Playback speed:
Sarah Holliday | The Washington Stand
There are 195 recognized countries in the world. Open Doors tracks the Christian persecution that occurs in only the top 50. And yet, even with data from only roughly 25% of the countries across the globe, the organization found nearly 400 million Christians suffered from persecution in 2024 alone. Their annual World Watch List report was released on Wednesday, and the results have staggered experts.
Over 380 million Christians, which is one in seven worldwide, suffer from intense persecution and discrimination. Last year, 4,476 were murdered for their faith. Over 54,000 Christians were abused physically and mentally. Nearly 4,000 were sexually assaulted or forced into non-Christian marriages. At least 7,679 churches or Christian properties were attacked. Nearly 5,000 Christians were imprisoned, and 209,771 Christians were forced to evacuate their homes to go into hiding or even leave the country they were living in.
The top five countries with the highest rates of Christian persecution were North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, and Sudan. Of the 34 years Open Doors has done this report, North Korea has been on the top of the list for 23 of them. “If your Christian faith is discovered in North Korea, you will either be immediately executed or deported to a horrendous labor camp that few survive,” Open Doors explained. “The Kim regime relies on tightly controlling people’s behavior and beliefs. … It has been reported that about 30 teenagers were executed just for watching a South Korean drama last year.”
But persecution is a gruesome reality elsewhere in the world. In Africa, Open Doors reported that “over 90% of Christians killed for their faith last year were in sub-Saharan Africa, and 3,100 believers were killed in Nigeria alone.” Nigeria ranked seventh on the list. Much of the persecution in the north and central regions is due to radical Islamist groups such as Boko Haram and Fulani militants. According to Open Doors, “the measure of anti-Christian violence in the country is already at the maximum possible under World Watch List methodology.”
Eritrea, on the other hand, is overrun with communism that has caused “government security forces [to conduct] house-to-house raids, sending hundreds of Christians to the notorious, inhumane prisons.” In fact, “Eritrea is often called the ‘North Korea of Africa’ [where] phone calls and internet usage are heavily monitored.” This is a particular peril for Christians. Eritrea also has close ties with communist China, in which the two countries have worked together to “expand [Eritrea’s] repressive technology and surveillance apparatus used to persecute Christians.”
In Somalia, the organization emphasized how “even at home, any suspicion you have come to faith in Christ can result in house arrest, forced marriage, or threats to your life from your own family.” Other countries on the list, such as India, Iraq, and Syria, were also notable for their anti-Christian persecution related to factors ranging from Hindu nationalism to Turkish jihadists to Houthi terrorism. The report also found that “persecution is rising in countries such as Burkina Faso (20), Mali (14) and Chad (49).” For the first time, these countries have made the list of the top 50.
And yet, despite the jaws of persecution clenching down on people of faith, the church continues to grow.
As CEO of Open Doors U.S. Ryan Brown shared with The Christian Post, “Even in some of these places where persecution is extreme, the Church continues to exist. The Church continues to grow.” Brown added, “There are places where the Church is being forced deeply underground, and any visible expression of that presence is very difficult to observe. But there are places where, in the midst of persecution, the Church continues to operate, the Church continues to minister.”
Roughly half of Nigeria is believed to be Christian. Despite the extremism of North Korea, nearly 400,000 people continue to worship Jesus. Included in the report are testimonies and statements from some of the Christians in these countries facing immense persecution. Pastor Soré from West Africa said, “I do believe that we are displaced, but Jesus is not and will never be displaced from our lives. He is always with us.”
As Family Research Council’s Director of the Center for Religious Liberty Arielle Del Turco explained to The Washington Stand, “The release of Open Doors’ annual World Watch List is a powerful reminder of the hostile and dangerous conditions that many Christians around the world face on a daily basis.” She continued, “North Korea continues to be the most dangerous place on earth to follow Jesus, and I hope the new Trump administration renews an appropriate focus on North Korean human rights.”
“Many of the other countries that the World Watch List categorized as ‘top ten’ are Islamist countries that punish Muslim-background converts to Christianity,” Del Turco concluded. “We can continue to pray for Christians who face great familial and societal pressure for their faith in Christ. As we pray for our persecuted fellow believers, we must also remember to be grateful for the measure of freedom we have in the United States.”
SOURCE: THE WASHINGTON STAND
