According to the World Watch List 2026 report published by Open Doors, religious persecution targeting Christians has a direct impact on family life, with converts facing pressure, abuse and marginalisation even from their own relatives.
The report points to a worsening of anti-Christian persecution worldwide, both in scale and intensity, with direct consequences for family life, personal safety and the stability of Christian communities.
Persecution on the rise
More than 388 million Christians are currently living under high levels of persecution and discrimination because of their faith. Of these, 315 million live in the 50 countries at the top of the World Watch List, where persecution is rated as “very high” or “extreme”.
Compared with the previous year, the situation has deteriorated noticeably. The 2025 report found that more than 380 million Christians were affected, indicating an increase of several million people in just one year, amid political instability, religious extremism and weakening state protection for freedom of religion.
The report also highlights an alarming rise in lethal violence: 4,849 Christians were killed worldwide because of their Christian identity, up from 4,476 the previous year. Nigeria remains the hardest-hit country, with 3,490 Christians killed — an increase of nearly 90% compared with the year before.
Persecuted Christian women
People who convert to Christianity are often denied legal recognition, facing discrimination and systematic persecution — in breach of the fundamental right to change one’s religion or beliefs, as set out in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
According to the report, women who convert to Christianity are disproportionately targeted, with persecution frequently taking place within the home, where it often remains hidden. Cases of forced marriage, domestic violence, abuse and isolation are reported, used as methods of coercion to pressure women into renouncing their faith.
The report also cites documented cases in Afghanistan, where women who have converted to Christianity were labelled mentally ill because of their faith and either forcibly admitted to psychiatric hospitals or placed under house arrest. Among the most extreme incidents are so-called “honour killings”, in which husbands kill their wives for converting.
Anti-conversion laws
One case study featured in the report concerns a woman in India who, after beginning to host prayer meetings in her home, was falsely reported to the authorities, questioned by police and later forced to shut down her business and relocate with her children, amid mounting pressure from local extremists.
The report says pressure on Christians in India has risen sharply amid the growth of Hindutva ideology, which promotes the idea that all citizens should be Hindu. Christians are portrayed as traitors to their community and to the nation, and even discreet religious practice has become increasingly risky.
Twelve Indian states have adopted so-called anti-conversion laws, which are being used more frequently against the Christian minority. In 2025, a Christian couple was fined and sentenced to five years in prison, becoming the first people convicted under the strict legislation in Uttar Pradesh.
Children and family life under pressure in China
The report also highlights the situation in China, where the persecution score has risen since the last edition, following new regulations introduced by the authorities and enforced more strictly. These measures add to restrictions imposed since 2018 and to further rules expected in the coming period, particularly affecting the online space.
The report warns that the future of Christianity in China is facing a generational crisis, as the state has tightened its grip on religious education and on the involvement of children and young people under the age of 18.
Under these restrictions, Christian parents risk punishment — including questioning, fines or even arrest — simply for raising their children in the Christian faith.
Photo: Basilica.ro / Raluca-Emanuela Ene
