Christians in Pakistan

Yes. Pakistan has a long-established Christian population, with Christian communities living across the country.

Christians are a recognised part of Pakistan's religious and social landscape. They gather for worship in Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Baptist, Pentecostal and other Christian traditions, and their congregations differ widely in size, liturgy and history. There is no single Pakistani church and no single Pakistani Christian experience.

According to Pakistan's 2023 Population and Housing Census, 3,300,788 people were recorded as Christian — approximately 1.37% of the country's population of nearly 241 million.

That figure represents an increase from roughly 2.67 million recorded in the 2017 census. The rise reflects both population growth and changes in enumeration.

Some Christian and community organisations believe the census may undercount the Christian population, pointing to issues such as incomplete census forms, missing national identity documentation, and households not being fully enumerated. These alternative estimates are not official figures, and the disagreement between them and the census has not been resolved by any authoritative recount.

Source: UK Government, Country Policy and Information Note: Christians and Christian Converts, Pakistan (July 2026), citing Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Census 2023.

Christians live throughout Pakistan, but the community is especially concentrated in Punjab. The 2023 census recorded the following distribution:

Punjab has the largest Christian population in absolute numbers, while Islamabad Capital Territory has the highest percentage among these administrative areas.

Significant Christian communities are found in urban centres including Lahore, Karachi, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar, as well as in many rural villages. Reliable city-level counts are limited, so this guide does not publish precise urban figures. You can read about the communities we serve across the country.

Source: UK Government, Country Policy and Information Note: Christians and Christian Converts, Pakistan (July 2026), drawing on Pakistan Bureau of Statistics Census 2023.

Pakistani Christians are not a single uniform community. They belong to different Christian traditions, denominations, churches and local fellowships, and their family histories, languages, regions and circumstances differ considerably.

Current UK country information identifies two historically significant Christian communities: the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Pakistan, a united Protestant body. Alongside these are Evangelical, Baptist and Pentecostal churches, as well as many independent congregations.

Christian communities have contributed to education, healthcare, social services and community life in Pakistan for generations. At the same time, socioeconomic circumstances vary widely between families and regions, and no single description applies to every Pakistani Christian.

Churches exist across Pakistan — from established denominational cathedrals and parish churches to smaller Evangelical, Baptist, Pentecostal and independent fellowships, some of which meet in homes or rented premises.

There is no reliable nationwide official count that captures all registered, unregistered and house churches in Pakistan.

Grow in Faith Ministries walks alongside local congregations through our work in church planting.

Christianity has a long presence in South Asia. Various traditions describe very early Christian activity in the region, but those accounts are held as tradition rather than firmly established historical record, and this guide does not present them as settled fact.

The Christian communities of the area that is now Pakistan took much of their present shape from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries onward, when Catholic and Protestant mission work expanded during and around the period of British colonial rule in the subcontinent. Churches, schools, colleges, hospitals and clinics were established, and these institutions became a lasting part of local civic life.

When the subcontinent was partitioned in 1947 and Pakistan was formed, Christian communities remained in the new country, continuing to worship and to run many of the educational and medical institutions they had founded. In the decades since, church traditions have continued to develop: the Church of Pakistan was formed as a union of several Protestant bodies, the Catholic Church retained its diocesan structure, and Evangelical, Baptist and Pentecostal movements grew alongside them.

For most Pakistani Christian families, faith is woven into ordinary life: Sunday worship, daily prayer, Bible study, church fellowship, Christian education for children, and the rhythms of family and neighbourhood.

• Congregational worship and prayer
• Bible study and discipleship groups
• Church fellowship and community gatherings
• Christian education for children and youth
• Easter and Christmas celebrations
• Ministry and service to people in need

Christmas and Easter are celebrated widely, often with carol services, church processions, shared meals and hospitality extended to neighbours. Many congregations also run practical ministries — tutoring, food support, visiting the sick and caring for widows and orphans.

Experiences differ by location, denomination, socioeconomic circumstances and individual situation. Pakistani Christians are not only a community defined by hardship; they are families, professionals, teachers, nurses, pastors and students contributing to the life of their country.

Christians in Pakistan are generally able to worship and to take part in Christian religious activities. At the same time, credible country reports document serious challenges affecting some Christians, and it would be incomplete to describe Christian life in Pakistan without acknowledging them.

Country reporting documents that some Christian communities and individuals face:

• discrimination in employment, education and access to services
• mob violence following such allegations
• attacks on churches and Christian neighbourhoods
• forced conversion and forced marriage affecting some Christian women and girls
• economic and social marginalisation
• particular risks for some Christian converts from Islam

Risks vary considerably by location, circumstances and individual situation. Many Christians live and worship without incident; others have experienced significant harm. Both realities are true at the same time.

Sources: UK Government, Country Policy and Information Note: Christians and Christian Converts, Pakistan (July 2026); Minority Rights Group International, Christians in Pakistan profile.

Christian communities in Pakistan have a long record of service that extends well beyond their own congregations. Minority Rights Group International documents Christian contributions to educational institutions, hospitals and health facilities in the country.

Church-founded schools and colleges have educated students of many faiths, and mission-founded hospitals and clinics have served surrounding communities for generations. Local congregations continue to provide social support — literacy classes, care for widows and orphans, medical camps and relief during floods and emergencies.

Source: Minority Rights Group International, Christians in Pakistan. Specific institutions are not named here unless individually verified.

Across Pakistan, Christian ministry takes many forms — from local churches and evangelism to Bible teaching, leadership training, church planting and compassionate service.

Grow in Faith Ministries exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, strengthen believers, equip Christian leaders, and demonstrate God's love through compassionate service. We are a registered Pakistani nonprofit based in Lahore, working with local churches and communities. Learn more about Grow in Faith Ministries or read our statement of faith.

• Gospel proclamation and evangelism
• pastor and evangelist training
• church planting
• Christian education and children's activities
• women's empowerment
• care for orphans and care for widows
• practical community support for families in need