More than 388 million Christians faced persecution in the past year, according to a new report by Open Doors, a Christian charity.
Open Doors reported that one in seven Christians faced persecution and discrimination for their faith, with the total number rising by 8 million from last year, based on data from September 2024 through September 2025.
"For 388 million believers worldwide — more than the entire U.S. population — following Jesus isn't just difficult, it's becoming impossible without divine intervention," Ryan Brown, CEO of Open Doors, said in a statement.
Nigeria remains the global epicenter of deadly violence against Christians.
Of the 4,849 Christians killed for their faith, 3,490 were from Nigeria, an increase of 3,100 from the prior year.
"I'm heartbroken at the gender-based violence and the way it affects women and girls and destroys families," Henrietta Blyth, CEO of Open Doors UK, said of the violence against Christians in Nigeria.
"I'm heartbroken at the kidnapping and execution of pastors and the burning of church buildings," she added.
Somalia continues to be one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a practicing Christian, ranking second for the fourth consecutive year.
"Somali Christians are among the most extremely persecuted in the world," said Aweis Ali, the Somali son of a Muslim cleric who converted to Christianity.
"You could be sitting in a cafeteria, enjoying your meal, and somebody could come and attempt to decapitate you, to cut your head off," Ali added.
Fifteen countries hit record-high violence against Christians in the past year, nearly one-third of the list of 50 nations, according to Open Doors' report.
North Korea is using artificial intelligence to identify suspicious behavior patterns to determine if someone is a Christian. But Open Doors said the Christian church is growing in the repressive communist country.
The other countries with extreme levels of persecution are Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea, Syria, Pakistan, Libya, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, and Mali.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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