Christian Population (2015): 9,014,587
Percent Christian 1900: 14.78%
Percent Christian 2015: 9.61%
Major Churches: Coptic Orthodox Church, Coptic Catholic Church, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, Evangelical Church of Egypt, Anglican Church.
Smaller Churches: Armenian Apostolic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Melkite Catholic Church, Maronite Catholic Church, Syriac Catholic Church, Armenian Catholic Church, Chaldean Catholic Church, Assemblies of God, Christian Brethren, Free Methodist, Pentecostal, Seventh-day Adventists, Church of God, and Churches of Christ.
Outlook: Since the Arab Spring demonstrations toppled the 30-year regime of Hosni Mubarak, Christians in Egypt have faced uncertain times. First, the Muslim Brotherhood briefly held political power between 2012 and 2013. Christians generally welcomed the takeover of President Sisi in 2013, but this second regime change in as many years did not bring about stability. In 2016, the Islamic State established a stronghold in Sinai. More than 100 Christians have been killed in terrorist attacks since then. Facing political instability and rising extremism, approximately 93,000 Christians have fled Egypt since the Arab Spring began in 2011.
Learn More:
State Department 2018 International Religious Freedom Report
Christian Population (2013): 2,004,274
Percent Christian 1900: 77.41%
Percent Christian 2015: 34.25%
Major Churches: Maronite Catholic Church, Melkite Catholic Church, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, Armenian Apostolic Church.
Smaller Churches: Russian Orthodox Church, Syriac Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Catholic Church, Syriac Catholic Church, Chaldean Catholic Church, National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, National Evangelical Churches of Lebanon, Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches, Anglican Church, Church of God, Seventh-day Adventists, Brethren Evangelical Church, Church of Friends, Church of the Nazarene, Evangelical Christian Alliance.
Outlook: Following Lebanon’s decades-long civil war (1975-1990), the National Pact mandated that the country’s president must be a Christian. Christians continue to hold political power in Lebanon to this day, despite being only a third of the population. No official religious census can be taken for fear that it will disrupt the fragile peace.
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State Department 2018 International Religious Freedom Report
Total Population (2015): 1,135,437
Percent Christian 1900: 18.06%
Percent Christian 2015: 6.06%
Major Churches: Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, Melkite Catholic Church, Armenian Apostolic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Assyrian Church of the East, Syriac Catholic Church, Chaldean Catholic Church
Smaller Churches: Maronite Catholic Church, Armenian Catholic Church, National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Church of God, Church of the Nazarene, Armenian Brethren, Seventh-day Adventists, Assemblies of God
Outlook: The Syrian Civil War, which began in 2011, has devastated Syria’s Christian community (many of whom have been supportive of Syria’s current government). At least 400,000 Christians have fled Syria, a decrease of about 20 percent. Before the war, Christians could be found throughout Syria, today they almost solely clustered in urban areas that remained under government control.
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State Department 2018 International Religious Freedom Report
Christian Population (2015): 226,620
Percent Christian 1900: 5.84%
Percent Christian 2015: 2.47%
Major Churches: Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Melkite Catholic Church, Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Smaller Churches: Armenian Apostolic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Coptic Orthodox Church, Armenian Catholic Church, Anglican Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Assemblies of God, Church of the Nazarene, Seventh-Day Adventists, Baptist churches.
Outlook: Jordan is one of the few countries in the region where Christianity appears stable. In fact, since the start of the Syrian civil war, many Syrian Christians have taken refuge in Jordan leading to a significant increase in the number of Christians in the last decade.
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State Department 2018 International Religious Freedom Report
Christian Population (2015): 50,264
Percent Christian 1900: 11.65%
Percent Christian 2015: 1.08%
Major Churches: Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Maronite Catholic Church, Melkite Catholic Church, Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Armenian Apostolic Church, Coptic Orthodox Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Anglican Church.
Smaller Churches: Russian Orthodox Church, Orthodox Church of Romania, Armenian Catholic Church, Chaldean Catholic Church, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Christian Brethren, Church of God, Church of the Nazarene, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventists.
Outlook: Christianity in the occupied Palestinian territories of the Gaza Strip and West Bank is on the verge of disappearing. While Palestinian Christians are not persecuted for being Christians, they are harmed by the Israeli occupation just as much as their Muslim neighbors. It has proven easier for Palestinian Christians to emigrate to Europe and the Americans to escape the political instability than it has for Palestinian Muslims. In addition, Christian religious leaders in Jerusalem warn of the changing Status Quo that has enabled Christians, Muslims, and Jews to share contested sacred spaces for the last 300 years.
Learn More:
State Department 2018 International Religious Freedom Report
Christians of the Holy Land: CBS News 60 Minutes
Christian Population (2015): 188,972
Percent Christian 1900: 8.03%
Percent Christian 2015: 2.34%
Major Churches: Maronite Catholic Church, Melkite Catholic Church, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Armenian Apostolic Church, Coptic, Orthodox Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Anglican Church.
Smaller Churches: Armenian Catholic Church, Chaldean Catholic Church, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Christian Brethren, Church of God, Church of the Nazarene, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventists, and Messianic Jews.
Smaller Denominations: Russian Orthodox Church, Orthodox Church of Romania, Armenian Catholic Church, Chaldean Catholic Church, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Christian Brethren, Church of God, Church of the Nazarene, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventists.
Outlook: Christianity in Israel is growing due to Russian immigration following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the emergence of a Messianic Jewish community in the 1970s. Nevertheless, the passage of the Jewish Nation State Basic Law raises serious concerns for the future of Christians–and in particular Palestinian Christians–in Israel.
Learn More:
State Department 2018 International Religious Freedom Report
