There will be more Muslims than Christians in the world in fewer than 60 years, new research shows - and New Zealand is one of eight countries that will lose their Christian majority in that time.

Photo: 123rf

The number of countries with a Christian majority is expected to decline from 159 to 151 by 2050, with the proportion of Christians in New Zealand slumping from 57 percent of the population at present to 44.7 percent.

At that point, according to the study's projections, the largest religious category in New Zealand will be "unaffiliated" at 45.1 percent.

Read the full report by the Pew Research Centre (PDF, 203KB - NZ data, p240)

The Pew Research Centre says, by 2070, Christianity and Islam will each have about 32 percent of the world population.

The global population is expected to rise by 35 percent in the next four decades.