Christianity is broadly divided into six main branches or groups, each with distinct beliefs, practices, and organizational structures:

• Catholicism : The largest Christian group, centered on the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. It emphasizes the seven sacraments and has about 48.6% of Christians worldwide

• Protestantism : A diverse branch that emerged from the Reformation in the 16th century, rejecting papal authority. It includes many denominations such as Lutheranism, Calvinism (Presbyterian), Anglicanism, Baptists, Methodism, Pentecostalism, Adventism, and others. Protestants make up about 39.8% of Christians globally

• Eastern Orthodoxy : Comprising churches like the Greek Orthodox and Russian Orthodox, this branch emphasizes continuity with the early Church and has about 11.1% of Christians worldwide

• Oriental Orthodoxy : Separate from Eastern Orthodoxy since the Council of Chalcedon, includes churches like the Coptic Orthodox Church.
• Church of the East : Sometimes considered a distinct branch, historically centered in the Middle East.
• Restorationism : Groups aiming to restore the original Christian church, including denominations such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Latter Day Saints (Mormons), Christadelphians, and others

In addition to these major branches, there are many individual denominations and movements within each, especially within Protestantism, which is highly fragmented with groups differing in governance and doctrine

. Summary of major branches with approximate global adherence:

Branch| Approximate % of Christians Worldwide| Examples/Subgroups
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Catholicism| ~48.6%| Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches
Protestantism| ~39.8%| Lutheranism, Anglicanism, Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals, etc.
Eastern Orthodoxy| ~11.1%| Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox
Oriental Orthodoxy| Included in Orthodox groups| Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox
Church of the East| Smaller| Assyrian Church of the East
Restorationism| Small| Jehovah’s Witnesses, Latter Day Saints

Thus, the main types of Christians are generally categorized as Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox (Eastern and Oriental), and Restorationist Christians, with numerous denominations within each group