Contemporary Persecution of Christians

Background

Persecution in this context refers broadly to violence, discrimination, and legal and social disadvantages suffered on account of faith. During the Cold War, churches in the Communist bloc were subject to state surveillance and control (see Religious persecution in the Soviet Union). Organizations formed during this period to assist these churches. The best known is Open Doors, founded in 1955 by the Dutch missionary Brother Andrew (born Anne van der Bijl). He became known as "God's Smuggler" for secretly bringing Bibles into Eastern European countries where their importation was banned. He died in 2022 at the age of 94.

Developments

• 1993: Open Doors published its first World Watch List (WWL). Each year the list ranks the fifty countries where persecution is most severe. It assesses six areas: pressure in private, family, community, national, and church life, plus a category for violence. Scores are given out of a maximum of 100 points.
• 1995: Open Doors Korea was established in South Korea.
• 2002 onward: North Korea has ranked first every year except 2022, when it placed second; that year Afghanistan, where the Taliban had returned to power, ranked first.
• 2025 list: More than 380 million Christians in 78 countries were estimated to face high levels of persecution, compared with 365 million in 70 countries the previous year. The number of Christians killed for their faith was recorded as 4,476.
• 2026 list: Based on data from October 2024 through September 2025, the number of persecuted Christians was estimated at 388 million. Of the 4,849 Christians killed, 3,490 were in Nigeria. North Korea (97 points) ranked first for the twenty-third time, followed by Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, and Eritrea. Syria rose from eighteenth to sixth place, driven largely by a June 2025 attack on a church in Damascus that killed 22 people. The combined score of the top fifty countries was the highest on record, and fifteen countries fell into the highest category, "extreme."

Outcomes and Impact

Open Doors explains the causes of persecution by region. In sub-Saharan Africa, it identifies "Islamic oppression" along with organized crime and corruption as the principal drivers; fourteen countries in the region appear on the list. Regarding North Korea, it reports that believers whose faith is discovered are killed or confined to labor camps, and it estimates the number of secret believers at about 400,000. For China, it attributes the rising score to tightening state control rather than to violence. In Nepal, it reports that some radical Hindu groups have attacked churches.

In South Korea, Open Doors Korea holds a launch event every January, calling on churches for prayer and attention. Because North Korea consistently ranks first, the list is frequently linked there to concern for the church in North Korea.

Assessment

The WWL is a leading source cited every year by Christian media in South Korea and internationally. However, it is an index compiled by a mission organization according to its own criteria, and it counts not only violence but also discrimination and pressures in daily life as persecution. Its figures are therefore estimates based on these criteria. In the case of Nigeria, there is international debate over whether armed groups are specifically targeting Christians or attacking local populations as a whole, and experts also disagree about the underlying causes. Regarding North Korea, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea likewise reported in 2014 that the North Korean government's human rights violations constituted crimes against humanity.