An estimated 380 million Christians are living under threat for following Jesus in 2025 – an increase of 15 million since last year, according to the charity Open Doors.
The anti-persecution watchdog has released its annual World Watch List of the most dangerous places to be a Christian.
Remaining top of the list is North Korea, followed by Somalia and Yemen.
Central Asia is an key area of concern. China, which has a population of approximately 1.41 billion people, sits at number 15.
Open Doors CEO Henrietta Blyth told Premier Christian Radio that the data is particularly alarming, given the UK’s trade with the nation. This week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves stated that the UK would benefit from £600 million of trade deals with Beijing, under the 2025 UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD). In 2024, China was the UK’s fourth-largest trading partner.
Blyth called on the government to weigh up religious persecution, when assessing its international allies. “We know that the government is facing really challenging situations internationally, and also wants to sign new trade deals,” she said. “We want the question of freedom of religion or belief to be one of the perspectives they think about.
“They're thinking about gender, disability, age, and ethnicity; faith and religion needs to be recognised as vulnerability that is incorporated in their assessment.”
Artificial Intelligence is increasingly being used to persecute believers, in a way that has not been possible in previous years. At the Freedom of Religion or Belief conference in Berlin in October 2024, Professor Stephen Schneck, chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom described the pattern as “truly Orwellian” and fears it is “the shape of the world to come”.
Facial recognition has been used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to monitor those who attend religious ceremonies, and has become compulsory in state-approved churches. Churches that resist have been raided or shut down. Open Doors reports these systems of control being exported by China to other countries, including Iran, which ranks 9th.
China’s neighbour Kyrgyzstan has shot up the list, entering the top 50 most dangerous countries for the first time since 2013. It places at number 47.
Kyrgyzstan’s Baptist Union reported that several times throughout the past year, local residents threw stones at the office of a Christian organisation in Karakul, trying to drive them off the property. In March, armed representatives of the State Commission on Religious Affairs, raided St Nicholas Catholic Church in Talas, forcing worshippers into the building. The congregation was held there until two nuns signed a statement admitting to ‘illegal missionary activities’ and ‘spreading their ideology’.
Across the globe, conflict was found to be a key driver of persecution. One area which exemplifies this is Nigeria, which places 7th on the list. Despite almost half of its population belonging to the Christian faith, civil fighting has put Christians at extreme risk. Armed militants frequently target Christian villages and churches, with men killed and women taken hostage.
In Syria, where HTS rebels have overthrown Assad’s government, Christians are hopeful. The country remains on the Watch List, at number 18. The next year will prove critical for its freedom of religion, as a new rule unfolds. Last week, church leaders in the country released a statement, saying they intend to work with the new regime, and hope to be able to practice faith in peace.
“Christians from Syria have left in their droves,” said Henrietta Blyth, “but they are optimistic. They are sitting tight, praying, hoping for the best, and waiting to see what happens.”
Throughout persecution, Blyth highlighted the fearless faith of Christians in Watch List countries. “There's so much we can learn from the persecuted church about clinging to Jesus, standing strong, remaining faithful, and praying for the people who persecute us and also serving our neighbours.”