World statistics on Christian persecution: North Korea tops the list, Nigeria is the leader in casualties

According to the annual World Watch List 2026 (WWL) report published by Open Doors, North Korea is the most dangerous country in the world for Christians, while Nigeria is recognized as the deadliest. The annual report also indicates that the number of Christians experiencing high levels of persecution for their faith has risen to 388 million in the last year – an increase of 8 million from the previous WWL. These figures mean that one in seven Christians worldwide, two in five in Asia and one in five in Africa face persecution. Christian Today reports that.

North Korea has topped the WWL rankings for 29 of the last 30 years. The closed communist country, led by supreme leader Kim Jong-un, severely punishes anyone caught with a Bible or practicing the Christian faith. Christians are forced to worship “in total secrecy” and as a result the church is “going deeper and deeper underground as the pressure intensifies.”

“The figure remains close to the maximum possible. If Christians are discovered, they and their families are deported to labor camps or executed,” Open Doors states. The report says: “In a country dominated by political indoctrination, stories circulate of missionaries poisoning children or stealing their organs. Freedom of religion or belief is completely absent. To avoid torture, execution, or imprisonment in labor camps, Christians have been forced underground.”

Nigeria, ranked 7th in the WWL, has the highest proportion of Christians killed for their faith. Of the 4,849 reported killings of Christians worldwide during the reporting period, Nigeria accounts for a staggering 70 percent of those deaths (3,490). Open Doors stresses that this is a “conservative” estimate because the organization “only verifies cases where the deaths could reasonably be linked to the victims’ Christian faith.”

Persecution of Christians in Nigeria has become particularly prominent in recent months following mass kidnappings and increased attention from the U.S., which re-classified it as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) and struck Islamist militant bases over Christmas, specifically in response to attacks on Christians. While some governments and the media have tried to downplay the level of violence affecting Nigerian Christians and its religious aspect, Open Doors says statistics show that “Christians have clearly been disproportionately targeted.”

In Benue State, for instance, about 1,310 Christians were killed compared to just 29 Muslims. Similarly, Plateau State recorded 546 killings of Christians against 48 deaths of Muslims, while in Taraba State, 73 Christians and 12 Muslims were killed. Last year, 1,116 Christians were kidnapped in Kaduna State in the northwest compared to 101 Muslims.

Henrietta Blyth, CEO of Open Doors UK and Ireland, said: “This latest research certainly leaves no doubt that this is more than just a two-sided conflict over land. And this is borne out by eyewitness accounts of the attackers shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ and ‘We will destroy all Christians.’ Christians in these regions know they are being persecuted for their faith, and they tell us so. It’s time to take them seriously.”

Blythe welcomed the increased international attention to the situation in Nigeria, but complained that too often there was “little action.” In the foreword to the report, she wrote: “According to Open Doors research, Nigeria remains a country where more Christians are killed for their faith than in all other countries combined. We call on the UK government and the international community to support the Nigerian government in trying to stop the violence and begin to heal. A few years ago extremist violence started in Nigeria and spread across the region, now it is time for justice and restoration to do the same.”

While the worst violence against Christians in Africa is currently in Nigeria, it is not limited to that country. Open Doors called sub-Saharan Africa an “unfolding tragedy” and said the scale of persecution there is “staggering,” with 14 countries in the WWL, and Nigeria, Sudan and Mali receiving maximum scores for levels of violence. While North Korea took the top spot in this year’s WWL, it is immediately followed by Somalia, Yemen, Sudan and Eritrea.

“A similar pattern is evident across the region, with Islamist militants filling law and order vacuums left by weak juntas and civil conflicts, ” Open Doors said. “This means they can operate with impunity in parts of Burkina Faso (16th), Mali, Central African Republic (22nd), Democratic Republic of Congo (29th), Somalia (2nd), Niger (26th) and Mozambique (39th). Their stated goal is to create ‘Sharia states’ operating under their deadly interpretation of Islamic law.”

Another country singled out in the report is Syria, where years of civil war and then turmoil in the post-Assad era have caused an “ongoing exodus of Christians.” Although the country ranked 18th in WWL 2025, a “surge in violence against Christians” led to its rise to 6th place this year. The violence includes a suicide attack in Damascus last June that killed 22 Christians. Local sources say the attack has caused many Christians to stop going to church for fear of more attacks.

There are also reports of vehicles with loudspeakers driving through Christian neighborhoods in Damascus, urging residents to convert to Islam. In the Kurdish region, 14 Christian schools have been closed after refusing to accept the new curriculum.

Open Doors’ Middle East expert, whose name cannot be released for security reasons, said, “When the Assad regime fell, there was cautious optimism that Syrian Christians might find respite under new leadership. Instead, we have seen a devastating turnaround – suicide bombers, desecrated churches and Christians forced to displace. This stark reality demands urgent international attention.”

He added: “The attack in Damascus has prompted many Christians to stop attending church. They fear further attacks and this has led them to hide Christian symbols and avoid any public displays of faith.” As Christians become increasingly fearful and discouraged about their future in Syria, many are choosing to leave the country. Open Doors reports that the Christian population has dropped from 1.1 million in 2015 to just 300,000 today.

Syria is not the only country in the Middle East where Christians are leaving in large numbers, a similar trend is occurring in Iraq, which ranks 18th in this year’s WWL, and the Palestinian territories (63rd).

“Obtaining accurate data on the Christian population of Middle Eastern countries is challenging. However, various reports indicate a significant, ongoing exodus from the cradle of Christianity,” said Open Doors. The full World Watch List report is available here.