This volume covers a single United Nations ‘major area’ which comprises three regions: Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Because the Caribbean is not widely understood to be part of Latin America we included it in the title, ‘Christianity in Latin America and the Caribbean’. There are 50 countries represented, ranging from Brazil with a population of nearly 214 million to the Falkland Islands with fewer than 3,000 residents. Although the overall percentage of Christians changed little in the twentieth century (99.4% in 1900, 96.5% in 2000), the internal composition of Christianity changed significantly. Today, Catholics remain the largest tradition, but Protestants (evangélicos) and Independents have been rapidly increasing their shares of Christianity in the continent. This includes Protestant denominations such as Presbyterians in Guatemala, Pentecostal groups such as the Assemblies of God in Brazil and Independent Charismatic churches such as the Methodist Pentecostal Church and the Evangelical Pentecostal Church in Chile. Other Independent churches have also been growing rapidly, especially the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Jehovah's Witnesses in Brazil and Mexico. Finally, the Orthodox community has experienced growth in Chile and now has the third-fastest growth rate among churches in Latin America.

The Charismatic movement within the Catholic Church continues to grow in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Argentina and other countries. The movement began in the late 1960s in the USA and Colombia and quickly spread throughout Latin America. In 2020 the world's largest Catholic Charismatic community was in Brazil. Many Pentecostal/Charismatic movements have connections to the USA, such as that in Peru, where roughly 70% of today's Pentecostal churches trace their origins to the original US Assemblies of God and to the groups that separated from it. At the same time, Latin American Pentecostalism is very diverse, ranging from Classical Pentecostalism to Independent Pentecostal movements that are much closer to Catholicism in practice. There are also numerous networked Charismatic groups and ministries under the leadership and authority of apostles.

Christians in Latin America face a wide range of challenges. Major corruption scandals plague governments and businesses. Christian involvement in politics ranges from pastors and priests running for public office to the eschewal of politics altogether.