Catholicism remains the largest Christian denomination

The Catholic Church continues to be the largest branch of Christianity. According to Vatican data for 2024, there are more than 1.422 billion baptized Catholics, representing approximately 17.8% of the global population.

Other major groups include Pentecostals, with an estimated 279 million followers as of 2010, and Orthodox Christians, who are estimated by Pew Research to number nearly 260 million when including Old Catholic churches. Among a sample of 100 Christians based on 2010 data, the distribution included 50 Catholics, 37 Protestants (including Anglicans and independent churches), and 12 Orthodox Christians.