Evangelicals in France

For the first time since the 1950s, French Protestants make up close to 3% of the population – driven largely by growth in the Evangelical population (representing 1.6% of the population). While churches are being planted at an increasing rate, as of 2017, there was still an average of just one Evangelical church for every 26,485 people.

The goal set forth by the majority of denominations is to see one church for every 10,000 inhabitants – making the Gospel accessible to all French people.

For a complete breakdown of church statistics and information, visit the Directory of Evangelical Churches.

Evangelicals by the numbers:

• 650,000 – Regularly practice their faith (all ages).
• 3/4 – Evangelical Protestants represent 1/3 of all Protestants but ¾ of those who regularly practice their faith.
• 10 – The number of Evangelical Protestants has increased 10 times in the past 60 years (in 1950, there were 50,000 practicing Evangelicals)
• 2,521 – There are 2,521 local churches in France, counting those communities that offer at least 3 services per month on the weekends (in 1970, there were 769). Additionally, there are 500 more houses of worship that meet less frequently.
• 10 – A new local church is born every 10 days – about 35 new churches per year.
• 45 – The majority of local churches belong to one of 45 denominations.
• 70 – Out of all the local churches who belong to a denomination, over 70% are affiliated with the CNEF.