alsace and Lorraine – 0.2 million[56]
Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovakia – 0.2 million[57]
Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Hungary – 0.2 million[58]
Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church – 0.2 million[59]
Methodism – 60–80 million[10][60][61]
United Methodist Church – 12 million[62]
African Methodist Episcopal Church – 2.5 million[63]
Church of the Nazarene – 2 million[64]
Methodist Church Nigeria – 2 million[65]
The Salvation Army – 1,797,291 registered members[66]
Methodist Church of Southern Africa – 1.7 million[67]
Korean Methodist Church – 1.5 million[68]
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church – 1.4 million[69]
United Methodist Church of Ivory Coast – 1 million[70]
Free Methodist Church – 0.9 million[71]
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church – 0.9 million[72]
Methodist Church Ghana – 0.8 million[73]
Methodist Church in India – 0.6 million[74]
Methodist Church in Kenya – 0.5 million[75]
Wesleyan Church – 0.4 million[76]
Methodist Church of Great Britain – 0.2 million[77]
Methodist Church in Brazil – 0.2 million[78]
Calvinism (Reformed churches) – 55–100 million[10][79][80][81]
Presbyterianism – 40–50 million
Presbyterian Church of East Africa – 4.0 million[82]
Presbyterian Church of Nigeria – 3.8 million[83]
Presbyterian Church of Africa – 3.4 million[84]
Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong) – 3.0 million[85]
Presbyterian Church of Korea (TongHap) – 2.9 million[86]
National Presbyterian Church in Mexico – 2.8 million[87]
Church of Christ in Congo–Presbyterian Community of Congo – 2.5 million[88]
Presbyterian Church of Cameroon – 1.8 million[89]
Presbyterian Church (USA) – 1.4 million[90]
Presbyterian Church of India – 1.3 million[91]
Church of Central Africa Presbyterian – 1.3 million[92]
Presbyterian Church of Brazil – 1.0 million[93]
Presbyterian Church in Sudan – 1.0 million[94]
Presbyterian Church in Cameroon – 0.7 million[95]
Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDongBoSu II.) – 0.7 million[96]
Presbyterian Church in Korea (BaekSeok) – 0.6 million[97]
Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana – 0.6 million[98]
United Church of Christ in the Philippines – 0.5 million[99]
Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa – 0.5 million[100]
United Church of Canada – 0.4 million[101]
Presbyterian Church in America – 0.4 million[102]
Presbyterian Church of Pakistan – 0.4 million[103]
Presbyterian Church in Korea (Koshin) – 0.4 million
Church of Scotland – 0.3 million[104]
Korean Presbyterian Church – 0.3 million[105]
Presbyterian Church in Rwanda – 0.3 million[106]
Uniting Church in Australia – 0.2 million[107]
Presbyterian Church in Taiwan – 0.2 million[108]
Presbyterian Church in Ireland – 0.2 million[109]
Continental Reformed churches – 20–30 million
Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar – 3.5 million[110]
Protestant Church in Indonesia – 3.1 million[111]
United Church in Zambia – 3.0 million[112]
Evangelical Church of Cameroon – 2.5 million[113]
Swiss Reformed Church – 2.4 million[114]
Christian Evangelical Church in Timor – 2.0 million[115]
Protestant Church in the Netherlands – 1.8 million[116]
Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (NGK) – 1.1 million
Christian Evangelical Church in Minahasa – 0.7 million[117]
United Church in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands – 0.6 million[118]
Protestant Church in Western Indonesia – 0.6 million[119]
Evangelical Christian Church in Tanah Papua – 0.6 million[120]
Protestant Church of Maluku – 0.6 million[121]
Reformed Church in Hungary – 0.6 million[122]
Reformed Church in Romania – 0.6 million[123]
Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa – 0.5 million[124]
Toraja Church – 0.4 million[125]
Reformed Church of France – 0.4 million[126]
Lesotho Evangelical Church – 0.3 million[127]
Evangelical Christian Church in Halmahera – 0.3 million[128]
Christian Church of Sumba – 0.3 million[129]
Karo Batak Protestant Church – 0.3 million[130]
Christian Reformed Church of Nigeria – 0.3 million[131]
Reformed Church in Zambia – 0.3 million[132]
Evangelical Reformed Church in Angola – 0.2 million[133]
Reformed Church in America – 0.2 million[134]
Christian Reformed Church in North America – 0.2 million[135]
Kalimantan Evangelical Church – 0.2 million[136]
Javanese Christian Church – 0.2 million[137]
Indonesia Christian Church – 0.2 million[138]
Church of Christ in the Sudan Among the Tiv – 0.2 million[139]
Church of Lippe – 0.2 million[140]
Evangelical Church of Congo – 0.2 million[141]
Christian Evangelical Church of Sangihe Talaud – 0.2 million[142]
Central Sulawesi Christian Church – 0.2 million[143]
Evangelical Reformed Church in Bavaria and Northwestern Germany – 0.2 million[144]
Congregationalism – 5 million
United Church of Christ – 0.9 million[145]
Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola – 0.9 million[146]
United Congregational Church of Southern Africa – 0.5 million[147]
Anabaptism – 4.0 million
Mennonites – 2.1 million[148]
Schwarzenau Brethren/German Baptists – 1.5 million[149]
Amish – 0.3 million
Hutterites – 0.05 million
Hussites – 1 million
Moravians – 0.825 million
Czechoslovak Hussite Church – 0.14 million
Unity of the Brethren – 0.035 million
Quakers (Religious Society of Friends) – 0.4 million
Modern Protestantism – 400–500 million
Pentecostalism – 280 million[10]
Assemblies of God – 67 million[150]
Apostolic Church – 15 million
International Circle of Faith – 11 million[151]
Fangcheng Fellowship – 10 million[152]
China Gospel Fellowship - 10 million
Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) - 6 million
International Church of the Foursquare Gospel - 9 million
Church of God in Christ - 6.5 million[153]
Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide – 5 million
International Pentecostal Holiness Church – 4 million
United Pentecostal Church International – 4 million
The Pentecostal Mission – 2.5 million
Christian Congregation of Brazil – 2.5 million
True Jesus Church – 2.5 million
The Church of Pentecost – 2.1 million
Universal Church of the Kingdom of God – 2 million
Pentecostal Assemblies of the World – 1.5 million
Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa – 1.2 million
Church of God of Prophecy – 1.5 million
Association of Pentecostal Churches of Rwanda – 1 million
God is Love Pentecostal Church – 0.8 million
Nondenominational evangelicalism – 80 million
Calvary Chapel – 25 million
Born Again Movement – 3 million[154]
Association of Vineyard Churches – 15 million
Christian and Missionary Alliance – 4 million[155]
Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) – 1.2 million
African initiated Protestant churches – 60 million[156]
Zion Christian Church – 15 million
Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim and Seraphim – 10 million
Kimbanguist Church – 5.5 million
Redeemed Christian Church of God – 5 million[157]
Church of the Lord (Aladura) – 3.6 million[158]
Council of African Instituted Churches – 3 million[159]
Church of Christ Light of the Holy Spirit – 1.4 million[160]
African Church of the Holy Spirit – 0.7 million[161]
African Israel Church Nineveh – 0.5 million[162]
Seventh-day Adventist Church – 20.0 million[163]
New Apostolic Church – 10 million[164]
Chinese-originated and Chinese Independent Churches – 10 million
Groups listed have origins in the Lord's Recovery movement associated with Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. The Shouters are an offshoot of the Local churches, considered a dangerous sect by the Chinese government; due to the extremely decentralized nature of both groups, there is controversy over which house churches should be actually considered part of each. Eastern Lightning, which is in turn an offshoot of The Shouters, is very hierarchical (in contrast to its predecessors) and teaches that Christ has already returned as a woman named Lightning Deng.
Local churches or Church Assembly Hall – between 1 and 10 million
Eastern Lightning – 1 million
The Shouters – unknown, probably less than 1 million
Restoration Movement – 7 million
Churches of Christ – 5 million
Christian churches and churches of Christ – 1.1 million[20]
Community of Disciples of Christ in Congo – 0.7 million[165]
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) – 0.4 million[166]
Plymouth Brethren – 1 million[167]
Anglicanism – 85 million

Anglican Communion – 80 million[168]
Church of England – 25.0 million[169]
Church of Nigeria – 18.0 million[170]
Church of Uganda – 8.1 million[171]
Anglican Church of Kenya – 5.0 million[172]
Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan – 4.5 million[173]
Church of South India – 3.8 million[174]
Anglican Church of Australia – 3.1 million[175]
Anglican Church of Southern Africa – 2.3 million[176]
Anglican Church of Tanzania – 2.0 million[177]
Episcopal Church in the United States – 1.9 million[178]
Anglican Church of Canada – 1.6 million[179]
Church of North India – 1.5 million[180]
Anglican Church of Rwanda – 1.0 million[181]
Church of the Province of Central Africa – 0.9 million[182]
Anglican Church of Burundi – 0.8 million[183]
Church in the Province of the West Indies – 0.8 million[184]
Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia – 0.5 million[185]
Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean – 0.5 million[186]
Church of Christ in Congo–Anglican Community of Congo – 0.5 million[187]
Church of Pakistan – 0.5 million[188]
Church of Ireland – 0.4 million[189]
Church of the Province of West Africa – 0.3 million[190]
Anglican Church of Melanesia – 0.2 million[191]
Episcopal Church in the Philippines – 0.1 million[192]
Continuing Anglican movement and independent churches – 0.4 million
Traditional Anglican Communion – 0.4 million[193]
Anglican Church in North America – 0.09 million[194]
Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church of South Africa – 0.09 million[195]
Eastern Orthodox Church – 270 million

The most common estimate of the number of Eastern Orthodox Christians worldwide is 225–300 million, forming a single communion, making it the second largest, single Christian denomination behind the Catholic Church.[196] These are the adherents of the recognized Orthodox jurisdictions (autocephalous and autonomous churches) that are in full communion with each other. In addition, there are some Orthodox splinter groups and non-universally recognized churches.
Autocephalous churches – 249 million
Russian Orthodox Church – 150 million
Orthodox Church of Ukraine – 25 million
Romanian Orthodox Church – 23 million
Church of Greece – 15 million
Serbian Orthodox Church – 11.5 million
Bulgarian Orthodox Church – 10 million
Georgian Orthodox Church – 3.5 million
Greek Orthodox Church of Constantinople – 3.5 million
Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch – 2.5 million
Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria – 1.5 million
Orthodox Church in America – 0.08 million
Polish Orthodox Church – 1 million
Albanian Orthodox Church – 0.8 million
Church of Cyprus – 0.7 million
Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem – 0.14 million
Czech and Slovak Orthodox Church – 0.07 million
Autonomous churches – 13 million
Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) – 7.2 million[197]
Moldovan Orthodox Church – 3.2 million
Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia – 1.25 million
Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia – 0.62 million
Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric – 0.34 million
Estonian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) – 0.3 million
Finnish Orthodox Church – 0.08 million
Chinese Orthodox Church – 0.03 million
Japanese Orthodox Church – 0.02 million
Latvian Orthodox Church – 0.02 million
Non-universally recognized churches – 6.27 million
Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church – 2.4 million
Macedonian Orthodox Church – 2 million
Orthodox Church of Greece (Holy Synod in Resistance) – 0.75 million
Old Calendarist Romanian Orthodox Church – 0.50 million
Old Calendar Bulgarian Orthodox Church – 0.45 million
Orthodox Church in Italy – 0.12 million
Montenegrin Orthodox Church – 0.05 million
Other separated Orthodox groups – 6 million
Old Believers – 5.5 million
Greek Old Calendarists – 0.86 million
True Orthodox Church – 0.85 million
Evangelical Orthodox Church – 0.07 million
Oriental Orthodoxy – 86 million

Oriental Orthodox churches are the churches descended from those that rejected the Council of Chalcedon in 451. Despite the similar name, they are therefore a different branch of Christianity from the Eastern Orthodox (see above).
Autocephalous churches – 84 million
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church – 48 million[198]
Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria – 15.5 million
Armenian Apostolic Church – 9 million[199]
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin – 6 million
Holy See of Cilicia – 1.5 million
Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople – 0.5–0.7 million[200]
Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem – 0.34 million
Syriac Orthodox Church – 6.6 million[201][202][203]
Jacobite Syrian Christian Church – 1.2 million[204]
Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church - 2.5 million
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church - 2 million[205]
Autonomous churches - 1 million
French Coptic Orthodox Church – 0.01 million
Churches not in communion – 1 million
Mar Thoma Syrian Church – 1.1 million[206]
Malabar Independent Syrian Church – 0.06 million
British Orthodox Church – 0.01 million
Restorationism and Nontrinitarianism – 35 million
Latter Day Saint movement (Mormonism) – 16.4 million
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – 16.1 million[207]
Community of Christ – 0.25 million[208]
Jehovah's Witnesses – 8.5 million [209]
Oneness Pentecostalism – 6 million
United Pentecostal Church International – 4 million
Pentecostal Assemblies of the World – 1.5 million
Minor denominations – 4.4 million
Iglesia ni Cristo – 2.3 million[210]
La Luz del Mundo – around million (See La Luz del Mundo#Statistics)
Unitarian Universalism – 0.6 million[211]
Unitarian Universalist Association – 0.2 million[212]
(Unitarian Universalism developed out of Christian traditions but no longer identifies as a Christian denomination.)
Church of Christ, Scientist – 0.4 million
Friends of Man – 0.07 million
Christadelphians – 0.06 million
Family International – 0.01 million
Independent Catholicism  –  18 million
Various denominations self-identifying as Catholic, despite not being affiliated with the Catholic Church.[213]
Philippine Independent Church – 6 million[214]
Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association – 5 million[215]
Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church – 5 million[216]
Traditionalist Mexican-American Catholic Church – 2 million
Old Catholic Church – 0.1 million
Polish National Catholic Church – 0.025 million
Apostolic Catholic Church – 0.005 million
Palmarian Catholic Church – 0.0015 or 0.001 million[217]
Minor branches – 2 million
Church of the East (Nestorianism) – 0.6 million
Assyrian Church of the East – 0.5 million
Ancient Church of the East – 0.1 million
Messianic Judaism – 0.35 million[218]
Unification movement (aka Moonies) – 1–2 million[219]
See also
List of Christian denominations
List of largest church buildings
List of the largest Protestant denominations
List of current Christian leaders
Major religious groups