ORIGINS · HISTORY · PEOPLE
Christians in the Middle East
Explore the roots of Christianity, the communities that shaped the region, and their lives today. Historical context, dated population estimates and sources you can check.
Where did it begin?
Christianity began with Jesus and his Jewish followers in the first-century eastern Mediterranean. Paul’s letters from around 50–60 CE are its earliest surviving literature.
Harvard Pluralism Project · Christianity ↗
Jerusalem, Antioch and Alexandria became major early church centres. Today’s region includes Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant communities, with distinct histories and traditions.
When was its historical high point?
The fourth–sixth centuries were a high point of church building in the eastern Roman world. Christianity became the empire’s official religion in the late fourth century.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Byzantium ↗
That describes institutional influence, not a measured population peak. A “peak” might mean population share, total people or cultural influence. These sources establish no single peak year or percentage for the whole modern Middle East; ancient borders were different.
After the seventh century
The Arab conquests changed political rule. Conversion to Islam unfolded over centuries and varied by region; Christian communities did not disappear overnight.
Many communities, many traditions
Coptic, Armenian and Syriac Orthodox churches belong to the Oriental Orthodox family, distinct from Eastern Orthodoxy. These names should not be treated as interchangeable.
World Council of Churches · Oriental Orthodox churches ↗
Christianity also developed beyond Rome: the Church of the East took shape in the Sasanian Empire. Syriac and Coptic traditions continued under early Islamic rule.
What is the situation today?
There is no single regional experience. Read recent events alongside the dated statistics below: a population estimate, an attack and a restored church measure different things.
Syria · June 2025: the UN condemned an attack on Saint Elias Church in Damascus. This is a dated local event, not a region-wide statistic.
United Nations · Damascus, 23 June 2025 ↗Iraq · 2025: UNESCO reported the inauguration of Mosul’s restored Al-Tahera Church and Al-Saa’a Convent. Building restoration alone cannot tell us how many displaced Christians returned.
UNESCO · Mosul, 2025 ↗
How many Christians are in the Middle East?
Pew Research Center estimates about 13 million Christians in the Middle East and North Africa in 2020, about 3% of residents, in its June 2025 report. This is a dated estimate for Pew’s MENA region, not a 2026 count or a total for this directory’s 17 countries. Regional definitions differ; the country estimates below use the same reference year.
Christian share of the population, by country
| Country | 2010 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Cyprus | 65.5% | 67.7% |
| Lebanon | 33.8% | 27.9% |
| United Arab Emirates | 13.2% | 14.3% |
| Bahrain | 15.7% | 13.7% |
| Qatar | 13.4% | 12.5% |
| Kuwait | 9.4% | 10.5% |
| Oman | 4.4% | 8.1% |
| Egypt | 5.1% | 4.8% |
| Saudi Arabia | 3.4% | 4.4% |
| Syria | 8.6% | 3.8% |
| Jordan | 3.4% | 2.8% |
| Israel | 2% | 1.9% |
| Palestine | 1.2% | 1% |
| Iran | <1% | <1% |
| Iraq | <1% | <1% |
| Türkiye | <1% | <1% |
| Yemen | <1% | <1% |
Pew Research Center — Religious composition by country, 2010-2020 ↗
Read estimates for each country
How many Christians live in Egypt?
Estimated Christian residents: ≈ 5,200,000 · 2020; share of the population: 4.8%. This approximate number is calculated from Pew Research Center’s rounded 2020 population and percentage, published in 2025. It is not a current census or a count of citizens, congregations or churches.
How many Christians live in Bahrain?
Estimated Christian residents: ≈ 200,000 · 2020; share of the population: 13.7%. This approximate number is calculated from Pew Research Center’s rounded 2020 population and percentage, published in 2025. It is not a current census or a count of citizens, congregations or churches.
How many Christians live in Cyprus?
Estimated Christian residents: ≈ 880,000 · 2020; share of the population: 67.7%. This approximate number is calculated from Pew Research Center’s rounded 2020 population and percentage, published in 2025. It is not a current census or a count of citizens, congregations or churches.
How many Christians live in Iran?
Estimated Christian residents: ≈ 88,000 · 2020; share of the population: 0.1%. This approximate number is calculated from Pew Research Center’s rounded 2020 population and percentage, published in 2025. It is not a current census or a count of citizens, congregations or churches.
How many Christians live in Iraq?
Estimated Christian residents: ≈ 170,000 · 2020; share of the population: 0.4%. This approximate number is calculated from Pew Research Center’s rounded 2020 population and percentage, published in 2025. It is not a current census or a count of citizens, congregations or churches.
How many Christians live in Israel?
Estimated Christian residents: ≈ 170,000 · 2020; share of the population: 1.9%. This approximate number is calculated from Pew Research Center’s rounded 2020 population and percentage, published in 2025. It is not a current census or a count of citizens, congregations or churches.
How many Christians live in Jordan?
Estimated Christian residents: ≈ 300,000 · 2020; share of the population: 2.8%. This approximate number is calculated from Pew Research Center’s rounded 2020 population and percentage, published in 2025. It is not a current census or a count of citizens, congregations or churches.
How many Christians live in Kuwait?
Estimated Christian residents: ≈ 460,000 · 2020; share of the population: 10.5%. This approximate number is calculated from Pew Research Center’s rounded 2020 population and percentage, published in 2025. It is not a current census or a count of citizens, congregations or churches.
How many Christians live in Lebanon?
Estimated Christian residents: ≈ 1,600,000 · 2020; share of the population: 27.9%. This approximate number is calculated from Pew Research Center’s rounded 2020 population and percentage, published in 2025. It is not a current census or a count of citizens, congregations or churches.
How many Christians live in Oman?
Estimated Christian residents: ≈ 370,000 · 2020; share of the population: 8.1%. This approximate number is calculated from Pew Research Center’s rounded 2020 population and percentage, published in 2025. It is not a current census or a count of citizens, congregations or churches.
How many Christians live in Palestine?
Estimated Christian residents: ≈ 51,000 · 2020; share of the population: 1%. This approximate number is calculated from Pew Research Center’s rounded 2020 population and percentage, published in 2025. It is not a current census or a count of citizens, congregations or churches.
How many Christians live in Qatar?
Estimated Christian residents: ≈ 350,000 · 2020; share of the population: 12.5%. This approximate number is calculated from Pew Research Center’s rounded 2020 population and percentage, published in 2025. It is not a current census or a count of citizens, congregations or churches.
How many Christians live in Saudi Arabia?
Estimated Christian residents: ≈ 1,400,000 · 2020; share of the population: 4.4%. This approximate number is calculated from Pew Research Center’s rounded 2020 population and percentage, published in 2025. It is not a current census or a count of citizens, congregations or churches.
How many Christians live in Syria?
Estimated Christian residents: ≈ 800,000 · 2020; share of the population: 3.8%. This approximate number is calculated from Pew Research Center’s rounded 2020 population and percentage, published in 2025. It is not a current census or a count of citizens, congregations or churches.
How many Christians live in Türkiye?
Estimated Christian residents: ≈ 86,000 · 2020; share of the population: 0.1%. This approximate number is calculated from Pew Research Center’s rounded 2020 population and percentage, published in 2025. It is not a current census or a count of citizens, congregations or churches.
How many Christians live in United Arab Emirates?
Estimated Christian residents: ≈ 1,400,000 · 2020; share of the population: 14.3%. This approximate number is calculated from Pew Research Center’s rounded 2020 population and percentage, published in 2025. It is not a current census or a count of citizens, congregations or churches.
How many Christians live in Yemen?
Estimated Christian residents: < 37,000 · 2020; share of the population: < 0.1%. This approximate number is calculated from Pew Research Center’s rounded 2020 population and percentage, published in 2025. It is not a current census or a count of citizens, congregations or churches.
Where the fall was steepest
Between 2010 and 2020, the Christian share fell in Syria and Lebanon. Pew links Lebanon’s change partly to Syrian refugee arrivals and a declining Christian population.
Where the numbers rose, and why
Oman’s Christian share rose from 4.4% to 8.1% between 2010 and 2020. Pew identifies immigration, especially from India, as a driver of religious change there.
What these numbers cannot tell you
A share is not a headcount: a percentage can fall even when the number of people grows. “<1%” for Iraq, Iran, Türkiye and Yemen means below one percent, not zero or no change. These are 2020 estimates, not a live count. Our directory’s country coverage also differs from Pew’s Middle East and North Africa region.
Restrictions and hostility
Pew’s report published in 2026 measures restrictions in 2023. On its 0–10 scales, the Middle East and North Africa’s median was 6.2 for government restrictions (world: 3.0) and 4.5 for social hostilities (world: 1.6). These indexes concern religion generally, not Christians alone; conditions differ by country.
Pew Research Center — Restrictions on religion by region, 2023 ↗
Where they worship
Explore 327 documented churches, monasteries and heritage sites across 17 country directories. This is a growing guide, not a census of congregations; historic buildings are not necessarily active places of worship.
Explore the map ↗Sources & editorial method
History, population estimates and recent events are sourced separately. The review date is not the date of the population figures. Follow the links to check context, definitions and limitations.
- Harvard Pluralism Project · Christianity
- World Council of Churches · Middle East
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Byzantium
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Byzantium and Islam
- Cambridge University Press · Conversion to Islam
- World Council of Churches · Oriental Orthodox churches
- United Nations · Damascus, 23 June 2025
- UNESCO · Mosul, 2025
- Pew Research Center · Middle East and North Africa · 2025
- Pew Research Center — Religious composition by country, 2010-2020
- Pew Research Center — How the global religious landscape changed, 2010 to 2020
- Pew Research Center — Restrictions on religion by region, 2023