Some of Christianity’s oldest communities face an increasingly uncertain future as millions of believers have been forced from their homes through conflict, extremism and authoritarian repression, according to a new global report. 

Persecution of Christians has deteriorated or stayed the same in all 18 countries assessed by Catholic Charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). Nigeria, China and Pakistan were among the nations where the situation has worsened. 

Sub-Saharan Africa was found to be one of the most dangerous regions in the tenth edition of its report, Persecuted and Forgotten? ACN warns threats have spread from Africa’s east to west with Christians at risk of the worst hyper-extremist attacks since the height of Islamic State violence, with kidnapings, beheadings and killings. 

At least one million Christians have been forced from their homes in Nigeria alone, with others fleeing from extremist violence in Burkina Faso and Sudan. At least 40% of land in Mozambique has been seized by militants declaring their intentions of establishing a caliphate. 

Oppression of Christians by authoritarian regimes “has grown to unprecedented levels”, particularly where anti-Western sentiment is dominant, ACN states. It describes North Korea as having “the world’s worst religious freedom record” where persecution is “integral” to the state. In China, authorities have “aligned religious doctrine more closely with communist principles causing mass detentions, jailing clergy on legal technicalities, closing churches and controlling online religious content.” It also reports a crackdown on Christians in Iran, where arrests have doubled within 12 months. 

The report also details how Christians have become “unwanted aliens” subject to violence and discrimination as a result of religious-nationalism. Anti-conversion laws and Hindutva nationalist rhetoric in India has led to attacks on churches and worshippers. It also describes forced conversion and marriage of Christian girls in Pakistan as “endemic”. 

Conflict and political upheaval has “heightened fears for the survival of Christianity in core parts of its ancient heartland”, the report states. ACN highlights the more than 80% decline in Syria’s Christian population since 2011. There is also concern for the Middle East following the conflict between Israel and Gaza, inflamed by the Iran war and attacks in Lebanon. The Sahel region is described as the “epicentre” of terrorism, jihadist groups pushing Christians out, with weak governments being taken advantage of. 

John Pontifex, ACN’s UK Head of Press and Public Affairs, said: “Twenty years after we first launched Persecuted and Forgotten? we can say that the oppression of Christians remains a human rights catastrophe the world refuses to acknowledge.

“People are still forced to deny their faith – bullied in the classroom, discriminated in the workplace and denied justice in the courts – and, in some cases, make the ultimate sacrifice. Persecution has become a huge, yet often hidden, factor driving entire communities from their homes, changing the religious demography of entire regions, especially in Africa. What will it take for the world to act"?