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Christianity in Asia has its roots in the very inception ofChristianity, which originated from the life and teachings ofJesus in 1st-centuryRoman Judea. Christianity then spread through the missionary work of hisapostles, first in theLevant and taking roots in the major cities such asJerusalem andAntioch. According to tradition, further eastward expansion occurred via the preaching ofThomas the Apostle, who established Christianity in theParthian Empire (Iran) andIndia. The veryFirst Ecumenical Council was held in the city ofNicaea inAsia Minor (325). The first nations to adopt Christianity as a state religion wereArmenia in 301 andGeorgia in 327. By the 4th century, Christianity became the dominant religion in all Asian provinces of theEastern Roman Empire.
After theFirst Council of Ephesus in 431 and theNestorian Schism, theNestorian Christianity developed.Nestorians began converting Mongols around the 7th century, and Nestorian Christianity was probably introduced into China during theTang dynasty (618–907). Mongols tended to be tolerant of multiple religions, with several Mongol tribes being primarily Christian, and under the leadership ofGenghis Khan's grandson, the great khanMöngke, Christianity was a small religious influence of theMongol Empire in the 13th century.
TheFourth Ecumenical Council was held in Asian city ofChalcedon (451). Christological controversies and disputes that surrounded the Council and its aftermath gradually resulted in division between pro-Chalcedonian (Eastern Orthodox) and anti-Chalcedonian (Oriental Orthodox) Christianity.[1]
At the late 12th and 13th centuries, there was some effort to reunite Eastern and Western Christianity. There were also numerous missionary efforts from Europe to Asia, primarily byFranciscan,Dominican, orJesuit missionaries. In the 16th century, Spain began to convertFilipinos. In the 18th century, Catholicism developed more or less independently inKorea.
At present, Christianity continues to be the majority religion in thePhilippines,East Timor,Armenia,Georgia,Cyprus andRussia. It has significant minority populations inSouth Korea,Taiwan,China,India,Pakistan,Iran,Indonesia,Vietnam,Singapore,Hong Kong,Japan,Malaysia,Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan,Israel,Palestine (including theWest Bank and theGaza Strip),Lebanon,Syria,Iraq,Jordan, and several other countries in Asia with a total Christian population of more than 295 million.[2]
AlthoughEastern Christianity is commonly practiced in Asia,Roman Catholicism also features prominently, with the Philippines havingthe world's third-largest Roman Catholic population.
As of 2021, there are nearly 383 million Christians in Asia.[3]
Christianity spread through theLevant (Eastern Mediterranean) from the 1st century AD. One of the key centers of Christianity became the city ofAntioch, previous capital of theHellenisticSeleucid Empire, located in today what is modern Turkey. Antioch was evangelized perhaps byPeter the Apostle, according to the tradition upon which the Antiochene patriarchate still rests its claim for primacy,[4] and certainly byBarnabas andPaul. Its converts were the first to be calledChristians.[5] They multiplied rapidly, and by the time ofTheodosius (347–395) were reckoned byChrysostom (347–407), Archbishop of Constantinople, at about 100,000 people. Between 252 and 300, ten assemblies of the church were held at Antioch and it became the seat of one of the originalfive patriarchates, along withJerusalem,Alexandria,Constantinople, and Rome.
Armenia andGeorgia were the first nations to adopt Christianity as a state religion, in 301 and 326 respectively.
Christianity had been preached in Armenia by two of Jesus' twelveapostles —Thaddaeus andBartholomew — between 40–60 AD. Because of these two founding apostles, theArmenian Apostolic Church is considered to be the world's oldest national church.In Georgia, Christianity was first preached by the apostlesSimon andAndrew in the first century. It became the state religion ofKartli, Iberia (the area of Georgia's capital) in 326. The conversion of Georgia to Christianity is credited to the efforts ofSaint Nino ofCappadocia (290–338).[6]
Christianity further spread eastward under theParthian Empire, which displayed a high tolerance of religious matters.[7] According to tradition, Christianproselytism in Central Asia, starting withMesopotamia and the Iranian plateau, was put under the responsibility of SaintThomas the Apostle, and started in the first century AD.[8] Saint Thomas is also credited with the establishment ofChristianity in India. The Christians ofMesopotamia andIran were organized under several bishops, and were present at theFirst Council of Nicaea in 325 AD.[8]
The spread of Christianity in Central Asia seems to have been facilitated by the great diffusion of Greek in the region (Seleucid Empire,Greco-Bactrian Kingdom,Indo-Greek Kingdom), as well asAramaic, the language of Jesus Christ. The spread of the Jews in Asia since the deportation from Babylon and the capture ofJerusalem byTitus also seems to have been a contributing factor.[8]
The earliest known references to Christian communities in Central Asia is from a writing byBar Daisan around 196 AD: "Nor do our sisters among theGilanians andBactrians have any intercourse with strangers".[9]
TheSasanians also proved rather tolerant of the Christian faith until the persecution by theZoroastrian priestKartir underBahram II (276–93 AD). Further persecutions seem to have taken place underShapur II (310–379) andYazdegerd II (438–457), with events in 338 having brought significant damage to the faith.[8]
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According toEusebius' record, the apostlesThomas andBartholomew were assigned toParthia (modern Iran) and India.[10][11] By the time of the establishment of the Second Persian Empire (AD 226), there were bishops of the Church of the East in northwest India, Afghanistan andBaluchistan (including parts of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan), with laymen and clergy alike engaging in missionary activity.[10]
An early third-century Syriac work known as theActs of Thomas[10] connects the apostle's Indian ministry with two kings, one in the north and the other in the south. According to theActs, Thomas was at first reluctant to accept this mission, but the Lord appeared to him in a night vision and compelled him to accompany an Indian merchant, Abbanes (or Habban), to his native place in northwest India. There, Thomas found himself in the service of theIndo-Parthian king, Gondophares. The Apostle's ministry resulted in many conversions throughout the kingdom, including the king and his brother.[10]
Thomas thereafter went south toKerala and baptized the natives, whose descendants form theSaint Thomas Christians or theSyrian Malabar Nasranis.[12]
Piecing together the various traditions, the story suggests that Thomas left northwest India when invasion threatened, and traveled by vessel to theMalabar Coast along the southwestern coast of the Indian continent, possibly visiting southeastArabia andSocotra en route, and landing at the former flourishing port ofMuziris on an island nearCochin in 52. From there he preached the gospel throughout the Malabar Coast. The various Churches he founded were located mainly on thePeriyar River and its tributaries and along the coast. He preached to all classes of people and had about 170 converts, including members of the four principal castes. Later, stone crosses were erected at the places where churches were founded, and they became pilgrimage centres. In accordance with apostolic custom, Thomas ordained teachers and leaders or elders, who were reported to be the earliest ministry of the Malabar church.
Thomas next proceeded overland to theCoromandel Coast in southeastern India, and ministered in what is now theMadras area, where a local King and many people were converted. One tradition related that he went from there to China viaMalacca in Malaysia, and after spending some time there, returned to the Madras area.[13] Apparently his renewed ministry outraged theBrahmins, who were fearful lest Christianity undermine their social caste system. So according to the Syriac version of theActs of Thomas, Mazdai, the local king atMylapore, after questioning the Apostle condemned him to death about the year AD 72. Anxious to avoid popular excitement, the King ordered Thomas conducted to a nearby mountain, where, after being allowed to pray, he was then stoned and stabbed to death with a lance wielded by an angry Brahmin.[10][12]
Christianity was introduced to Sri Lanka in the 1st century (72 AD). Possibly after the apostleThomas' visit to India.[14] TheAnuradhapura cross is an ancient recorded symbol of Christianity in the island.[15]Oriental Orthodoxy was the majority branch of Christianity before the arrival of the Portuguese. Catholicism was introduced by thePortuguese invasion of Ceylon in the 16th century. With theDutch colonial period seeing a percentage of church members in excess of 10–20%.[16]
In 410, theSasanian emperor summoned the Persian church leaders to theSynod of Seleucia. His purpose was to make theCatholicos ofSeleucia-Ctesiphon the minority leader of the Christians and personally responsible for their good conduct throughout the empire. The synod accepted the emperor's wish.
In 424, the bishops of Persia met in council under the leadership of CatholicosDadiso and determined that there would be no reference of their disciplinary or theological problems to any other power, especially not to any church council in the Roman Empire. The formal separation from theSee of Antioch and the western Syrian Church under the Roman (Byzantine) Emperors, occurred at this synod in 424.
The eastern development of Christianity continued to separate from the west, pushed along by such events as 431'sCouncil of Ephesus, in which the Syrian bishopNestorius,Patriarch of Constantinople since 428, was accused ofheresy for preaching his brand of Christianity, labelledNestorianism after him. He and his followers were banished from the Byzantine Empire, and other religious and political institutions gave him sanctuary. Eastern Christianity seceded to form theChurch of the East, though some historians refer to it with the catchall termNestorian Church despite the fact that many eastern Christians were not following the doctrine preached by Nestorius.
Proselytism, combined with sporadicSassanian persecutions and the exiling of Christian communities in their own area, caused the spread of Christianity to the east.
TheEdict of Milan in 313, granted Christianity toleration by theRoman Empire. After the Emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity, the indigenous Christians of Persia were considered a political threat to the Sassanians. They exiled Christian communities to the east, such as a community of OrthodoxMelkites who were installed in Romagyri nearTashkent, or a community ofJacobites, who were sent toYarkand in theXinjiang at the doorstep of China.[17] TheHephthalites are known to have been open somewhat to Christianity since 498, and they requested the NestorianCatholicos to establish a diocesan bishop in their lands in 549.[18]
By 650, there were 20 Nestorian dioceses east of theOxus river.[19] The development of Islam in the late 7th century further cut off Asian Christianity from the Western Christians, but eastern expansion of the faith continued nonetheless. Relations with Islam were good enough for the Catholicos to leave Seleucia-Ctesiphon to set up his seat inBaghdad upon the establishment of theAbbassids in 750.
From the 7th century onward, the nomadicTurks of Central Asia started to convert toNestorian Christianity. Mass conversions are recorded in 781−2 and later in 1007, when 200,000 Turks and Mongols reportedly became Christians.[20] The TurkishKipchaks are also known to have converted to Christianity at the suggestion of the Georgians as they allied in their conflicts against the Muslims. A great number were baptized at the request of the Georgian kingDavid II. From 1120, there was a Kipchak national Christian church and an influential clergy.[21]
Christianity may have existed earlier in China, but the first documented introduction was during theTang dynasty (618–907) A Christian mission under the leadership of the priestAlopen (described variously as Persian,Syriac, orNestorian) was known to have arrived in 635, where he and his followers received an Imperial Edict allowing for the establishment of a church.[22] In China, the religion was known as theLuminous Religion of the Romans (大秦景教Dàqín Jǐngjiào). "Daqin" was a Chinese term used to mean Rome and the Near East, though from the Western view, Nestorian Christianity was considered heretical by the Latin Christians.
Opposition arose to the Christians in 698–699 from the Buddhists, and then from the Daoists in 713, but Christianity continued to thrive, and in 781, a stonestele (theNestorian Stele) was erected at the Tang capital ofChang'an, which recorded 150 years of Emperor-supported Christian history in China. The text of the stele describes flourishing communities of Christians throughout China, but beyond this and few other fragmentary records, relatively little is known of their history. In later years, other emperors were not as religiously tolerant. In 845, the Chinese authorities implemented an interdiction of foreign cults, and Christianity diminished in China until the time of theMongol Empire in the 13th century.[22][23]
Overall, Mongols were highly tolerant of most religions, and typically sponsored several at the same time. They had beenproselytized byNestorian Christians since about the 7th century,[24] and several Mongol tribes, such as theKerait,[25]Naimans,Merkit, and to a large extent theKara Khitan (who practiced it side by side with Buddhism),[26] were also Christian.[27]
The founder of the Mongol Empire,Genghis Khan (1162–1227) was ashamanist, but showed great tolerance to other religions.[28] His sons were married to Christian princesses of the Kerait clan,[28] such asSorghaghtani Beki[29] andDoquz Khatan, a remarkable Kerait noblewoman, the granddaughter ofToghrul Khan and a passionate Christian who held considerable influence at the court of the Khan. She made no secret of her dislike of Islam and her eagerness to help Christians of every sect.[30]
Under the rule of Genghis's grandsonMöngke Khan (1205–1259), son of Sorghaghtani, the main religious influence was that of the Christians, to whom Möngke showed special favour in memory of his mother.[31]
Following theEast–West Schism of 1054, various efforts, over several centuries, were made at reuniting eastern and western Christianity, with the objective of putting both under the rule of the Pope.
In 1198, a Union was proclaimed between Rome and theArmenian Church by the Armeniancatholicos ofSis,Grigor VI Apirat. This was not followed in deeds however, as the local clergy and populace was strongly opposed to such a union. Again in 1441, the Armenian Catholicos of SisGrigor IX Musabekiants proclaimed the union of the Armenian and Latin churches at theCouncil of Florence, but this was countered by an Armenian schism under Kirakos I Virapetsi, which installed the Catholicos see atEdjmiatzin, and marginalized Sis.[32]
Numerous Catholic missions were also sent to Cilician Armenia to help with rapprochement. TheFranciscans were put in charge of these missions.William of Rubruck visited Cilicia in 1254, andJohn of Monte Corvino in 1288.[33] The Armenian kingHethoum II (1266–1307) would himself become a Franciscan friar upon his multiple abdications. Another such monk was the historianNerses Balients, who was a member of the "Unitarian" movement advocating unification with the Latin Church.
Various efforts were also made by the Byzantine Church to unite with Rome. In 1272,John of Montecorvino was commissioned by theByzantine emperorMichael VIII Palaiologos to communicate withPope Gregory X, to negotiate for the reunion of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. The objective was to drive a wedge between the pope and supporters of the Latin Empire, who had views on reconquering Constantinople. A tenuous union between the Greek and Latin churches was signed at theSecond Council of Lyons in 1274. Michael VIII's concession was met with determined opposition at home, and prisons filled with many opponents to the union. At the same time the unionist controversy helped drive Byzantium's Orthodox neighborsSerbia andBulgaria into the camp of Michael VIII's opponents. For a while the diplomatic intent of the union worked out in the West, but in the endPope Martin IV, an ally ofCharles of Anjou, excommunicated Michael VIII.[citation needed]
Contacts between the Mongols and the West occurred in the 13th century, as the Mongol Empire expanded towards Europe and Palestine, coinciding with the latter part of the Crusades. Initial contacts showed that the Mongols had the impression that the Pope was the leader of the Europeans, and sent him messages insisting that he submit Europe to Mongol authority. In return, the Mongols stated that after they conqueredJerusalem, they would return it to the Crusaders. The various popes, for their part, seemed to be unaware that Christianity already existed in the East, and tended to respond with messages insisting that the Mongols convert to Christianity and accept baptism. Later communications between the Mongols and Europe saw attempts to form aFranco-Mongol alliance against the Muslims.
In 1253, KingLouis IX sent the FranciscanWilliam of Rubruck to the Mongol capital ofKarakorum to convert the Tartars. William visited the court of the great khanMöngke in 1254, and observed representatives of several religions there. He engaged in a famous debate set up by Möngke, with representatives of each religion debating (unsuccessfully) which was best. He left in August 1254, bearing Möngke's reply to King Louis.[34][10]
In 1268,Marco Polo's father and uncle returned from China with an invitation fromKublai Khan to the pope, imploring him that a hundred teachers of science and religion be sent to reinforce the Christianity already present in Kublai's empire. However, this came to naught due to the hostility of influential Nestorian Christians within the largely Mongol court.[10] Kublai did request Western assistance to secure Mongol rule over the ChineseYuan dynasty. In 1289,Pope Nicholas IV sent the FranciscanJohn of Monte Corvino to China by way of India. Although Kublai had already died by the time John arrived in 1294, the court atKhanbaliq received him graciously and encouraged him to settle there. John was China's first Catholic missionary, and he was significantly successful. He laboured largely in theMongol tongue, translated theNew Testament andPsalms, built a central church, and within a few years (by 1305) could report 6,000 baptized converts. He also established a lay training school of 150 students. Other priests joined him, John was consecrated a bishop, and centers were established in the coastal provinces ofJiangsu (Yangzhou),Zhejiang (Hangzhou) andFujian (Quanzhou, known to Europeans of the time as "Zaitun"). Under John's influence, many Mongols, such as those of theOngut tribe, changed allegiance from the Eastern Nestorian (Syro-Oriental) Church, to Western Catholicism.[35]
Following the death of Monte Corvino, an embassy to the FrenchPope Benedict XII inAvignon was sent byToghun Temür in 1336, requesting a new spiritual guide. The pope replied by appointing four ecclesiastics as his legates to the khan's court. In 1338, a total of 50 ecclesiastics were sent by the Pope to Peking, such asJohn of Marignolli, who arrived in Khanbaliq in 1342, and stayed until 1347, then returning to Avignon in 1353.[35]
However, the Mongol-established Yuan dynasty in China was in decline, and in 1368 was overthrown by theMing dynasty founded by the native Chinese. The last Catholic bishop of Quanzhou, Giacomo da Firenze, was killed by the Chinese in 1362. By 1369 all Christians, whether Catholic or Nestorian (Syriac Orthodox, or Syro-Oriental), were expelled.[35]
The European voyages of exploration in the 16th century would create new opportunities for Christian proselytism.
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Ferdinand Magellan's arrival inCebu represents the first attempt by Spain to convert natives toChristianity. According to a description of events,[according to whom?] Magellan met withRaja Humabon of Cebu, who had an ill grandson whom the explorer, or one of his men, was able to help cure. Out of gratitude, Humabon and his chief consort allowed themselves to be christened "Carlos" and "Juana", with some 800 of his subjects also being baptised. Later,Lapulapu, the monarch of neighbouringMactan Island, had his men kill Magellan and routed the ill-fated Spanish expedition.
In 1564,Luís de Velasco, theViceroy ofNew Spain, sent theBasque explorerMiguel López de Legazpi to the Philippines. Legazpi's expedition, which included theAugustinian friar and circumnavigatorAndrés de Urdaneta, erected what is nowCebu City under the patronage of theHoly Child, and later conquered theKingdom of Maynila in 1571 and the neighbouringKingdom of Tondo in 1589. The colonisers then proceeded to proselytise as they explored and subjugated the remaining parts of what is now the Philippines until 1898, with the exception of parts ofMindanao, which had beenMuslim since at latest the 10th century CE, andthe Cordilleras, wherenumerous mountain tribes maintained their ancient beliefs as they resisted Western colonisation until the arrival of theUnited States in the early 20th century.
A 12th-century Christian Egyptian record of churches suggest that a church was established inBarus, on the west coast ofNorth Sumatra, a trading post known to have been frequented by Indian traders, and therefore linked to the IndianSaint Thomas Christians.[36]
The Portuguese arrived in theMalacca Sultanate (modern-day Malaysia) in 1509 seeking access to its wealth. Although initially well-received, thecapture of Goa as well as other Muslim–Christian conflicts convinced the Malaccan Muslims that the Portuguese Christians would be a hostile presence. The resultingcapture of Malacca is believed to have enhanced a sense of Muslim solidarity against the Christian Portuguese, and ongoing resistance against the Portuguese came from MuslimAceh as well as from theOttoman Empire. Although the Portuguese built some churches inPortuguese Malacca itself, their evangelical influence in neighbouring territories was perhaps more negative than positive in promulgating Christianity.
The first missionaries were sent byStamford Raffles in 1824, at which time Sumatra was under temporary British rule. They observed that the Batak seemed receptive to new religious thought, and were likely to fall to the first mission, either Islamic or Christian, to attempt conversion.[37]
A second mission that in 1834 of theAmerican Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions met with a brutal end when its two missionaries were killed by Batak resistant to outside interference in their traditionaladat.
The first Christian community in North Sumatra was established inSipirok, a community of (Batak)Angkola people. Three missionaries from an independent church inErmelo, Netherlands arrived in 1857, and on 7 October 1861 one of the Ermelo missionaries united with the Rhenish Missionary Society, which had been recently expelled from Kalimantan as a result of the Banjarmasin War.
The mission was immensely successful, being well supported financially from Germany, and adopted effective evangelistic strategies led byLudwig Ingwer Nommensen, who spent most of his life from 1862 until his death in 1918 in North Sumatra, successfully converting many among theSimalungun andBatak Toba as well as a minority of Angkola people.
The missionary efforts and other work of theSociety of Jesus, or Jesuits, between the 16th and 17th century played a significant role in continuing the transmission of knowledge, science, and culture between China and the West, and affectedChristian culture in Chinese society today. Members of the Jesuit delegation to China were perhaps the most influential of the different Christian missionaries in that country between the earliest period of the religion up until the 19th century, when significant numbers ofCatholic andProtestant missions developed. Prominent Jesuit missionaries included theNavarreseSt. Francis Xavier, and the ItalianMatteo Ricci. At the time of their peak influence, members of the Jesuit delegation were considered some of theemperor's most valued and trusted advisors, holding numerous prestigious posts in the imperial government. However, between the 18th and mid-19th century, nearly all Western missionaries in China were forced to conduct their teaching and other activities covertly.
The history of Catholicism in Korea began in 1784 whenYi Sung-hun was baptized while in China under the Christian name of Peter. He later returned home with various religious texts and baptized many of his fellow countrymen. The Church in Korea survived without any formal missionary priests until clergy from France (theParis Foreign Missions Society) arrived in 1836 for the ministry.[38]
During the 19th century, the Catholic Church suffered persecution by the government of theJoseon dynasty, chiefly for the religion's refusal to carry out ancestral worship, which it perceived to be a form of idolatry, but which the State prescribed as a cornerstone of culture. A century-long persecution produced thousands of martyrs –103 of whom were canonized byPope John Paul II in May 1984, including the first Korean priest,St. Andrew Dae-gun Kim, who was ordained in 1845 and martyred in 1846. Despite the persecution though, the Church in Korea expanded. The Apostolic Vicariate of Korea was formed in 1831, and after the expansion of Church structure for next century, the current structure of three Metropolitan Provinces each with an Archdiocese and several suffragan Dioceses was established in 1962.
CurrentlyDeokwon (덕원) in North Korea is the See of the only territorial abbey outside Europe. The abbey was vacant for more than 50 years until Fr. Francis Ri was appointed as abbot in 2005. The abbey was never united with or changed into a diocese presumably due to the lack of effective church activity in the area since the division of Korea at the end of World War II.
Today, Christianity is the predominant faith in six Asian countries, thePhilippines,East Timor,Cyprus,Russia,Armenia andGeorgia. In both conservative (the UAE) and moderately liberal (Malaysia and Indonesia) Muslim states,[citation needed] Christians continue to enjoy freedom of worship, despite limits on their ability to spread their faith.[citation needed]
A 2015 study estimates 6,968,500 Christian believers from a Muslim background in Asia, while about 483,500 Christian believers from a Muslim background in the Middle East, most of them belonging to some form of Protestantism.[39]
| Country or region | Percentage Christians | Total population | Christian population | Dominantreligious affiliation, percentage of total population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Armenia | 98.7% | 3,299,000 | 3,256,113 | Armenian Apostolic Church |
 Timor-Leste | 98% | 1,108,777 | 1,086,601 | Catholicism, 97% |
 Philippines | 91.5%[40] | 109,035,343 | 92,746,021 | Catholicism, 78.8%; Other Christian, 12.7% |
 Georgia | 88.6% | 4,636,400 | 4,107,850 | Georgian Orthodox Church, 83.9% |
 Cyprus | 79.3% | 792,604 | 628,535 | Cypriot Orthodox Church, 70% |
 Russia[a] | 73.6%[41][42][43][44] | 142,200,000 | 58,800,000–120,000,000[45][46][47] | Russian Orthodox Church, 70% |
 Lebanon | 41% | 4,200,000 | 1,800,000 | Shia Islam andSunni Islam, each 27% |
 Kazakhstan | 25% | 16,536,000 | 4,134,000 | Sunni Islam, 69%–70% |
 South Korea | 23% | 51,709,098 | 14,375,990 | Irreligion (Includingfolk religion orConfucianism, 60%) |
 Singapore | 19% | 5,638,700 | 1,060,016 | Buddhism (various sects), 31.1%[48] |
 Kuwait | 17.9%[g] | 4,621,638 | 837,87 (2020)[49] (incl. between 259 – 400 Christian Kuwaiti citizens)[50] | Sunni Islam, 70% |
 Kyrgyzstan | 7% | 5,587,443 | 949,865 | Sunni Islam, 86.3% |
 Bahrain | 14.5%[g] | 718,306 | 180,000[51] (incl. 1,000 Christian Bahraini citizens)[52] | Shia Islam, 66–70% |
 Qatar | 13.8%[g] | 928,635 | 240,000[51] | Wahhabi Islam (Salafi Islam), 72.5% |
 United Arab Emirates | 12.6%[g] | 4,621,399 | 940,000[51] | Sunni Islam, 65% of residents, 85% of citizens |
 Hong Kong[b] | 11.7% | 7,122,508 | 833,333 | Irreligion,Confucianism,Buddhism,Taoism orChinese folk religion, 57% – 80% |
 Indonesia | 10.73% | 282,477,584 | 30,277,477[53] | Sunni Islam, 83% |
 Brunei | 10% | 381,371 | 40,000[51] | Sunni Islam, 81% |
 Syria | 10% | 19,747,586 | 1,974,759 | Sunni Islam, 74% |
 Malaysia | 9.10% | 33,938,222 | 3,091,000 | Sunni Islam, 63% |
 Macau[b] | 9% | 460,823 | 41,474 | Irreligion,Mahayana Buddhism orChinese folk religion, more than 75% |
 Turkmenistan | 9% | 4,997,503 | 449,775 | Islam (mainlySunni Islam), 89% |
 Uzbekistan | 3% | 28,128,600 | 2,531,574 | Islam 90% |
 Vietnam | 8.3% | 95,500,000 | 7,926,500 | Irreligion andVietnamese folk religion (86%)[54] |
 Sri Lanka | 8% | 21,128,773 | 1,690,302 | Theravada Buddhism, 70% |
 Oman | 4.3% – 6.5%[g] | 3,311,640 | 120,000[55][56] – 180,000[51] | Ibadi Islam, 75% |
 Jordan | 6% | 6,198,677 | 371,921 | Sunni Islam, 90% |
 Azerbaijan | 4.8% | 8,845,127 | 424,566 | Shia Islam, 81% |
 Taiwan[b] | 4.5% | 22,920,946 | 1,031,443 | Buddhism (various sects), 35.1% |
 Myanmar (Burma) | 6.2% | 47,758,224 | 1,910,329 | Theravada Buddhism, 89% |
 China[b] | 3% – 5% | 1,322,044,605 | 39,661,338 – 67,070,000[57] | Irreligion, 60% – 70% |
 Palestine | 3%[c] | 4,277,000 | 128,310 | Sunni Islam, 98%[h] |
 India | 2.3% | 1,147,995,226 | 26,403,890 | Hinduism, 79.8% |
 Mongolia | 2.1% | 2,996,082 | 62,918 | Tibetan Buddhism, 53% |
 Israel | 2% | 7,112,359 | 161,000[58] | Jewish (various sects), 75.4% |
 Japan | 1.1% | 127,920,000 | 1,967,584 | Folk Shinto,Buddhism/Irreligion, 70% – 84% |
 North Korea | 1.7% | 25,368,620 | 431,266 | Irreligion, 64.3% |
 Laos | 1.5% | 6,677,534 | 100,163 | Theravada Buddhism, 67% |
 Pakistan | 1.5% | 167,762,049 | 2,516,431 | Sunni Islam, 80% – 95% |
 Nepal | 1.4% | 29,535,000 | 413,900 | Hinduism, 80.6% |
 Cambodia | 1% | 13,388,910 | 133,889 | Theravada Buddhism, 95% |
 Tajikistan | 1%[d] | 4,997,503 | 499,750 | Sunni Islam, 93% |
 Bhutan | 0.9% | 682,321 | 12,255[59] | Vajrayana Buddhism, 67% – 76% |
 Thailand | 1.17% | 65,493,298 | 787,589 | Theravada Buddhism, 94.5% |
 Iran | 0.4% | 70,472,846 | 300,000 | Shia Islam, 90% – 95% |
 Bangladesh | 0.3% | 153,546,901 | 460,641 | Sunni Islam, 89.7% |
 Turkey | 0.2% | 74,724,269 | 149,449 – 310,000[60] | Sunni Islam, 70–80% |
 Yemen | 0.17% | 23,013,376 | 3,000 – 41,000[55] | Sunni Islam, 53% |
 Afghanistan | 0.02% – insignificant | 32,738,775 | 500 – 8,000[61] | Sunni Islam, 80% – 85% |
 Iraq[j] | 0.003% | 46,523,657 | ~150,000 | Shia Islam, 60%–65% |
 Maldives[e] | 0% – insignificant | 379,174 | 300 – 1,400[62] | Sunni Islam, 100% |
 Saudi Arabia[f] | 0% – insignificant | 23,513,330 | expatriate Christians are around 1,200,000 (4.4%)[63] | Sunni Islam, 85% – 90% |
Nations mentioned in the above list follow the list of countries and territories mentioned in theUnited Nations geoscheme for Asia. Areas which have not been recognised, such asAbkhazia, are not mentioned in this list. The data included in the table above are per sources in linked articles when available, and theCIA World Factbook when not. The number of Christians mentioned per country is the result of applying the percentages to the total population. These results will deviate from actual counts where they are available. The dominantreligious affiliation per country mentions the dominantsect. In the case ofYemen for instance,Sunni Islam is shown as having 53% of the total population as followers. It does not mention that of the remaining 47% of the total population, 45% of the total population belongs to theShia Islam sect.
^ a: The provided data are for the whole of Russia as no separate data are known for Asian Russia (Siberia)
^ b: Hong Kong andMacau areSpecial Administrative Regions (SAR) of China.Taiwan (officially the Republic of China) is ade factostateclaimed by the PRC. Figures given for China do not include these areas.
^ c: Estimate, seePalestinian Christians#Demographics and denominations
^ d: Estimate, seeTajikistan#Religion
^ e: Islam is the official religion of theMaldives and open practice of any other religion is forbidden and liable to prosecution. Article nine of the revised constitution says that "a non-Muslim may not become a citizen".
^ f: Saudi Arabia allows Christians to enter the country asforeign workers fortemporary work, but does not allow them to practice theirfaith openly.
^ g: Mainly non-citizens:expatriates
^ h: SeeFreedom of religion in the Palestinian territories
^ i: As no reliable percentages were found in the Wikipedia articleReligion in Russia, this percentage is derived from the CIA World Factbook by subtracting the percentage of believers mentioned there from 100%
^ j: Prior to the2003 invasion of Iraq, 1.5 million Christians (primarilyAssyrians) lived in Iraq. Estimates of the current Christian population are hard to estimate, but it's known that there are less than 150,000 as of 2024. SeeChristianity in Iraq for more info.
| Sovereign states |
|
|---|---|
| States with limited recognition | |
| Dependencies and other territories | |
