At least 365 million Christians are persecuted in 78 countries worldwide, as reported by the NGO Open Doors in their 2024 Watch List.
Open Doors is a non-government organization that monitors rising religious persecution worldwide. The NGO annually publishes its Watch List, which started in 1993.
According to the group, one in seven Christians faces extreme discrimination, and it has gone up from 76 countries since last year.
“Extreme level” of hate crimes against Christians surged from 11 to 13. In Asia, at least 2 out of 5 Christians face persecution, followed by Africa and Latin America.
North Korea remains unsafe for most Christians, while Nigeria ranked first on most Christian deaths, where about 4,118 Christians were murdered between October 1, 2022, and September 30, 2023.
The Christmas Day attack in Plateau State, in central Nigeria, further highlighted the alarming state of Christians, where perpetrators massacred 200 Christians. The attackers torched eight Christian churches and forced Christians to leave the area. Survivors also recounted that the suspects shouted “Allah Akhbar” during the crime.
According to the report, North Korea remains the most hostile place in the world for Christians, a country with no freedom of religious belief. Authorities threatened North Koreans with dire consequences once discovered practicing their faith, including the threat of exile to labor camps or death. The communist country has fortified its border with the People’s Republic of China making it difficult for North Korean Christians to flee.
Additionally, aside from Nigeria, other West African countries also report alarming figures of Christian deaths, such as Congo, which has 261, India (160), Uganda (55), Myanmar (34), and Burkina Faso (31).
Nigeria is also in third rank in the total number of “targeted” churches, which meant that they were either closed or destroyed by authorities. Globally, the number of attacks confronted by churches and Christian-run institutions rose seven times. There was also a surge of mob violence in India, church closures in China, and persecution in Nicaragua and Ethiopia.
War or inter-nation conflicts also forced many Christians to leave their homes. More than 295,000 Christians were forcibly displaced because of conflict, this has doubled since 2022.
Africa also has the most number of Christians who were kidnapped in 2023. The Open Doors was able to record 3,300 abductions in Africa.
These kidnapping incidents target and forcibly convert young married girls and church leaders, according to an Open Doors analyst for West Africa.
“When pastors are released, they are so traumatized that they keep a low profile afterward,” the group reported.
According to Open Doors Australia and New Zealand CEO Adam Holland, “there is no safe place for Christians.”
He also noted that there was a 371 percent increase in attacks on Christian homes.
“One of the main drivers is Islamic extremism, and some of the impact within the Middle East from armed conflict in years gone by has spread that particularly into Africa,” Adam reported.
Another study led by Pew Research revealed that more than 28 percent of U.S. adults are “nones”, or those with no religious affiliations. This number makes up the largest single ‘religious’ group. The “nones” include atheists, agnostics, and those who describe their religion as “nothing in particular.”
