Christians in Bangladesh account for 0.30% (roughly 500,000 believers) of the nation's population as of 2022 census. Together with Judaism and Buddhism (plus other minority religious groups such as Atheism, Sikhism, the Bahá’í Faith and others), they account for 1% of the population. Islam accounts for 91.04% of the country's religion, followed by Hinduism at 7.95% as per 2022 census. History The introduction and development of Christianity in the Indian Subcontinent can be traced back to several different periods, with the help of several different countries and denominations. The earliest connection to Christianity can be linked back to the arrival of the Apostle Thomas to the Malabar Coast during the first century, in 52 A.D. In addition, the Apostle had managed to convert several thousands of Hindu Brahmins, as they were "attracted" to the lifestyle and were "impressed" by Jesus' sacrifice. Christianity did not have a presence in Bangladesh until the arrival of the Portuguese in 1510 with individuals like Alfonso de Albuquerque and Portuguese missionaries. Albuquerque attempted to spread Christianity by encouraging inter-marriage with native Bengali women, therefore their descendants were the first generations of Christians. By 1514, the Portuguese had obtained the right to preach Christianity in Bengal, thanks to the agreement between the Catholic Pope and the King of Portugal. In 1672, Dome Antonio da Rozari, a young Bengali convert, had managed to convert 20,000 low-caste Hindus into Christianity. Afterwards, between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Portuguese missionaries were evangelising and preaching in the Bengali language. Soon on, evangelical books and Christian theology were being written in Bengali. In 1740, the first Protestant, Reverend John Zachariah Kiernander, arrived in Bangladesh. In 1770, he funded and built a Protestant church called "Mission Church" in West Bengal. By the 18th century, British missionaries, such as William Carey, had built more churches, translated the Bible and other Christian books, and had set up religious schools. British missionaries had also developed Christian newspapers (such as "Digdarshan", "The Gospel Magazine", and "The Christian Mohila") in an effort to spread the gospel. In more recent times, the rise of Christianity in Bangladesh can be credited to Western NGOs and Christian charities, who provided humanitarian work after the Liberation War in 1971. Since then, these NGOs and charities (see Contributions) have not only assisted with support for emergency relief, healthcare, and education in Bangladesh, but they have also encouraged the practice of reading the