Christians worldwide face substantial levels of persecution worldwide with an estimated 365 million facing high levels of persecution, nearly five thousand murdered, and thousands more churches attacked or destroyed.
The annual World Watch List from Open Doors, an organisation supporting persecuted Christians, estimated that 4,998 Christians were martyred for their religious beliefs in the past year. An estimated 4,125 Christians were detained, 14,766 Christian properties and churches were attacked, and 295,120 Christians were displaced from their homes.
Open Doors estimates that persecution for their Christian faith is a fact of life for 365 million Christians, about 1 in 7 of all Christians worldwide.
Christians face far more persecution for their faith in continents like Africa and Asia than on continents like Europe or North America. In Africa, one in five of all Christians are persecuted while two in five Christians are persecuted in Asia.
Open Door compiles and ranks the top 50 worst countries when it comes to persecuting Christians for their faith.
13 countries are listed as nations in which Christians face extreme levels of persecution, with North Korea ranking as the worst country for Christians in the world.
Open Doors claims that being discovered as a Christian in North Korea is “effectively a death sentence,” with those discovered to be believers being sent to labour camps or killed on the spot. It is estimated that 400,000 Christians live in North Korea.
Nigeria, listed at number six, sees more Christians killed on an annual basis for their faith than all of the world’s countries combined, mostly in the Muslim-majority north.
The other countries in which Christians face extreme persecution are Somalia, Libya, Eritrea, Yemen, Pakistan, Sudan, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Syria, and Saudi Arabia.
Other prominent countries listed in the top 50 include China, Iraq, Cuba, Ethiopia, Mexico, and Turkey.
While Canada avoided inclusion on the top 50 list, Canada has seen an increase in anti-Christian sentiment in recent years.
After the legacy media reported that the Kamloops Band had discovered the unmarked graves of 215 Indigenous children at an old residential school, a flood of anti-Christian hate spread throughout the country.
True North has tracked the number of churches that have been targeted by vandals and arsonists, with 112 churches having been attacked from 2021 to 2024.