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World Watch List: Trends

In Brief

North Korea 1

North Korea retains its hold at the top of the World Watch List. The country remains one of the most brutal dictatorships in the world, with no change to the general persecution situation. Christianity still has no place in North Korea, and even the slightest hint of worshipping Jesus can have devastating consequences.

In 2025, North Korea strengthened its military capabilities, engaged in selective diplomatic interactions, and made moves in tourism, yet everyday life for citizens remains extremely harsh. For followers of Jesus, that means continued repression and ongoing extreme danger.

Syria enters the top 10

The biggest rise on this year’s World Watch List is Syria, jumping from No. 18 last year to No. 6, the largest leap on the list by far. The main driver was violence against Christians – attacks on churches and killing of Christians – particularly the June 2025 church attack in Damascus that killed 22 people, and wounded 63. Pressure also rose across all spheres of life for Christians. Freedom of worship is being systematically suffocated under the new regime.

Throughout Syria’s brutal civil war, Christians suffered disproportionately from the fighting and displacement. Even the safe places in the country are not as safe for them anymore. The Christian population continues to dwindle, leaving those left behind even more exposed, with nowhere to run to.

14 SSA countries on the World Watch List

There are now 14 sub-Saharan African countries on the World Watch List. The combined population of these countries is more than 721 million people, nearly half of whom identify as Christian. Over the past decade, violence scores have more than doubled, with four of these countries now in the top 10.

In 2026, there are only three countries on the World Watch List with the maximum score for violence. All three of them are sub-Saharan: Sudan, Nigeria, and Mali. Multiple complex co-factors in the region, ranging from instability and insurgency to weak governance, have left Christians vulnerable and subject to violent attacks from extremists.

Nepal 46

A rise in violence in Nepal has led to it’s re-entry into the World Watch List, after a three-year absence. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned in 2025 after massive protests broke out in the country. The instability that followed was seized upon by some radical Hindu groups to target religious minorities. Churches were attacked, Christians beaten, arrested and sentenced to prison. An interim government has been established, but elections set for March 2026 may determine the near future of Nepal. The country’s religious minorities continue to live in an uncertain environment as they wait to see what will happen.

4,849 Christians killed

The total number of Christians killed for their faith increased from 4,476 in WWL 2025 to 4,849 in the WWL 2026 reporting period. The vast majority of this being from sub-Saharan Africa. Out of the total of 4849 deaths, 4491 took place in the region — a shocking 93% of the global total. Nigerian Christians make up 3,490 of this total, up from 3,100 last year. Christians also paid the ultimate price for following Christ in Myanmar, Mexicoand Syria.

224,129 forced from home

More Christians were forced to leave their homes, go into hiding in-country or leave the country entirely, because of violent persecution. This number grew from 209,771 in last year’s World Watch List. Christians from Nigeria continue to flee their homes and ancestral lands because of Islamic extremist violence in the North, Syrian Christians departed the country in large numbers and our brothers and sisters in Myanmar have faced displacement due to worsening violence against them.

Trends

Staggering violence in sub-Saharan Africa

Once again, sub-Saharan Africa is the epicentre of violence for Christians, with thousands of Christians losing their lives for following Jesus. The sheer scale of Christians across the 14 Sub-Saharan African countries on the World Watch List gives an indication of why this is the hotbed of Christian persecution. Nigeria is the 6th-most populous country in the world; Ethiopia is 11th; together they are larger than the United States. These 14 countries comprise more than 721 million people, nearly half of whom identify as Christian. One of every 8 Christians in the world lives in the 14 sub-Saharan countries that appear on the 2026 World Watch List.

While internal conflicts may not always target Christians in some parts, it makes them additionally vulnerable and provides opportunities for extremist groups to take advantage and advance their anti-Christian agenda. This pattern is repeated across the continent, where instability, internal conflict and insurgencies lead to situations where Christians are either directly targeted, suffer in the crossfire or are made additionally vulnerable because of their faith.

We, the body of Christ across the world, must do everything in our power to speak out with Christians in sub-Saharan Africa, doing whatever we can to break the silence surrounding Christian persecution.

The Open Doors Arise Africa campaign is a multi-year response to the overwhelming violence against Christians in the region. It relies on the prayers and support of Christians around the world to stand with the African church, bring global awareness to their plight and help the church flourish in the region.

Silencing and isolation of Christians

While the church’s existence may not be threatened by overt violence in all countries on the World Watch List, intense pressure can be just as damaging. Churches are forced underground, fellowships halted and Christian connections splintered.

The church in these countries can lose their ability to disclose what's happening—or to report honestly about it.

We have seen this trend emerge in Algeria over the past few years, 47 churches have shut down, and over 75% of Christians have lost connection to fellowship. Violence has decreased because churches have already been closed but pressure continues to rise in other spheres of life.

A similar chilling trend is rising elsewhere in North Africa, particularly in Tunisia and Mauritania, where Christians have to be careful about what they say for fear the government will misinterpret and crack down.

In China, ongoing regulations make what is “allowed” ever smaller. Christians are left looking at a shrinking list of freedoms, with more rules requiring religious leaders to submit to the Chinese Communist Party and embrace its ideology. Under this pressure, illegal independent house churches have splintered into small private home meetings of 10-20 people in covert locations with minimal pastoral leadership. Unregistered church pastors increasingly face accusations of economic crimes and fraud for collecting offerings, or "picking quarrels and provoking trouble."

View the World Watch List 2026

Yet, God is still working…

Amidst the difficult circumstances our brothers and sisters are facing for following Jesus, we see God’s light breaking through.

"…with God all things are possible."

Matthew 18:26

Malaysia: Pastor Koh verdict

In November, a Malaysian court ordered the Malaysian government to pay Susanna Koh an amount equivalent to U.S. $2,400 for every day her husband has been missing — a fine that amounted to more than $7.4 million at the time of the ruling. They were also ordered to reopen the investigation into his abduction.

Broader attention to the situation in Latin America

In Mexico and Colombia, there is growing recognition of the specific risks faced by religious leaders in areas affected by organized crime and armed groups. This has elevated the visibility of Christian vulnerability among the public. In Nicaragua and Cuba, religious freedom concerns are so overt that they have remained on the global agenda. Across all four countries, churches continue to show remarkable resilience and creativity in adapting their ministries and community work so they can keep serving vulnerable populations despite a very restrictive environment.

Violence drops in Bangladesh

There was relative calm in Bangladesh over the past year, after the unrest that led to the overthrow of the Prime Minister in August 2024. This meant the violence score, which was almost maximum a year ago, dropped by 20 percent on the 2026 World Watch List. Following the unrest in which the Christian minority was significantly affected, the leader of the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, has made a number of public statements about the importance of religious freedom. His advocacy, however, faces a test in next month’s scheduled elections, which may reveal a growing Islamic influence and potentially lead to further restrictions and persecution. Let us keep Bangladesh in our prayers.

With God all things are possible

Christianity is so violently opposed in many countries on the World Watch List, that faith should be impossible there. Yet with God all things are possible; not only are believers continuing to hold on to Jesus, they are determined to share their faith with others, and the church is growing. God continues to build His church, and with the prayers and support of their brothers and sisters around the world, persecuted Christians are standing strong.

Aweis Ali, a believer from Somalia, who has experienced firsthand the devastating effects of violent persecution, said, "People thought that the Somali church growing was impossible because of all the killings. But what was impossible is, in fact, now possible, because the growth of the church is huge in Somalia."

North Korean believers, Eun-Yeong* and Cheol-Ho* met Jesus on the border of North Korea and were discipled in an Open Doors safehouse there. They felt called to return, took the good news back into North Korea and despite the grave dangers, sent a simple message back across the border, "Our (church) family has grown to five."

According to the timeless words of Jesus in Matthew 18:26, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

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