Christianity in Asia

{{Short description|none}}  {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}} [[File:A789b20e156534f74032e838f1cc14e0 copia.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.2|Christianity spread from West Asia to China between the 1st to the 14th century AD, and further to East Asia from the 16th century with the European [[Age of Discovery]]]] {{Christianity}} {{Christianity by country}} '''Christianity in Asia''' has its roots in the very inception of [[Christianity]], which originated from the life and teachings of [[Jesus]] in 1st-century [[Judea (Roman province)|Roman Judea]]. Christianity then spread through the missionary work of his [[Twelve Apostles|apostles]], first in the [[Levant]] and taking roots in the major cities such as [[Early centers of Christianity#Jerusalem|Jerusalem]] and [[Early centers of Christianity#Antioch|Antioch]]. According to tradition, further eastward expansion occurred via the preaching of [[Thomas the Apostle]], who established Christianity in the [[Parthian Empire]] (Iran) and [[Saint Thomas Christians|India]]. The very [[First Ecumenical Council]] was held in the city of [[Nicaea]] in [[Asia Minor]] (325). The first nations to adopt Christianity as a state religion were [[Armenia]] in 301 and [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] in 327. By the 4th century, Christianity became the dominant religion in all Asian provinces of the [[Eastern Roman Empire]].

After the [[First Council of Ephesus]] in 431 and the [[Nestorian Schism]], the [[Church of the East|Nestorian Christianity]] developed. [[Nestorian Church|Nestorians]] began converting Mongols around the 7th century, and Nestorian Christianity was probably introduced into China during the [[Tang dynasty]] (618–907). Mongols tended to be tolerant of multiple religions, with several Mongol tribes being primarily Christian, and under the leadership of [[Genghis Khan]]'s grandson, the great khan [[Möngke Khan|Möngke]], Christianity was a small religious influence of the [[Mongol Empire]] in the 13th century.

The [[Fourth Ecumenical Council]] was held in Asian city of [[Chalcedon]] (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.{{sfn|Meyendorff|1989|p=}}

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 by [[Franciscans|Franciscan]], [[Dominican Order|Dominican]], or [[Jesuits|Jesuit]] missionaries. In the 16th century, Spain began to convert [[Filipinos]]. In the 18th century, Catholicism developed more or less independently in [[Korea]].

At present, Christianity continues to be the majority religion in the [[Philippines]], [[Timor-Leste|East Timor]], [[Armenia]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Cyprus]] and [[Russia]]. It has significant minority populations in [[South Korea]], [[Taiwan]], [[China]], [[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Iran]], [[Indonesia]], [[Vietnam]], [[Singapore]], [[Hong Kong]], [[Japan]], [[Malaysia]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Israel]], [[Palestine]] (including the [[West Bank]] and the [[Gaza Strip]]), [[Lebanon]], [[Syria]], [[Iraq]], [[Jordan]], and several other countries in Asia with a total Christian population of more than 295 million.<ref>[http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-christians/ The Global Religious Landscape: Christians]</ref>

Although [[Eastern Christianity]] is commonly practiced in Asia, [[Roman Catholicism]] also features prominently, with the Philippines having [[Catholic Church by country|the world's third-largest Roman Catholic population]].

==Early spread in Asia== [[File:Christianity in Asia.svg|thumb|400px|Spread of Christianity to Asia, 1st century.]] As of 2021, there are nearly 383 million Christians in Asia.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-13 |title=Status of Global Christianity, 2021, in the Context of 1900–2050 |url=https://www.gordonconwell.edu/center-for-global-christianity/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2020/12/Status-of-Global-Christianity-2021.pdf |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=gordonconwell.edu}}</ref>

===West Asia=== {{See also|Seven churches of Asia}}

====Levant==== [[File:Church of Saint John the Arab.jpg|thumb|225px|A 6th-century [[Nestorian church]], St. John the Arab, in the [[Assyrian people|Assyrian]] village of [[Andac|Geramon]].]] Christianity spread through the [[Levant]] (Eastern Mediterranean) from the 1st century AD. One of the key centers of Christianity became the city of [[Antioch]], previous capital of the [[Hellenistic]] [[Seleucid Empire]], located in today what is modern Turkey. Antioch was evangelized perhaps by [[Peter the Apostle]], according to the tradition upon which the Antiochene patriarchate still rests its claim for primacy,<ref>cf. ''Acts'' xi.</ref> and certainly by [[Barnabas]] and [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]]. Its converts were the first to be called ''Christians''.<ref>''[[Acts of the Apostles|Acts]]'' 11:26</ref> They multiplied rapidly, and by the time of [[Theodosius I|Theodosius]] (347–395) were reckoned by [[Chrysostom]] (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 original [[Pentarchy (Christianity)|five patriarchates]], along with [[Jerusalem]], [[Alexandria]], [[Constantinople]], and Rome.

====Caucasus==== [[File:SaintNino.gif|right|thumb|[[Saint Nino]] (290–338) is credited with establishing Christianity as a state religion in [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]].]] [[Armenia]] and [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] 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' twelve [[Apostles in the New Testament|apostles]] — [[Jude the Apostle|Thaddaeus]] and [[Bartholomew the Apostle|Bartholomew]] — between 40–60 AD. Because of these two founding apostles, the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]] is considered to be the world's oldest national church. In Georgia, Christianity was first preached by the apostles [[Simon the Zealot|Simon]] and [[Saint Andrew|Andrew]] in the first century. It became the state religion of [[Kartli, Iberia]] (the area of Georgia's capital) in 326. The conversion of Georgia to Christianity is credited to the efforts of [[Saint Nino]] of [[Cappadocia]] (290–338).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://stnina.ca/stnina_life.html |title=Saint Nina Orthodox Christian Mission :: Vancouver, BC, Canada |access-date=3 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070712213603/http://www.stnina.ca/stnina_life.html |archive-date=12 July 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Parthian Empire==== {{Main|Christianity in Iran}} Christianity further spread eastward under the [[Parthian Empire]], which displayed a high tolerance of religious matters.<ref>[[Richard Foltz]], ''Religions of the Silk Road'', Palgrave Macmillan, 2nd edition, 2010, p. 65 {{ISBN|978-0-230-62125-1}}</ref> According to tradition, Christian [[proselytism]] in Central Asia, starting with [[Mesopotamia]] and the Iranian plateau, was put under the responsibility of Saint [[Thomas (apostle)|Thomas the Apostle]], and started in the first century AD.<ref name=roux-216>Roux, ''L'Asie Centrale'', p. 216</ref> Saint Thomas is also credited with the establishment of [[Christianity in India]]. The Christians of [[Mesopotamia]] and [[Iran]] were organized under several bishops, and were present at the [[First Council of Nicaea]] in 325 AD.<ref name=roux-216/>

===Expansion to Central Asia=== 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 as [[Aramaic]], the language of Jesus Christ. The spread of the Jews in Asia since the deportation from Babylon and the capture of [[Jerusalem]] by [[Titus]] also seems to have been a contributing factor.<ref name=roux-216/>

The earliest known references to Christian communities in Central Asia is from a writing by [[Bar Daisan]] around 196 AD: "Nor do our sisters among the [[Gilanians]] and [[Bactrians]] have any intercourse with strangers".<ref>Foltz, ''Religions of the Silk Road''</ref>

The [[Sasanians]] also proved rather tolerant of the Christian faith until the persecution by the [[Zoroastrian]] priest [[Kartir]] under [[Bahram II]] (276–93 AD). Further persecutions seem to have taken place under [[Shapur II]] (310–379) and [[Yazdegerd II]] (438–457), with events in 338 having brought significant damage to the faith.<ref name=roux-216/>

===India (1st century AD)=== {{Main|Christianity in India|Christianity in Pakistan|Saint Thomas Christians}} {{essay|date=June 2019}} [[File:GondopharesShinObv.JPG|thumb|right|According to tradition, the [[Indo-Parthian Kingdom|Indo-Parthian]] king Gondophares was proselytized by [[Thomas (apostle)|St Thomas]], who continued on to southern India, and possibly as far as Malaysia or China.]] According to [[Church History (Eusebius)|Eusebius' record]], the apostles [[Thomas the Apostle|Thomas]] and [[Bartholomew the Apostle|Bartholomew]] were assigned to [[Parthia]] (modern Iran) and India.<ref name="AFM"> A. E. Medlycott, ''India and The Apostle Thomas'', pp. 18–71; M. R. James, ''Apocryphal New Testament'', pp. 364–436; A. E. Medlycott, ''India and The Apostle Thomas'', pp. 1–17, 213–97; Eusebius, ''History'', chapter 4:30; [[J. N. Farquhar]], ''The Apostle Thomas in North India'', chapter 4:30; V. A. Smith, ''Early History of India'', p. 235; L. W. Brown, ''The Indian Christians of St. Thomas'', p. 49-59.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stthoma.com/ |title=Thomas the Apostole |access-date=2010-04-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208073816/http://stthoma.com/ |archive-date=8 February 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> 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 and [[Balochistan (region)|Baluchistan]] (including parts of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan), with laymen and clergy alike engaging in missionary activity.<ref name="AFM"/>

An early third-century Syriac work known as the ''[[Acts of Thomas]]''<ref name="AFM"/> connects the apostle's Indian ministry with two kings, one in the north and the other in the south. According to the ''Acts'', 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 the [[Indo-Parthian Kingdom|Indo-Parthian]] king, Gondophares. The Apostle's ministry resulted in many conversions throughout the kingdom, including the king and his brother.<ref name="AFM"/>

Thomas thereafter went south to [[Kerala]] and baptized the natives, whose descendants form the [[Saint Thomas Christians]] or the [[Syrian Malabar Nasrani]]s.<ref name="James, M. R. 1966 pp. 365">James, M. R. (1966) "The Acts of Thomas" in ''The Apocryphal New Testament'', pp. 365–77; 434–8. Oxford.</ref>

Piecing together the various traditions, the story suggests that Thomas left northwest India when invasion threatened, and traveled by vessel to the [[Malabar Coast]] along the southwestern coast of the Indian continent, possibly visiting southeast [[Arabia]] and [[Socotra]] en route, and landing at the former flourishing port of [[Muziris]] on an island near [[Cochin]] in 52. From there he preached the gospel throughout the Malabar Coast. The various Churches he founded were located mainly on the [[Periyar 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 the [[Coromandel Coast]] in southeastern India, and ministered in what is now the [[Madras]] area, where a local King and many people were converted. One tradition related that he went from there to China via [[Malacca]] in Malaysia, and after spending some time there, returned to the Madras area.<ref>''Breviary of the Mar Thoma Church in Malabar''</ref> Apparently his renewed ministry outraged the [[Brahmins]], who were fearful lest Christianity undermine their social caste system. So according to the Syriac version of the ''Acts of Thomas'', Mazdai, the local king at [[Mylapore]], 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.<ref name="AFM"/><ref name="James, M. R. 1966 pp. 365"/>

== Sri Lanka == {{Main|Christianity in Sri Lanka}} Christianity was introduced to Sri Lanka in the 1st century (72 AD). Possibly after the apostle [[Thomas the Apostle|Thomas']] visit to India.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2013-09-20|title=A Brief History Of Christianity In Sri Lanka|url=https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/a-brief-history-of-christianity-in-sri-lanka/|access-date=2021-02-08|website=Colombo Telegraph|language=en-US}}</ref> The [[Anuradhapura cross]] is an ancient recorded symbol of Christianity in the island.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Features {{!}} Online edition of Daily News – Lakehouse Newspapers|url=http://archives.dailynews.lk/2011/04/22/fea32.asp|access-date=2021-02-08|website=archives.dailynews.lk}}</ref> [[Oriental Orthodox Churches|Oriental Orthodoxy]] was the majority branch of Christianity before the arrival of the Portuguese. Catholicism was introduced by the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] invasion of Ceylon in the 16th century. With the [[Dutch Empire|Dutch]] colonial period seeing a percentage of church members in excess of 10–20%.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-02-26|title=Mar Aprem Metropolitan Visits Ancient Anuradhapura Cross in Official Trip to Sri Lanka {{!}} Assyrian Church News|work=Assyrian Church News |url=http://news.assyrianchurch.org/2013/08/06/mar-aprem-metropolitan-visits-ancient-anuradhapura-cross-in-official-trip-to-sri-lanka/4480|access-date=2021-02-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226144609/http://news.assyrianchurch.org/2013/08/06/mar-aprem-metropolitan-visits-ancient-anuradhapura-cross-in-official-trip-to-sri-lanka/4480|archive-date=26 February 2015}}</ref>

==Expansion of Nestorian Christianity (431–1360 AD)== {{Main|Nestorianism}}

In 410, the [[Sasanian Empire|Sasanian]] emperor summoned the Persian church leaders to the [[Synod of Seleucia]]. His purpose was to make the [[Catholicos]] of [[Seleucia-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 Catholicos [[Dadiso]] 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 the [[Patriarch of Antioch|See of Antioch]] and the western Syrian Church under the Roman (Byzantine) Emperors, occurred at this synod in 424.

===Nestorianism=== The eastern development of Christianity continued to separate from the west, pushed along by such events as 431's [[First Council of Ephesus|Council of Ephesus]], in which the Syrian bishop [[Nestorius]], [[Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople|Patriarch of Constantinople]] since 428, was accused of [[heresy]] for preaching his brand of Christianity, labelled [[Nestorianism]] 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 the [[Church of the East]], though some historians refer to it with the catchall term [[Nestorian Church]] despite the fact that many eastern Christians were not following the doctrine preached by Nestorius.

===Expansion to Sogdiana and eastern Central Asia=== Proselytism, combined with sporadic [[Sassanian]] persecutions and the exiling of Christian communities in their own area, caused the spread of Christianity to the east.

The [[Edict of Milan]] in 313, granted Christianity toleration by the [[Roman Empire]]. After 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 Orthodox [[Melkites]] who were installed in Romagyri near [[Tashkent]], or a community of [[Jacob Baradaeus|Jacobites]], who were sent to [[Yarkant County|Yarkand]] in the [[Xinjiang]] at the doorstep of China.<ref>Roux, ''L'Asie Centrale'', p. 217.</ref> The [[Hephthalites]] are known to have been open somewhat to Christianity since 498, and they requested the Nestorian [[Catholicos]] to establish a diocesan bishop in their lands in 549.<ref>Roux, ''L'Asie Centrale'', p. 218.</ref>

By 650, there were 20 Nestorian dioceses east of the [[Oxus river]].<ref>Foltz, p. 68.</ref> 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 in [[Baghdad]] upon the establishment of the [[Abbassids]] in 750.

From the 7th century onward, the nomadic [[Turkish people|Turks]] of Central Asia started to convert to [[Nestorian Christianity]]. Mass conversions are recorded in 781−2 and later in 1007, when 200,000 Turks and Mongols reportedly became Christians.<ref>Foltz, p. 70.</ref> The Turkish [[Kipchaks]] 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 king [[David IV of Georgia|David II]]. From 1120, there was a Kipchak national Christian church and an influential clergy.<ref>Roux, ''L'Asie Centrale'', p. 242.</ref>

===Early Christianity in China=== {{Main|Christianity in China|Church of the East in China}} {{See also|Church of the East in Sichuan}} [[File:Nestorian-Stele-Budge-plate-X.jpg|thumb|The [[Nestorian Stele]] in China, erected in 781. The title is: [[大秦]][[景教]]流行[[中國]]碑 "Stele of the propagation of the luminous Roman faith in China"]] Christianity may have existed earlier in China, but the first documented introduction was during the [[Tang dynasty]] (618–907) A Christian mission under the leadership of the priest [[Alopen]] (described variously as Persian, [[Syriac Christians|Syriac]], or [[Nestorianism|Nestorian]]) was known to have arrived in 635, where he and his followers received an Imperial Edict allowing for the establishment of a church.<ref name=autogenerated1>Roux, p. 220.</ref> In China, the religion was known as the ''Luminous 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 stone [[stele]] (the [[Nestorian Stele]]) was erected at the Tang capital of [[Chang'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 the [[Mongol Empire]] in the 13th century.<ref name=autogenerated1 /><ref>Uhalley, p. 14.</ref>

===Christianity among the Mongols=== {{Main|Christianity among the Mongols}} Overall, Mongols were highly tolerant of most religions, and typically sponsored several at the same time. They had been [[proselytism|proselytized]] by [[Nestorian Christians]] since about the 7th century,<ref>''The Silk Road'', [[Frances Wood]], p. 118.</ref> and several Mongol tribes, such as the [[Kerait]],<ref>Runciman, p. 238.</ref> [[Naimans]], [[Merkit]], and to a large extent the [[Kara-Khitan Khanate|Kara Khitan]] (who practiced it side by side with Buddhism),<ref>Grousset, ''Empire'', p. 165</ref> were also Christian.<ref>''Les Croisades, origines et conséquences'', p. 74.</ref>

The founder of the Mongol Empire, [[Genghis Khan]] (1162–1227) was a [[shamanist]], but showed great tolerance to other religions.<ref name=Runciman-246>Runciman, p. 246.</ref> His sons were married to Christian princesses of the Kerait clan,<ref name=Runciman-246 /> such as [[Sorghaghtani Beki]]<ref>"Sorghaqtani, a Kerait by birth and, like all her race, a devout Nestorian Christian", Runciman, p. 293.</ref> and [[Doquz Khatan]], a remarkable Kerait noblewoman, the granddaughter of [[Keraites#Khanate|Toghrul 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.<ref>Runciman, p. 299.</ref>

Under the rule of Genghis's grandson [[Möngke 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.<ref>Runciman, p. 296.</ref>

==East–West rapprochement== Following the [[East–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.

===Armenian Church=== [[File:HetoumIIDrawing.JPG|thumb|The [[Armenia]]n king [[Hetoum II]], as a Franciscan friar]] In 1198, a Union was proclaimed between Rome and the [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Church]] by the Armenian [[catholicos]] of [[Sis, Armenia|Sis]], [[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 Sis [[Grigor IX Musabekiants]] proclaimed the union of the Armenian and Latin churches at the [[Council of Florence]], but this was countered by an Armenian schism under Kirakos I Virapetsi, which installed the Catholicos see at [[Edjmiatzin]], and marginalized Sis.<ref>Mahé, p. 71-72.</ref>

Numerous Catholic missions were also sent to Cilician Armenia to help with rapprochement. The [[Franciscans]] were put in charge of these missions. [[William of Rubruck]] visited Cilicia in 1254, and [[John of Monte Corvino]] in 1288.<ref>Luisetto, p. 98.</ref> The Armenian king [[Hethoum II]] (1266–1307) would himself become a Franciscan friar upon his multiple abdications. Another such monk was the historian [[Nerses Balients]], who was a member of the "Unitarian" movement advocating unification with the Latin Church.

===Byzantine Church=== Various efforts were also made by the Byzantine Church to unite with Rome. In 1272, [[John of Montecorvino]] was commissioned by the [[Byzantine emperor]] [[Michael VIII Palaiologos]] to communicate with [[Pope 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 the [[Second 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 neighbors [[Serbia]] and [[Bulgaria]] 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 end [[Pope Martin IV]], an ally of [[Charles of Anjou]], excommunicated Michael VIII.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}

==Catholic missions to the Mongols and China== 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 conquered [[Jerusalem]], 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 a [[Franco-Mongol alliance]] against the Muslims.

In 1253, King [[Louis IX]] sent the Franciscan [[William of Rubruck]] to the Mongol capital of [[Karakorum]] to convert the Tartars. William visited the court of the great khan [[Möngke Khan|Möngke]] 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.<ref>Grousset, ''Empire'', pp. 280–281.</ref><ref name="AFM"/>

[[File:NoccoloAndMaffeoPoloWithGregoryX.JPG|thumb|left|Niccolo and Maffeo [[Marco Polo|Polo]] remitting a letter from [[Kublai Khan]] to [[Pope Gregory X]] in 1271.]] In 1268, [[Marco Polo]]'s father and uncle returned from China with an invitation from [[Kublai 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.<ref name="AFM"/> Kublai did request Western assistance to secure Mongol rule over the Chinese [[Yuan dynasty]]. In 1289, [[Pope Nicholas IV]] sent the Franciscan [[John of Monte Corvino]] to China by way of India. Although Kublai had already died by the time John arrived in 1294, the court at [[Khanbaliq]] 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 the [[Mongolian language|Mongol tongue]], translated the [[New Testament]] and [[Psalms]], 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 of [[Jiangsu]] ([[Yangzhou]]), [[Zhejiang]] ([[Hangzhou]]) and [[Fujian]] ([[Quanzhou]], known to Europeans of the time as "Zaitun"). Under John's influence, many Mongols, such as those of the [[Ongut]] tribe, changed allegiance from the Eastern Nestorian (Syro-Oriental) Church, to Western Catholicism.<ref name=uhalley-14>Uhalley, pp. 14–16</ref>

Following the death of Monte Corvino, an embassy to the French [[Pope Benedict XII]] in [[Avignon]] was sent by [[Toghun 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 as [[John of Marignolli]], who arrived in Khanbaliq in 1342, and stayed until 1347, then returning to Avignon in 1353.<ref name=uhalley-14/>

However, the Mongol-established Yuan dynasty in China was in decline, and in 1368 was overthrown by the [[Ming 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.<ref name=uhalley-14/>

==European voyages of exploration== The European voyages of exploration in the 16th century would create new opportunities for Christian proselytism.

===Christianity in the Philippines=== {{Main|Christianity in the Philippines|Catholic Church in the Philippines}} [[File:Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu (Osmeña Boulevard, Cebu City; 01-10-2024).jpg|thumb|300px|right|[[Basilica del Santo Niño]], [[Cebu City]]]] [[Ferdinand Magellan]]'s arrival in [[Cebu]] represents the first attempt by Spain to convert natives to [[Christianity]]. According to a description of events,{{according to whom|date=January 2016}} Magellan met with [[Humabon|Raja 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 neighbouring [[Mactan Island]], had his men kill Magellan and routed the ill-fated Spanish expedition.

In 1564, [[Luís de Velasco]], the [[List of viceroys of New Spain|Viceroy]] of [[New Spain]], sent the [[Basque people|Basque]] explorer [[Miguel López de Legazpi]] to the Philippines. Legazpi's expedition, which included the [[Augustinian Order|Augustinian]] friar and circumnavigator [[Andrés de Urdaneta]], erected what is now [[Cebu City]] under the patronage of the [[Santo Niño de Cebu|Holy Child]], and later conquered the [[Kingdom of Maynila]] in 1571 and the neighbouring [[Kingdom 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 of [[Mindanao]], which had been [[Islam in the Philippines|Muslim]] since at latest the 10th century CE, and [[Cordillera Administrative Region|the Cordilleras]], where [[Igorot people|numerous mountain tribes]] maintained their ancient beliefs as they resisted Western colonisation until the arrival of the [[United States]] in the early 20th century.

===Christianity in Indonesia=== {{main|Christianity in Indonesia}} {{multiple image | footer = | align = left

| image1 = Franciscus de Xabier.jpg | width1 = 150 | alt1 = Francis Xavier | caption1 = [[Catholic]] missionary [[Saint Francis Xavier]], who is the first [[Christian missionary]] in [[Maluku Islands|Islands of Maluku]] in 16th century during Portuguese exploration around Asia. | link1 = Francis Xavier

| image2 = Ingwer Ludwig Nommensen (1834–1918).png | width2 = 150 | alt2 = Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen | caption2 = [[German people|German]]-born [[Protestant]] [[Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen]], which brought missionary project to [[Sumatra]] and who also translated the New Testament into the native [[Batak language]] | link2 = Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen }}

A 12th-century Christian Egyptian record of churches suggest that a church was established in [[Barus]], on the west coast of [[North Sumatra]], a trading post known to have been frequented by Indian traders, and therefore linked to the Indian [[Saint Thomas Christians]].<ref>Adolf Heuken. ''Ensiklopedi Gereja'' (2005). See Also Adolf Heuken, "Chapter One: Christianity in Pre-Colonial Indonesia", in ''A History of Christianity in Indonesia'', eds. Jan Aritonang and Karel Steenbrink, pgs. 3–7, Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2008, {{ISBN|978-90-04-17026-1}}</ref>

The Portuguese arrived in the [[Malacca Sultanate]] (modern-day Malaysia) in 1509 seeking access to its wealth. Although initially well-received, the [[Portuguese Conquest of Goa (1510)|capture of Goa]] as well as other Muslim–Christian conflicts convinced the Malaccan Muslims that the Portuguese Christians would be a hostile presence. The resulting [[Capture of Malacca (1511)|capture of Malacca]] is believed to have enhanced a sense of Muslim solidarity against the Christian Portuguese, and ongoing resistance against the Portuguese came from Muslim [[Aceh]] as well as from the [[Ottoman Empire]]. Although the Portuguese built some churches in [[Portuguese Malacca]] itself, their evangelical influence in neighbouring territories was perhaps more negative than positive in promulgating Christianity.

The first missionaries were sent by [[Stamford 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.<ref>History of Christianity in Indonesia, p. 530.</ref>

A second mission that in 1834 of the [[American 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 traditional [[adat]].

The first Christian community in North Sumatra was established in [[Sipirok]], a community of (Batak) [[Angkola people]]. Three missionaries from an independent church in [[Ermelo, Netherlands|Ermelo]], 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 by [[Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen]], who spent most of his life from 1862 until his death in 1918 in North Sumatra, successfully converting many among the [[Simalungun]] and [[Toba Batak people|Batak Toba]] as well as a minority of Angkola people.

===Jesuits in China=== {{Main|Jesuit China missions}} [[File:Jesuites en chine.jpg|thumb|right|Jesuits in China]] The missionary efforts and other work of the [[Society 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 affected [[Christianity in China|Christian 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 of [[Catholicism|Catholic]] and [[Protestantism|Protestant]] missions developed. Prominent Jesuit missionaries included the [[Kingdom of Navarre|Navarrese]] [[Francis Xavier|St. Francis Xavier]], and the Italian [[Matteo Ricci]]. At the time of their peak influence, members of the Jesuit delegation were considered some of the [[Emperor of China|emperor]]'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.

==Independently formed Catholic movements in Korea== {{Main|Catholic Church in South Korea|Christianity in Korea#Growth of Christianity}} The history of Catholicism in Korea began in 1784 when [[Yi 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 (the [[Paris Foreign Missions Society]]) arrived in 1836 for the ministry.<ref>''The Liturgy of the Hours Supplement'' (New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1992), pp. 17–18.</ref>

During the 19th century, the Catholic Church suffered persecution by the government of the [[Joseon 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 – [[Korean martyrs|103 of whom were canonized]] by [[Pope John Paul II]] in May 1984, including the first Korean priest, [[Andrew Kim Taegon|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.

Currently [[Wonsan|Deokwon]] (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.

==Christianity in Asia today==

Today, Christianity is the predominant faith in six Asian countries, the [[Philippines]], [[East Timor]], [[Cyprus]], [[Russia]], [[Armenia]] and [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]. In both conservative (the UAE) and moderately liberal (Malaysia and Indonesia) Muslim states,{{citation needed|date=April 2024}} Christians continue to enjoy freedom of worship, despite limits on their ability to spread their faith.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

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.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Johnstone|first1=Patrick|last2=Miller|first2=Duane|title=Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census|journal=IJRR|date=2015|volume=11|page=14|url=https://www.academia.edu/16338087|access-date=20 November 2015}}</ref>

===Percentage and number of Christians per Asian country or territory===

{|class="wikitable sortable" !Country or region !! data-sort-type="number" | Percentage Christians !! data-sort-type="number" | Total population !! data-sort-type="number" | Christian population ! Dominant [[List of religions and spiritual traditions|religious affiliation]], percentage of total population |- |{{ARM}} |98.7% |3,299,000 |3,256,113 |[[Armenian Apostolic Church]] |- |{{TLS}} |98% |1,108,777 |1,086,601 |[[Catholicism]], 97% |- |{{PHL}} |91.5%<ref name="Philippine Statistics Authority">{{cite web |title=Religious Affiliation in the Philippines (2020 Census of Population and Housing) |url=https://psa.gov.ph/content/religious-affiliation-philippines-2020-census-population-and-housing |website=psa.gov.ph |access-date=May 26, 2023}}</ref> |109,035,343 |92,746,021 |[[Catholicism]], 78.8%; Other Christian, 12.7% |- |{{GEO}} |88.6% |4,636,400 |4,107,850 |[[Georgian Orthodox Church]], 83.9% |- |{{CYP}} |79.3% |792,604 |628,535 |[[Cypriot Orthodox Church]], 70% |- |{{RUS}}{{Cref|a}} |73.6%<ref name="pewforum.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2011/12/19/global-christianity-exec/ |title=Global Christianity – A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Christian Population |date=2011-12-19 |publisher=[[Pew Research Center]]}}</ref><ref name="wciom.ru">http://wciom.ru/index.php?id=268&uid=13365 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929201730/http://wciom.ru/index.php?id=268&uid=13365 |date=29 September 2020 }} VTSIOM</ref><ref name="fgi-tbff.org">http://www.fgi-tbff.org/sites/default/files/elfinder/FGIImages/Research/fromresearchtopolicy/ipsos_mori_briefing_pack.pdf#page=40 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117013643/http://www.fgi-tbff.org/sites/default/files/elfinder/FGIImages/Research/fromresearchtopolicy/ipsos_mori_briefing_pack.pdf |date=17 January 2013 }} Ipsos MORI</ref><ref name="fom.ru">http://fom.ru/obshchestvo/10953 Public Opinion Foundation</ref> |142,200,000 |58,800,000–120,000,000<ref name="levada.ru">http://www.levada.ru/17-12-2012/v-rossii-74-pravoslavnykh-i-7-musulman {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121231020830/http://www.levada.ru/17-12-2012/v-rossii-74-pravoslavnykh-i-7-musulman |date=31 December 2012 }} Levada Center</ref><ref>Members of the Russian Orthodox Church; 4% — 5,900,000 people identifying as Christians without belonging to any church; 1.5% — 2,100,000 people believing in Orthodox Christianity without belonging to any Orthodox church or belonging to non-Russian churches; 0.2% — 400,000 Old Believers 0.2% — 300,000 Protestants; 0.1% — 140,000 members of the Catholic Church</ref><ref name="Плотность населения">{{cite web|url=http://sreda.org/arena|website=Арена Атлас религий и национальностей России.|title=Главная страница проекта "Арена" : Некоммерческая Исследовательская Служба "Среда" }}</ref> |[[Russian Orthodox Church]], 70% |- |{{LBN}} |41% |4,200,000 |1,800,000 |[[Shia Islam]] and [[Sunni Islam]], each 27% |- |{{KAZ}} |25% |16,536,000 |4,134,000 |[[Sunni Islam]], 69%–70% |- |{{KOR}} |23% |51,709,098 |14,375,990 |[[Irreligion]] (Including [[folk religion]] or [[Confucianism in Korea|Confucianism]], 60%) |- |{{SGP}} |19% |5,638,700 |1,060,016 |[[Buddhism in Singapore|Buddhism]] (various sects), 31.1%<ref name="2020Religion">{{Cite web|last=|date=2021-06-16|title=20% of Singapore residents have no religion, an increase from the last population census|url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/census-2020-more-residents-no-religion-15023964|access-date=2021-06-17|website=CNA|language=en|archive-date=16 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210616140325/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/census-2020-more-residents-no-religion-15023964|url-status=dead}}</ref> |- |{{KWT}} |17.9%{{Cref|g}} |4,621,638 |837,87 (2020)<ref name=PACI>{{cite web|title=PACI Statistics|url=http://stat.paci.gov.kw/englishreports/#DataTabPlace:ColumnChartEduAge|website=Kuwait Public Authority for Civil Information|access-date=1 February 2019|archive-date=13 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313222900/http://stat.paci.gov.kw/englishreports/#DataTabPlace:ColumnChartEduAge|url-status=dead}}</ref> (incl. between 259 – 400 Christian Kuwaiti citizens)<ref name="rel">{{cite web|url=http://stat.paci.gov.kw/arabicreports/#DataTabPlace:ColumnChartEduAge|title=Nationality By Religion and Nationality|publisher=Government of Kuwait|language=ar|access-date=6 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814154256/http://stat.paci.gov.kw/arabicreports/#DataTabPlace:ColumnChartEduAge|archive-date=14 August 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> |[[Sunni Islam]], 70% |- |{{KGZ}} |7% |5,587,443 |949,865 |[[Sunni Islam]], 86.3% |- |{{BHR}} |14.5%{{Cref|g}} |718,306 |180,000<ref name="Pew2010"/> (incl. 1,000 Christian Bahraini citizens)<ref name="2010-Census">{{cite web|url=http://www.census2010.gov.bh/results_en.php|title=2010 Census Results|access-date=15 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320104234/http://www.census2010.gov.bh/results_en.php|archive-date=20 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> |[[Shia Islam]], 66–70% |- |{{QAT}} |13.8%{{Cref|g}} |928,635 |240,000<ref name="Pew2010"/> |[[Wahhabi]] Islam ([[Salafi Islam]]), 72.5% |- |{{UAE}} |12.6%{{Cref|g}} |4,621,399 |940,000<ref name="Pew2010">{{cite web|url=https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2011/12/Christianity-fullreport-web.pdf|title=Global Christianity – A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Christian Population|publisher=Pew Research Center}}</ref> |[[Sunni Islam]], 65% of residents, 85% of citizens |- |''{{HKG}}''{{Cref|b}} |11.7% |7,122,508 |833,333 |[[Irreligion]], [[Confucianism]], [[Buddhism in Hong Kong|Buddhism]], [[Taoism]] or [[Chinese folk religion]], 57% – 80% |- |{{IDN}} |10.73% |282,477,584 |30,277,477<ref>{{Cite web |title=Map of the distribution of religions 2024 |url=https://gis.dukcapil.kemendagri.go.id/peta/ |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=gis.dukcapil.kemendagri.go.id 31 December 2024: Muslim 236.000.000 (83.19), Christian 21.436.506 (7.59), Catholic 8.840.971 (3.13), Irreligion 10.931.988 (3,93%), Hindu 4.692.548 (1.74), Buddhist 1.693.833 (0.77), Confucianism 74.899 (0.03), Others/Traditional faiths 117.412 (0.04), Jewish 20.000 (0,0) Total 282.477.584.}}</ref> |[[Sunni Islam]], 83% |- |{{BRN}} |10% |381,371 |40,000<ref name="Pew2010"/> |[[Sunni Islam]], 81% |- |{{SYR}} |10% |19,747,586 |1,974,759 |[[Sunni Islam]], 74% |- |{{MYS}} |9.10% |33,938,222 |3,091,000 |[[Sunni Islam]], 63% |- |''{{MAC}}''{{Cref|b}} |9% |460,823 |41,474 |[[Irreligion]], [[Mahayana Buddhism]] or [[Chinese folk religion]], more than 75% |- |{{TKM}} |9% |4,997,503 |449,775 |[[Islam]] (mainly [[Sunni Islam]]), 89% |- |{{UZB}} |3% |28,128,600 |2,531,574 |[[Islam]] 90% |- |{{VNM}} |8.3% |95,500,000 |7,926,500 |[[Irreligion]] and [[Vietnamese folk religion]] (86%)<ref>{{cite web | title=Completed results of the 2019 Viet Nam population and housing census | work=National Statistics Office of Vietnam | url=https://www.gso.gov.vn/en/data-and-statistics/2020/11/completed-results-of-the-2019-viet-nam-population-and-housing-census/ }}</ref> |- |{{LKA}} |8% |21,128,773 |1,690,302 |[[Theravada Buddhism]], 70% |- |{{OMN}} |4.3% – 6.5%{{Cref|g}} |3,311,640 |120,000<ref name="bbc.com">[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-15239529 Guide: Christians in the Middle East]</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Operation World | url=http://www.24-7prayer.com/ow/country.php?country_id=190&lang=FR | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050905172804/http://www.24-7prayer.com/ow/country.php?country_id=190&lang=FR | archive-date=5 September 2005 | url-status=dead }}</ref> – 180,000<ref name="Pew2010"/> |[[Ibadi|Ibadi Islam]], 75% |- |{{JOR}} |6% |6,198,677 |371,921 |[[Sunni Islam]], 90% |- |{{AZE}} |4.8% |8,845,127 |424,566 |[[Shia Islam]], 81% |- |{{TWN}}{{Cref|b}} |4.5% |22,920,946 |1,031,443 |[[Buddhism in Taiwan|Buddhism]] (various sects), 35.1% |- |{{MMR}} (Burma) |6.2% |47,758,224 |1,910,329 |[[Theravada Buddhism]], 89% |- |{{CHN}}{{Cref|b}} |3% – 5% |1,322,044,605 |39,661,338 – 67,070,000<ref name="Global Christianity">{{cite web |author=ANALYSIS |url=http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Global-Christianity-exec.aspx |title=Global Christianity |publisher=Pewforum.org |date=19 December 2011 |access-date=17 August 2012 |archive-date=26 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226061838/http://www.pewforum.org/christian/global-christianity-exec.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> |[[Irreligion]], 60% – 70% |- |{{PSE}} |3% {{Cref|c}} |4,277,000 |128,310 |[[Sunni Islam]], 98% {{Cref|h}} |- |{{IND}} |2.3% |1,147,995,226 |26,403,890 |[[Hinduism]], 79.8% |- |{{MNG}} |2.1% |2,996,082 |62,918 |[[Tibetan Buddhism]], 53% |- |{{ISR}} |2% |7,112,359 |161,000<ref>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4469209,00.html CBS: 161,000 Christians live in Israel]</ref> |[[Jewish]] (various sects), 75.4% |- |{{JPN}} |1.5% |123,342,000 |1,872,320 |[[Shintoism|Folk Shinto]], [[Buddhism in Japan|Buddhism]]/[[Irreligion]], 70% – 84% |- |{{PRK}} |1.7% |25,368,620 |431,266 |[[Irreligion]], 64.3% |- |{{LAO}} |1.5% |6,677,534 |100,163 |[[Theravada Buddhism]], 67% |- |{{PAK}} |1.5% |167,762,049 |2,516,431 |[[Sunni Islam]], 80% – 95% |- |{{NPL}} |1.4% |29,535,000 |413,900 |[[Hinduism]], 80.6% |- |{{KHM}} |1% |13,388,910 |133,889 |[[Theravada Buddhism]], 95% |- |{{TJK}} |1% {{Cref|d}} |4,997,503 |499,750 |[[Sunni Islam]], 93% |- |{{BTN}} |0.9% |682,321 |12,255<ref>[https://archive.today/20120604090557/http://www.aed-france.org/observatoire/pays/bhoutan/ Bhoutan, ''Aide à l'Église en détresse'', "Appartenance religieuse"].</ref> |[[Vajrayana Buddhism]], 67% – 76% |- |{{THA}} |1.17% |65,493,298 |787,589 |[[Theravada Buddhism]], 94.5% |- |{{IRN}} |0.4% |70,472,846 |300,000 |[[Shia Islam]], 90% – 95% |- |{{BGD}} |0.3% |153,546,901 |460,641 |[[Sunni Islam]], 89.7% |- |{{TUR}} |0.2% |74,724,269 |149,449 – 310,000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2011/12/Christianity-fullreport-web.pdf|title=Global Christianity – A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Christian Population|publisher=Pew Research Center}}</ref> |[[Sunni Islam]], 70–80% |- |{{YEM}} |0.17% |23,013,376 |3,000 – 41,000<ref name="bbc.com"/> |[[Sunni Islam]], 53% |- |{{AFG}} |0.02% – insignificant |32,738,775 |500 – 8,000<ref name="state2009">{{cite web | publisher= USSD Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor| year=2009| title=International Religious Freedom Report 2021| url=https://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2009/127362.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091130031916/http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2009/127362.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=30 November 2009 | access-date=6 March 2010}}</ref> |[[Sunni Islam]], 80% – 85% |- |{{IRQ}}{{Cref|j}} |0.003% |46,523,657 |~150,000 |[[Shia Islam]], 60%–65% |- |{{MDV}}{{Cref|e}} |0% – insignificant |379,174 |300 – 1,400<ref>{{cite book|title=The Oxford Handbook of Christianity in Asia| first=Felix |last=Wilfred|year= 2014| isbn= 9780199329069|page=45|publisher=Oxford University Press|quote=}}</ref> |[[Sunni Islam]], 100% |- |{{SAU}}{{Cref|f}} |0% – insignificant |23,513,330 |expatriate Christians are around 1,200,000 (4.4%)<ref name="state.gov">[https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/108492.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2008 – Saudi Arabia]</ref> |[[Sunni Islam]], 85% – 90% |}

====Table notes==== Nations mentioned in the above list follow the list of countries and territories mentioned in the [[United Nations geoscheme for Asia]]. Areas which have not been recognised, such as [[Abkhazia]], are not mentioned in this list. The data included in the table above are per sources in linked articles when available, and the [[CIA 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 dominant [[List of religions and spiritual traditions|religious affiliation]] per country mentions the dominant [[sect]]. In the case of [[Yemen]] 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 the [[Shia Islam]] sect.

{{Cnote|a|The provided data are for the whole of Russia as no separate data are known for Asian Russia ([[Siberia]])}} {{Cnote|b|[[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]] are [[Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China|Special Administrative Regions]] (SAR) of China. [[Taiwan]] (officially the Republic of China) is a ''de facto'' [[Sovereign state|state]] [[Political status of Taiwan|claimed]] by the PRC. Figures given for China do not include these areas.}} {{Cnote|c|Estimate, see [[Palestinian Christians#Demographics and denominations]]}} {{Cnote|d|Estimate, see [[Tajikistan#Religion]]}} {{Cnote|e|Islam is the official religion of the [[Maldives]] 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".}} {{Cnote|f|[[Saudi Arabia]] allows Christians to enter the country as [[foreign worker]]s for [[temporary work]], but does not allow them to practice their [[faith]] openly.}} {{Cnote|g|Mainly non-citizens: [[expatriates]]}} {{Cnote|h|See [[Freedom of religion in the Palestinian territories]]}} {{Cnote|i|As no reliable percentages were found in the Wikipedia article [[Religion in Russia]], this percentage is derived from the CIA World Factbook by subtracting the percentage of believers mentioned there from 100%}} {{Cnote|j|Prior to the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]], 1.5 million Christians (primarily [[Assyrians]]) 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. See [[Christianity in Iraq]] for more info.}}

==See also== {{Portal|Christianity}} * [[Christianity in the Middle East]] * [[Chronology of European exploration of Asia]] * [[List of Catholic dioceses of Asia]]

==Notes== <references />

==References== {{refbegin|2}} * Denise A. Austin, Jacqueline Grey, and Paul W. 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==External links== * [http://www.eclj.org/pdf/ECLJ_ReportantiChristianpersecution20110120.pdf European Centre for Law and Justice (2011): The Persecution of Oriental Christians, what answer from Europe?]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christianity In Asia}} [[Category:Christianity in Asia| ]]