The Open Doors organization has compiled the annual World Watch List 2025, ranking the most dangerous countries for Christians. A report covering the period from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024, reveals that over 380 million Christians face high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith: 1 in 7 globally, 1 in 5 in Africa, and 2 in 5 in Asia.
Christians encounter a lack of legal protection, suffering from persecution and discrimination often exacerbated by violent conflicts leading to exile. Members of the organization report that annually, 4,476 Christians are killed, 7,679 churches and Christians are attacked, and 4,744 Christians are imprisoned.
“The World Index of Christian Persecution” indicates that persecution is at its highest level in recent decades. The number of victims has increased by 20 million since 2022. Millions of Christians pay with their lives for their daily confession of faith.
Top 10 list of dangerous countries for Christians
Violent incidents in Central Asia are on the rise, with excessive state surveillance and restrictions for the baptized. Since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, plans to eradicate Christianity have become a harsh reality to manage.
In a country where 90% of the population are Sunni Muslims and 9.7% are Shia Muslims, Christians are isolated and subjected to intolerant treatment: men are killed, women are raped and abused. One of the most common control methods is checking phones for biblical apps or Christian messages.
In Pakistan, Christians live in fear, while in Nigeria, many believers have been brutally tortured and killed. Millions are refugees, enduring squalid and humiliating conditions that strip them of human dignity.
In ancient Mesopotamia, a biblical and later patristic space, in the two great Christian centres, Edessa and Emessa, some Persian-speaking Christians face continued refusal by Iran to recognize their rights. Simin’s story from Iran is another harrowing testimony:
“They said if I return to Islam, I could have it all… But how could I forget what Jesus had done for me? The price was huge, but we wanted to pay it; He was worth it.”
The fear of Eritrean prisons does not surpass the courage of Christians to confess Christ. In Sudan, hundreds of churches have been assaulted and destroyed, while in Libya, conversion to Christianity is paid for with one’s life.
According to Open Doors, the top three most dangerous countries are Yemen, Somalia, and North Korea.
They Give Their Lives for Christ
In Yemen, Christians often pray in secret, suffering discrimination just for following Christ. There are cases where extremist violence exploits the civil war and humanitarian crisis, forcing Christians to flee their homes or into exile.
Authorities and jihadists violently persecute Somali Christians.
The Chongjin Susong camp in North Korea is home to contemporary apostles, making it the most dangerous country for Christians. According to an Instagram post by Opendoorsuk, this country has topped the list for 23 years, being the most perilous place for those confessing the true faith.
Joo Min’s case is well-known; after receiving Christian teachings, she returned to her country determined to preach to God but discovered she could be sent to a labour camp and killed.
A notorious case involves a family with a 2-year-old child, all imprisoned merely for possessing a Bible.
Abuse of Women
Although Open Doors states it’s hard to confirm the number of victims of rape and sexual violence, in 2024, violence against women has increased, with 3,944 reported cases.
Forced marriages of young Christian women are also on the rise, with 821 cases recorded so far. Often, Christian converts are sentenced to death.
After the Taliban took control in Afghanistan in 2021, women are forbidden from working, leaving their homes, receiving medical treatment from male doctors, studying, talking to men, going out without a burqa, or participating in buying and selling. They are also prohibited from engaging in sports, photographing, or being on balconies or terraces. The ban on women in society extends to their absence from artistic or televised media:
“This is the greatest war against women in our time. Unfortunately, the world watches silently,” said Sahraa Karimi, an Afghan filmmaker.
Digital Surveillance
New technology enables governments, especially in China, to restrict Christian communities through surveillance and censorship. This control has intensified with the development of artificial intelligence (AI).
Elsewhere, extremists use drones in their attacks, monitoring and suppressing religious minorities using state-registered church facial recognition cameras.
Radical Islamist violence in Nigeria has displaced over 3 million people, and the terrorist group Boko Haram has begun using drones to hunt down fleeing Christians.
Widespread Disinformation
Moreover, less sophisticated technologies are widely used to spread disinformation, aiming to increase pressure on Christian communities. Social networks have been used to spread propaganda by groups like Daesh, also known as the so-called Islamic State.
At a conference in Berlin in October 2024, Professor Stephen Schneck, President of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), highlighted that today, artificial intelligence is used as a tool to “persecute people for their faith.”
Schneck added that this trend is “truly Orwellian“, and he fears “the form of the future world.”
Open Doors is a global network of non-profit Christian NGOs that monitors the situation of Christians worldwide.
Photo: Comece.eu
