By the Numbers: Religious markers

1 in 10

The number of Chinese who formally identify with a religion, according to a new report released by the Pew Research Center. Decades of state atheism have left the populous country ripe for the gospel—if the Chinese Communist Party would allow it.

2%

The share of China’s population that self-identified as Christian in 2018 in the Chinese General Social Survey​​—the same percentage as in 2010. However, advocacy group Asia Harvest says Protestant Christians comprised up to 8 percent of the nation’s population in 2020.

60,000

The number of officially recognized Protestant religious venues in China in 2018, according to government data, nearly unchanged from 58,000 venues in 2009.

26%

The share of Chinese adults who say they burn incense at least a few times a year, a custom typically tied to Buddhist practices.