The World Watch List 2026 (LMP), an annual report released by the NGO Open Doors, dedicated to reporting rights violations against adherents of Christianity at an international level, shows that more than 388 million Christians suffered some type of violence because of their faith between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025.
Data collected by the organizers of the document indicate that there has been an increase in extreme persecution in the world, which now affects 15 countries, two more than was reported in the previous report.
In total, the 50 countries where persecution was most serious are listed. The country where violence against Christians spread most was Syriawhich went from 18th in the ranking to 5th.
The country located in the Middle East joined the group of nations with extreme persecution, alongside North Korea (1st), Somalia (2nd), Yemen (3rd), Sudan (4th) and Eritrea (5th). In addition to these, another 10 countries are in this situation.
The report also showed that of the 50 countries that make up the ranking, 34 have increased repression against Christians. Four Latin American nations make up the document: Cuba (24th), Mexico (30th), Nicaragua (32nd) and Colombia (47th).
Nepal returns to persecution ranking after four years
Nepal, located in South Asia, returned to the World Watch List (LMP) in 2026, occupying 46th position.
The country had ceased to be among the 50 most dangerous countries for Christians in 2022. Its return is linked to the increase in targeted violence: more Christians were arrested and suffered physical and psychological abuse, in addition to a greater number of churches being attacked during this period.
The case of Syria: political chaos allowed more Christians to suffer internal persecution
Syria rose drastically in the ranking, moving from 18th to 6th between October 2024 and September 2025.
This movement occurred mainly due to the political chaos created with the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad, in December 2024. The flight to Russia and the seizure of power by insurgents led to a strong increase in violence in the country.
As a result, local militias and armed groups took the Christians hostage. Intimidation, extortion, murders and attacks on churches, schools and homes became more common during this period.
Syria was classified with 90 risk points out of a total of 100. Open Doors explained that the new government established with the fall of al-Assad promised religious freedom, but “violence against Christians has reached an extremely high level.”
During the period analyzed by the document, at least 27 Syrian Christians were killed for reasons related to their faith, the NGO showed, although it notes that the real number is probably higher.
Murder of Christians soars around the world; Nigeria continues to lead the ranking
Open Doors denounced in the report that Christian murders soared in a period of one year around the world. Between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025, 4,849 deaths were reported, 72% of which occurred in Nigeria.
Comparatively, the 2025 LMP recorded 4,476 murders. In the African country, homicides increased by 12.6% in just one year, a sign of the strong persecution suffered by Christians, which also forces them to flee, as well as throughout the African Sahel region, where governments are unable to protect the population in the context of civil war or attacks by armed groups.
Other types of violence against Christians that have increased
In addition to the increase in deaths due to faith, other types of violence were reported by the organization.
– Christians physically or mentally abused rose from 54,780 (2025) to 67,843 cases (2026);
– Cases of rape or sexual harassment grew from 3,123 (2025) to 4,055 (2026);
– Forced marriages with non-Christians increased from 821 (2025) to 1,147 (2026);
– Christians condemned because of their faith grew from 1,140 (2025) to 1,298 (2026);
– Christians forced to flee or hide within the country jumped to 201,427 (2026);
On the other hand, other numbers decreased in the most recent report, such as the number of kidnapped Christians, which dropped to 3,302, despite remaining at critical levels.
Open Doors also reported a drop in attacks on churches and properties linked to Christians: from 7,679 to 3,632. Even so, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia continue to be the epicenters of persecution of Christian communities, where there is a strong presence of extremist groups and authoritarian governments.
The data is based on information on various elements provided by local collaborators, experts on the situation in each country, and on reports from the Catholic organization Aid to the Church in Need, although some figures are conservative estimates due to insufficient data.
