Missionary-Sending Countries: What the 2010 Global Survey Found

Global missionary rankings are often repeated as though they describe the present day, but one of the most widely cited country tables comes from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) and refers to 2010. This revision keeps that valuable historical dataset while making its date and methodology explicit.

At Spiritual Culture, the figures below are presented as a snapshot of international Christian mission in 2010, not as a 2026 league table.

Countries sending the most international missionaries in the 2010 CSGC dataset

Rank	Sending country	International missionaries
1	United States	127,000
2	Brazil	34,000
3	France	21,000
4	Spain	21,000
5	Italy	20,000
6	South Korea	20,000
7	United Kingdom	15,000
8	Germany	14,000
9	India	10,000
10	Canada	8,500

CSGC estimated that Christians from all traditions sent about 400,000 international missionaries in 2010. The dataset did not include missionaries serving within their own home countries.

Total missionaries and missionary intensity are different measures

A large Christian population can produce a high total number of missionaries without having the highest missionary-sending rate. CSGC therefore also compared missionaries sent per million church members. On that measure, much smaller Christian communities could rank much higher.

This distinction is essential when interpreting mission statistics. A list by total number answers a different question from a list adjusted for the size of the sending church.

Mission was already becoming more global

The 2010 data showed the growing role of the Global South. Brazil, South Korea, and India were already among the ten largest sending countries, and several other countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America appeared among the next largest senders. This supports the broader historical shift from a model of mission moving mainly “from the West to the rest” toward multidirectional mission between many regions.

Why this should not be treated as a current ranking

Missionary movements change through visa rules, war, migration, denominational policy, indigenous leadership, short-term mission programs, digital ministry, and changing definitions of who counts as a missionary. CSGC itself notes that the most recent data available for this particular table was 2010.

Readers should therefore cite the year whenever using these figures. For the wider religious context of mission, see our overview of Christianity and our article on Jesus Christ.

Sources & Further Reading

Come and Be Sent

Friend, the mission of God is not finished. The Gospel has reached many corners of the world — but not all. There are still over 3 billion souls who do not know the name of Jesus. Entire people groups still live and die without ever meeting a Christian. Millions are bound in fear, shame, and darkness — waiting for someone to bring light.

But this is not just a global statistic. This is a personal invitation.

God is not only sending missionaries from far-off lands.
He is calling you.

You may think you’re too young. Too old. Too poor. Too broken.
You may feel unworthy, untrained, or unqualified.
But the truth is this: God does not call the qualified — He qualifies the called.

Jesus is still saying today what He said 2,000 years ago:

“As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you.” (John 20:21)

That sending may look different for each person:

Maybe you are called to go to another nation.
Maybe you are called to share Christ with a refugee in your own neighborhood.
Maybe your job, your business, your skill is meant to be a tool for the Gospel.
Maybe you’re meant to support missionaries through prayer, finances, or training.
Or maybe — just maybe — God is asking you to surrender your life to Him today for the very first time.

Because missions is not just about going. It’s about belonging — to the One who gave His life for the world.

The Gospel Message: Why We Go

Here is why we go. Here is why this matters.

All have sinned. Every one of us has fallen short of the glory of God.
Our sin separates us from our Creator — not just now, but for eternity.

But God, in His love, did not leave us in darkness.
He sent His Son — Jesus Christ — to live the life we could not live, to die the death we deserved, and to rise again with victory over sin, shame, and death.

“God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Jesus is alive. He is Lord. And He is calling people from every nation — including you.

Do you hear Him?

Will You Say Yes?

This is your moment. The Holy Spirit is not limited by borders, passports, or experience. He is looking for willing hearts.

Will you be His witness?
Will you go where others will not?
Will you open your mouth in a culture that’s silent?
Will you send, support, and pray with urgency?
Will you live not for comfort — but for Christ?

You don’t need all the answers.
You just need a surrendered heart.
Because Jesus said, “Go,” — and that’s enough.

A Simple Prayer of Surrender

If you’re ready to say yes — whether to salvation, to missions, or to obedience — you can pray like this:

Lord Jesus, I believe You died for me and rose again. I turn from my sin and surrender to You. Use my life for Your glory — wherever You want, however You want. Send me. Fill me with Your Spirit. I am Yours. Amen.

What You Can Do Next

Start with the Gospel of John. Read it slowly. Ask Jesus to speak to you.
Pray for the unreached. Learn about people groups who have never heard.
Support a missionary. Give, write, encourage.
Ask your church to send. Every local church should be a launchpad.
Consider going. Whether short-term or lifelong — the harvest is ready.

The world is waiting.
Jesus is worthy.
And you — yes, you — are called.

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” (Romans 10:15)

This is your time. This is your mission. This is your invitation.
Come to Jesus — and be sent.