Christian persecution watchdog Release International has warned that death numbers could double for Nigerian believers in 2026, unless “swift” international action is taken to clamp down on attacks.
India, China and Iran have also been highlighted as countries to watch and pray for, according to Release International’s Annual Persecution Trends Report.
In the first 220 days of 2025, more than 7,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria, with many more internally displaced amid an onslaught of attacks.
One of Release International’s partners in Nigeria said: “The increase in persecution stems from the unchecked expansion of jihadist groups, fuelled by ideological opposition to Christianity… alongside government inaction and inadequate security responses.”
“We foresee heightened risks from cross-border incursions by Sahel-based jihadists spilling into Nigeria… Without swift action, 2026 could see martyrdoms double if global silence persists,” he added.
India is also on the prayer radar for the next year, with Christians facing bans on evangelism, church meetings and even private worship in certain states.
During 2025, Indian states were increasingly using anti-conversion laws, with local militant-style groups who oppose Christianity attempting to stop church services.
Release International has also called on the global church to pray for the safety of Iranian house churches and secret believers in Afghanistan. Burkina Faso remains an area of concern.
Meanwhile, Release International’s partner for China described the current persecution of Christians as being at its worst since the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and early 1970s.
“The Chinese Communist Party has launched a war against the Christian faith,” he said, in reference to the CCP’s systematic crackdown on house church networks, and imprisonment of pastors.
“Even under Chairman Mao it acknowledged that the church could not be totally destroyed, but today it is trying to do just that.”
Encouraged by the prayers of the international church, he added: “This is a true spiritual battle.”