Christianity in the Middle East
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|
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 12–16 million (2011) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Egypt
|
8.9 million (est.) |
 Syria
|
1,700,000–2,300,000 (2011) |
 Lebanon
|
1,500,000–1,800,000 (2011) |
 Cyprus
|
793,000 (2008) |
 Iraq
|
300,000 (490,000) |
 Iran
|
300,000–370,000 |
 Jordan
|
175,000–400,000 |
 Israel
|
144,000 (196,000) |
 Turkey
|
120,000 (310,000) |
 Palestine
|
50,000 (75,000) |
 Bahrain
|
1,000 (88,000) |
 Kuwait
|
400(450,000) |
 Yemen
|
<100 (41,000) |
 Qatar
|
<10 (168,000) |
 Saudi Arabia
|
0 (1,200,000) |
 United Arab Emirates
|
0 (944,000) |
 Oman
|
0 (120,000) |
| Languages | |
| Arabic, Aramaic (Syriac), Coptic, Armenian, Greek, Georgian, Kurdish, Persian, Turkish, Hebrew, Bulgarian | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity | |
|
[a].^ (including foreign residents) |
|
8.9 million (est.)
6–11 million (2011)
Christianity, which originated in the Middle East in the 1st century AD, had been one of the major religions of the region from 4th-century Byzantine reforms and until the Arab Muslim conquests of the mid-to-late 7th century AD. Christianity in the Middle East is characterized by the diversity of its beliefs and traditions, compared to other parts of the Old World. Christians now make up 5% of the Middle Eastern population, down from 20% in the early 20th century.
Proportionally, Lebanon has the highest rate of Christians in the Middle East, with a percentage ranging between 39% and 40.5%, followed by Egypt where Christians (especially Copts) account for about 10%.
The number of Middle Eastern Christians is dropping due to such factors as low birth rates compared with Muslims, disproportionately high emigration rates, and ethnic and religious persecution. In addition, political turmoil has been and continues to be a major contributor pressing indigenous Middle Eastern Christians of various ethnicities towards seeking security and stability outside their homelands. Recent spread of Jihadist and Salafist ideology, foreign to the tolerant values of the local communities in Syria and Egypt has also played a role in unsettling Christians' decades-long peaceful existence. In 2011, it was estimated that at the present rate, the Middle East's 12 million Christians would likely drop to 6 million by the year 2020.
The largest Christian group in the Middle East is the Arabic-speaking Copts, who number 6–11 million people, although Coptic sources claim the figure is closer to 12–16 million. Copts reside mainly in Egypt, but also in Sudan and Libya, with tiny communities in Israel, Cyprus, Jordan, Lebanon, and Tunisia.
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