A new report on global religious freedom estimates 300 million Christians face persecution for their faith.
The 2025 Global Persecution Index, released by International Christian Concern (ICC), outlines threats ranging from harassment and violence to imprisonment and death. The 116-page report provides a country-by-country overview, identifying regimes and terror groups responsible for many of the attacks.
North Korea remains one of the most dangerous places for Christians. ICC President Jeff King described the nation as "a giant prison state" where Christianity is seen as an existential threat to the regime. He explained that Christians face unspeakable brutality: "If you're a Christian, they’ll kill you slowly, take your children and parents, and you're all going to die." King estimates that around one million Christians have been killed under the North Korean regime.
Nigeria is also identified as a severe offender, with over 100,000 Christians murdered and 3.5 million Christian farmers displaced in the past 20 years, due to what King describes as a "stealth jihad" and "slow genocide" by radical Islamic groups.
Other troubling findings include Russia’s destruction of hundreds of religious heritage sites in Ukraine and the spread of radical Islamists across Africa, where Christians face displacement, sexual violence, beheadings, and other brutal attacks and killings. In Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega’s regime has targeted Catholic communities and, more recently, imprisoned and attacked evangelical Christians.
Despite these grim realities, King noted that persecution often leads to church growth. In Iran, decades of repression have driven people away from Islam, with Christianity now growing rapidly. "It's probably the fastest-growing church in the world," King said, emphasising his belief that "God wins in the end."
