Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List (WWL) reports that “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.” Shockingly, one nation, Nigeria, is responsible for 3,490 of this total, up from 3,100 last year. Outside of Sub-Saharan Africa, a region with 4491 deaths overall, “Christians also paid the ultimate price for following Christ in Myanmar, Mexico, and Syria.”
Open Doors’ WWL reports “More Christians were forced to leave their homes, go into hiding in-country or leave the country entirely, because of violent persecution.” Their total is 224,129, up from 209,771 in last year’s WWL.
WWL 2026 has North Korea remaining at the top of the 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.”
Persecution in Syria is rising fast, jumping from number 18 last year to number 6. “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.”
As the sad statistics of deaths indicate, Sub-Saharan Africa is a hotspot of persecution of Christians. WWL states, “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 ten.”
A troubling year in Nepal has seen that nation return to the WWL. “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.”
The WWL overall stats for persecution shoe
• More than 388 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith.
• 1 in 7Christians are persecuted worldwide.
• 1 in 5 Christians are persecuted in Africa
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Download the 2026 World Watch List here: https://www.opendoors.org.au
Image from 2026 WWL site