Persecution of Christians worldwide reaches new high, Open Doors reports

Vatican City, January 17, 2026: The number of Christians facing persecution or at risk of violence worldwide has risen by eight million in the past year, reaching a record 388 million, according to Open Doors. The findings are detailed in the organisation’s newly released World Watch List 2026.

Speaking to Vatican News, Open Doors Director Cristian Nani said the figures mark “another record year”. Of those affected, 201 million are women or girls, while 110 million are children under the age of 15.

Rising violence and discrimination

The report shows a worsening global picture, with the number of countries experiencing “extreme” levels of anti-Christian persecution increasing from 13 to 15. North Korea remains the most dangerous place in the world to be Christian.

Other countries listed as having alarming levels of persecution include Somalia, Eritrea, Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen, Sudan, Mali, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran, India, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, and Syria.

Syria has moved from a “high” to an “extreme” level of persecution. Mr Nani said Christians there face growing danger because the country’s new political power remains fragmented, a situation highlighted by recent clashes in Aleppo. He noted that only about 300,000 Christians remain in Syria, a decline of hundreds of thousands compared with a decade ago.

Sub-Saharan Africa under scrutiny

After a brief decline, the number of Christians killed for their faith has risen again, increasing from 4,476 to 4,849—an average of 13 deaths a day. Nigeria continues to be the epicentre of this violence, accounting for 3,490 deaths, around 70 per cent of the global total.

Arrests of Christians for their faith remained largely unchanged at 4,712, compared with 4,744 in 2024. Kidnappings fell from 3,775 to 3,302, while attacks on churches dropped sharply from 7,679 to 3,632. Assaults on homes and shops also decreased slightly. However, reported cases of abuse, rape and forced marriages rose significantly, from 3,944 to 5,202.

Mr Nani identified sub-Saharan Africa as the main area of concern in the World Watch List 2026, citing fragile governments that leave Christian communities exposed to violence. “The centre of gravity of Christianity has shifted to Africa, but it is there that it is primarily under attack,” he said, referring to a continent that is home to about one-eighth of the world’s Christians.

He highlighted Sudan as particularly critical due to ongoing civil war, along with Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mozambique. In these contexts, he said, economic pressures often combine with religious motives to fuel attacks.

Nigeria: violence on the ground

Open Doors presented the World Watch List 2026 on Wednesday at the Italian Senate in Rome, in the “Fallen of Nassiriya” hall, alongside testimony from a witness from Nigeria.

In recent days, the organisation gathered reports from Nigerian Christians fearful of reprisals by terrorist groups following a US Christmas raid. It also documented fresh violence in northern Nigeria, including the killing of 14 people by the Islamic State West Africa Province in Adamawa State on 29 December, and an attack on a marketplace in Dema on 4 January, where unidentified armed men killed dozens.

Persecution of Christians worldwide reaches new high, Open Doors reports

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