This is a list of the largest Protestant denominations. It aims to include sizable Protestant Christian communions, federations, alliances, councils, fellowships, and other denominational organizations in the world and provides information regarding the membership thereof. Protestant bodies being considered in this article are divided into:
transdenominational bodies with more than 50 million members international bodies with more than 10 million members national bodies with more than 5 million members non-national bodies with more than 5 million members
In early 2026, the World Christian Database estimated a total of 637,856,000 Protestants and 426,370,000 Independents (mostly non-denominational Evangelicals, Charismatics, and Pentecostals who do not self-identify as "Protestant"). In 2010, the most numerous international bodies accounted for more than a half of worldwide Protestant population, while the most numerous national bodies accounted for more than 200 of the world's 800 million Protestants.
Transdenominational organizations, such as the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) and the Pentecostal Fellowship of North America (PCCNA), are usually large and often characterized by overlapping membership, as opposed to international and national bodies. Some of the national groupings cannot be considered churches in mainstream Protestant ecclesiology, even when they constitute a single denomination. Examples of the latter category are the Porvoo Communion, an international organization based in Northern Europe representing 15 Anglican and national Lutheran churches in full communion, and the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD), a federation of national Protestant churches which differ denominationally and encompasses Lutheran, Reformed, and United subchurches.
Denominational families
According to Christianity Global: A Guide to the World's Largest Religion from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe (2022), the largest Protestant denominations self-reported the following number of adherents worldwide in the year 2020: 644,260,000 Charismatics and Pentecostals, corresponding to 8.3% of the global population; 387,026,000 Evangelicals, corresponding to 5.0% of the global population; 97,399,000 Anglicans (not including the United Churches or Continuing Anglicans), corresponding to 1.2% of the global population; 84,192,000 Baptists (not including the United Churches), corresponding to 1.1% of the global population; 77,792,000 United and Uniting Churches, corresponding to 1.0% of the global population; 70,432,000 Presbyterians, Reformed, and Congregationalists (not including the United Churches), corresponding to 0.9% of the global population; 69,894,000 Lutherans (not including the United Churches), corresponding to 0.9% of the global population; 46,579,000 Methodists and the Holiness movement (not including the United Churches), corresponding to 0.6% of the global population; 29,059,000 Non-denominational Churches, corresponding to 0.4% of the global population; 29,011,000 Adventists, corresponding to 0.4% of the global population; 17,893,000 Latter-Day Saints and Mormons, corresponding to 0.2% of the global population; 11,603,000 Restorationists, corresponding to 0.1% of the global population.
Lists of the largest Protestant bodies
Transdenominational bodies Transdenominational bodies include people across all denominations that participate in a movement which goes beyond their Protestant branch, like Evangelicalism, the Charismatic movement, or the Neo-charismatic movement. These are of international scope.
NameOrientationFoundationLeadershipHeadquartersRegionMembershipNotes World Evangelical Alliance Evangelical 1846 London, England Secretary-General Thomas Schirrmacher New York City, NY, United StatesWorldwide 424,255,000 Aims to unite Evangelicals worldwide. Porvoo Communion AnglicanLutheran 1992 Porvoo Cathedral, Porvoo, Finland Co-chairmen Bishop Peter Skov-Jakobsen,Archbishop Michael Jackson None Europe 50,000,000 Communion of Anglican and national Lutheran churches in Europe. Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe LutheranReformedMethodist 1973Hölstein, Switzerland Secretary-General Mario Fischer Vienna, Austria Europe 50,000,000 Communion of Lutheran, Reformed, Methodist, and United denominations in Europe.
International bodies International bodies tend to bring together only one Protestant branch which shares common founders, tenets and history. Among the most sizeable international bodies are the World Communion of Reformed Churches, the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, the Anglican Communion, and the Lutheran World Federation, each with more than 70 million members.
All these bodies are worldwide. NameOrientationFoundedLeadershipHeadquartersMembershipNotes Anglican Communion Anglican 1867 Archbishop of Canterbury London, United Kingdom 90,000,000 - 110,000,000 or 114,491,486 Brings together Anglicans from all over the world, is the largest of such organizations, and is one of the largest Protestant communions.
Founded at Lambeth Conference, London, England World Communion of Reformed Churches Reformed 2010 General Secretary Najla Kassab Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany 100,000,000, 108,297,189, or 147,415,704 Brings together Reformed Christians and United and Uniting Churches from all over the world, and is the largest of such organizations. As of 2025, the WCRC is globally one the largest Protestant communions. World Assemblies of God Fellowship Pentecostal 1988 General Superintendent and Chairman Doug E. Clay Springfield, Missouri, United States 86,143,293 – 88,866,189 Brings together a substantial Pentecostal population, although not the majority, as it is scattered in various independent Pentecostal denominations. Lutheran World Federation Lutheran 1947 General Secretary Anne Burghardt Geneva, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland 78,431,111 Brings together Lutherans from all over the world, and is the largest of such organizations. Baptist World Alliance Baptist 1905 General Secretary Elijah M. Brown Falls Church, Virginia, United States 53,871,526 Brings together a substantial Baptist population, although not the majority, as it is scattered in various independent Baptist denominations. World Methodist Council Methodist 1881 General Secretary Bishop Ivan M. Abrahams Waynesville, North Carolina, United States 40,286,617 Brings together Methodists from all over the world, as it is scattered in various independent Methodist denominations.
National bodies Although there are "mostly national" denominations like the United Methodist Church (mainly concentrated in the United States), or denominations with dispersed membership like the Apostolic Church and the Church of God (both with membership dispersed around the world) that have a far larger membership than required to be on this list, they operate worldwide and cannot be considered alongside other national bodies like, for example, the Church of Christ in Congo, which operates solely in the Democratic Republic of Congo and is not active beyond that country's borders.
The Church of England, the Church of Christ in Congo, the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, the Assembleias de Deus, and the Protestant Church in Germany constitute the most numerous national bodies with approximately 20 million members each. NameOrientationFoundationLeadershipHeadquartersRegionMembershipNotes Three-Self Patriotic Movement State-regulated theologyvarious Protestant denominations 1951 ChairpersonFu XianweiSecretary GeneralXu Xiaohong Shanghai, China China 38,000,000 It is the only Protestant denomination approved by the Chinese government. Its theology is regulated and controlled by the state. Church of Christ in Congo Methodists,Pentecostals,Baptists,Mennonites,Reformed,Evangelicals,United Protestants 1970 Bishop Pierre Marini Bodho Kinshasa, Kinshasa Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo 25,500,000 Federation of most Congolese Protestants. Largest United Protestant denomination worldwide. Church of Nigeria Anglican 1979 Primate of all Nigeria, Archbishop of Abuja Province Nicholas Okoh Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria Nigeria 25,000,000 Local province of the Anglican Communion. Assembléias de Deus Pentecostal 1911 General Superintendent José Wellington Bezerra da Costa São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil Brazil 22,500,000 Fragmented into smaller units which together gather the vast majority of Brazilian Pentecostals. The largest Pentecostal denomination in the world. Church of England Anglican 1534 Supreme Governor King Charles III;Archbishop of Canterbury London, United Kingdom England 21,755,000 The country's established church. Born Again Movement Evangelicals,Charismatics,Chinese house church 1968 Henan, China China 20,000,000 House church, not recognized by the Chinese government. Protestant Church in Germany Prussian, United,Lutheran,Reformed 1948 Praeses of the Synod Irmgard SchwaetzerChairman of the Council of the EKD Heinrich Bedford-Strohm Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany Germany 17,979,849 Federation of most German protestants. Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus Lutheran 1959 Bishop Dr. Wakseyoum Idossa Addis Ababa, Chartered city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Ethiopia 15,000,000 The world's largest Lutheran denomination. Church of Uganda Anglican 1897 Archbishop of Uganda and Bishop of Kampala Stanley Ntagali Namirembe Hill, Kampala District, Uganda Uganda 13,311,801 Local province of the Anglican Communion. Southern Baptist Convention Baptist 1845 President Willy Rice Nashville, Tennessee, United States United States 12,311,954 The world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant denomination in the United States. Fangcheng Fellowship Evangelicals,Charismatics,Chinese house church 1971 China 10,000,000 House church, not recognised by the Chinese government. Nigerian Baptist Convention Baptist 1915 Rev. Dr. Samson Olasupo Adeniyi Ayokunle, President (and chief executive officer) Ibadan Nigeria 9,015,000 The world's second largest Baptist denomination. Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania Lutheran 1963 Bishop Dr. Fredrick Onael Shoo Arusha, Arusha Region, Tanzania Tanzania 8,500,000 The world's second largest Lutheran denomination. National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. Baptist 1880 President Dr. Jerry Young Montgomery, Alabama, United States United States 8,415,100 The third largest Baptist denomination in the world. It is considered a black church with its membership being largely African American. China Gospel Fellowship Evangelicals,Charismatics,Chinese house church 1980s China 8,000,000 House church, not recognized by the Chinese government. Church of Christ in Nations Reformed 1906 Rev. Amos Musa Mohzo Jos, Plateau, Nigeria Nigeria 8,000,000 The world's largest Reformed denomination. Batak Christian Protestant Church Lutheran 1861 Hutatoruan V, Tarutung, North Sumatra, Indonesia Indonesia 6,333,000 The world's third largest Lutheran denomination, and the third largest Protestant one in Asia. Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar Reformed 1968 Pastor Ammi Irako Andriamahazosoa Madagascar 6,000,000 The world's second-largest Reformed denomination. Anglican Church of Kenya Anglican 1970 Jackson Ole Sapit Nairobi, Nairobi County, Kenya Kenya 5,860,000 Local province of the Anglican Communion. Presbyterian Church of Nigeria Reformed 1846 Nigeria 5,800,000 The world's third-largest Reformed denomination. Church of Sweden Lutheran 1593 Archbishop of Uppsala Antje Jackelén Uppsala, Uppsala County, Sweden Sweden 5,484,000 The world's fourth largest Lutheran denomination, and the fourth largest Protestant one in Europe. Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan Anglican 2017 Justin Badi Arama Juba, South Sudan South Sudan 5,000,000 Local province of the Anglican Communion. Church of South India United Churches 1947 The Rt. Rev. K. Reuben Mark India 5,000,000
Non-national bodies