Where Do the World's Christians Live?

Pope Francis on Monday set off on a 12-day Asia trip, including visits to four countries and 30,000 kilometers covered by air. According to the Guardian, the visit shows the importance of Asia to the Catholic Church despite not having many traditionally Christian populations. However, the continent is known for its growing populations, growing number of believers and is home to many Christians, among them Catholics, due to its sheer size.

Data from Statista Consumer Insights shows that after the predominantly Catholic and very pious Philippines, Singapore is also home to a high number of Christians at 28 percent. The city state is a melting pot of cultures and has been known for religious tolerance. Christians can be found among its Chinese and Indian inhabitants and the religion was also promoted under British colonial rule. Neighboring Malaysia had 15 percent of survey participants declare they are Christian. Pope Francis will visit Singapore this month as well as Indonesia, where another 15 percent proclaimed Christianity. This is lower than in South Korea at 25 percent, where prominent Christian sects are active. However, due to the sheer size of Indonesia, the rate works out to a Christian population of 42.6 million people - more than, for example, in Germany if extrapolating the survey results.

Another country that is home to many Christians due to its sheer size is China. Pope Francis will not visit there, with Singapore as a predominantly ethnically Chinese state being seen as the next best location the pontiff could pick. Relations of the Catholic church with China are not overly friendly despite China now recognizing a Vatican-installed bishop, Melchior Shi Hongzhen of Tianjin. Statista Consumer Insights projects almost 57 million Christians live in China, of whom an estimated 12 million are Catholics.

Pope Francis will also visit two Christian/Catholic countries in Asia - Papua New Guinea and East Timor. The latter saw a visit by Pope John Paul in 1989 which brought attention to the religious and ethnic prosecution faced by the inhabitants previous to independence from Indonesia. in He visited the Philippines previously in 2015 and South Korea in 2014, which marked his first visit to Asia. The trip now taking place had been originally scheduled for 2020 but was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The current pope has also previously visited Japan, Thailand, Myanmar and Bangladesh.