Christians (/ˈkrɪstʃən, -tiən/ (listen)) are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words Christ and Christian derive from the Koine Greek title Christós (Χριστός), a translation of the Biblical Hebrew term mashiach (מָשִׁיחַ).^[7]

While there are diverse interpretations of Christianity which sometimes conflict,^[8][9] they are united in believing that Jesus has a unique significance.^[8] The term "Christian" is also used as an adjective to describe anything associated with Christianity, or in a proverbial sense "all that is noble, and good, and Christ-like."^[10]

According to a 2011 Pew Research Center survey, there were 2.2 billion Christians around the world in 2010, up from about 600 million in 1910.^[2] By 2050, the Christian population is expected to exceed 3 billion.^[2]According to a 2012 Pew Research Center survey Christianity will remain the world's largest religion in 2050, if current trends continue.

Today, about 37% of all Christians live in the Americas, about 26% live in Europe, 24% live in sub-Saharan Africa, about 13% live in Asia and the Pacific, and 1% live in the Middle East and North Africa.^[2] About half of all Christians worldwide are Catholic, while more than a third are Protestant (37%).^[2] Orthodox communions comprise 12% of the world's Christians.^[2] Other Christian groups make up the remainder. Christians make up the majority of the population in 158 countries and territories.^[2] 280 million Christians live as a minority.

Christians have made noted contributions to a range of fields, including the sciences,^[11] arts,^[12] politics, literatures and business. According to 100 Years of Nobel Prizes, a review of Nobel prizes awarded between 1901 and 2000 reveals that (65.4%) of Nobel Prizes laureates identified Christianity in its various forms as their religious preference.^{[13][undue weight? – discuss]}

The Greek word Χριστιανός (Christianos), meaning "follower of Christ", comes from Χριστός (Christos), meaning "anointed one",