Open Doors report: 2022 was the worst year for Christians worldwide

Open Doors releases its annual World Watch List 2023, confirming that one out of every seven Christians worldwide suffers high persecution and discrimination for their faith.

According to the data reported, more than 360 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. Similar numbers were recorded last year. However, the score of the indicators in the fifty countries at risk is growing.

Although numbers haven’t changed substantially from the previous year, 2022 was the worst year for Christians worldwide, due to an intensifying level of violence, discrimination and exclusion, according to the latest World Watch List released by Open Doors, a watchdog group that advocates for Christians.

The report ranks the fifty countries where Christians face the worst persecution. These are the top ten countries where Christians risk everything for Christ.

Sudan – Unrest has increased after a military coup in 2019. Violence and pressure on Christians have worsened.
Afghanistan – Following the Taliban takeover, those Christians who have not fled their country have been forced deep underground. If discovered, they face death.
Iran – Christian churches are seen as a threat by the Islamist regime. Christian members who are caught are given long prison terms.
Pakistan – Laws are frequently used blasphemously and infamously to target Christian believers. Christian women and girls are vulnerable to kidnap and forced marriage.
Nigeria – More Christians are killed in this country than in all the countries of the world combined. And the violence is getting worse.
Libya – In the anarchic situation in Libya, both native and Christian immigrants are targeted by persecution, kidnapped and even murder.
Eritrea – Christians who dare to meet without official authorization risk arrest. More than a thousand believers are deprived of their freedom without further charges.
Yemen – The humanitarian crisis in this country continues. Anyone suspected of being a Christian is deliberately overlooked for aid and may be expelled or even killed by their tribe.
Somalia – Islamic militants are intensifying their hunt for Christians, and violent attacks are rising.
North Korea – The most dangerous place in the world for Christians, according to Open Doors. Spies are everywhere. Discovery means death by execution or being worked to death in a labour camp.