Persecution against Christians continues to increase around the globe. The number of believers facing high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith rose to more than 380 million, according to Open Doors, which released its 2025 World Watch List Wednesday (Jan. 15).
Last year, 4,476 Christians were murdered for their faith, 7,679 churches and Christian properties were attacked, and 4,744 Christians were imprisoned, reported Open Doors in its annual report that ranks the top 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution.
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Top 10
North Korea remained at the top of this year’s list. Those that followed included Somalia(2), Yemen(3), Libya (4), Sudan (5), Eritrea (6), Nigeria(7), Pakistan (8), Iran (9) and Afghanistan (10). While North Korea and Eritrea struggle with either communist/post-communist oppression or dictatorial paranoia, all of the other countries in the top 10 face Islamic oppression. More than half the countries on this year’s World Watch list struggle with Islamic-related persecution.
North Korea
North Korea continues to spiral downward in its harsh restrictions. Its government announced in early 2024, Open Doors reported, “stricter regulations and crackdowns, which increased terror among North Koreans.”
Open Doors reported that authorities publicly executed about 30 middle-school students for watching a Korean drama on a USB drive. Several other teenagers were sentenced to life imprisonment or death for similar violations, and other residents were sentenced to labor reform for “picking up plastic bottles containing cooking rice sent from South Korea.”
“While President Kim Jong Un and his family live luxurious lives,” the report noted, “the situation for most North Koreans is getting worse. They are suffering hunger and desperate need.”
Nigeria
While the number of Christians dying for their faith Nigeria dropped from 4,998 in 2023 to 3,100 last year, the risks for those of faith remain alarmingly high. And persecution against Christians continues to spread in sub-Saharan African countries.
“Sadly, more Christians were killed outside Nigeria, many in sub-Saharan Africa countries like DRC, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Niger,” Open Doors reported.
Meanwhile in countries like Myanmar, Yemen and Sudan, civil wars have “become breeding grounds for targeted attacks against Christians,” the report said.
Ibrahim, a pastor in Sudan, shared with Open Doors how he was alienated by his community and arrested and put in prison for his Christian faith. He shared how Christians in conflict zone areas were “eating the leaves of the trees, breakfast, lunch, dinner, dying on a daily basis by random bullets — and imagine among them their children.”
He added, “People who have a heart for Sudan, we want to tell them that we receive their prayers and their attention, but we still need more prayer allocated to Sudan.”
“My prayer for Sudan is may God wake up the Church and may the peace in heaven reign,” he said.
Detainments, imprisonments
The report also noted that Christians continue to be detained without trial, arrested, sentenced and imprisoned for their faith. In countries like India, according to the report, 1,629 Christians were detained without trial and 547 were sentenced to prison. Similar imprisonments were also reported in other countries — among them are Eritrea, Bangladesh and Iran.
Trends
In summary, the report spotlighted several trends to watch. Among them:
— As multiple countries in sub-Saharan Africa have seen a rise in violence against Christians, 8 of the top 10 deadliest places for Christians are in this area of the world — and all of these countries, except Nigeria, have more faith-based killings than they did in the 2024 World Watch List report. The latest report also noted, of 34.5 million displaced people across sub-Saharan Africa, about 16.2 million are Christians. “Chronic government instability has created an environment where Christians can be targeted, and where Islamic militants can use the chaos as cover for their attacks on Christians,” the report said.
—Christians in the Middle East and more countries on the World Watch List, are being driven underground. Christian isolation and the decline of churches, the report said, was a recurring pattern in several countries: Syria, Afghanistan, Algeria, China, and Christian communities in Gaza and the West Bank.
Prayers needed
“We can’t forget them,” said Ryan Brown, CEO/president of Open Doors US. “The vast majority of people are trapped, pressured and attacked.” He noted, “You and I can’t do enough on our own, but God can and He’s given us an incredibly powerful way to stand with our brothers and sisters in Africa and around the world, joining with them in prayer.”
You can download the World Watch List at OpenDoorsUS.org. To read full report, click here.
