The 2022 Worldwide Watch List from Open Doors USA finds Nigeria has 4 out of 5 martyrs worldwide, China has 3 out of 5 church attacks, and Afghanistan is now worse than North Korea taking honors as the country that has the most persecution against Christians.
Other highlights from the report…. A thousand more Christians were killed for their faith last year than the year before. A thousand more Christians were detained. And six hundred more churches were attacked or closed.
David Curry, president of Open Doors USA said, “This year’s findings indicate seismic changes in the persecution landscape.”
According to the report here are the 10 countries where it will be hardest to follow Jesus in 2022:
- 1. Afghanistan
- 2. North Korea
- 3. Somalia
- 4. Libya
- 5. Yemen
- 6. Eritrea
- 7. Nigeria
- 8. Pakistan
- 9. Iran
- 10. India
Since Open Doors began its tally in 1992, North Korea has led the ranking. But since Afghanistan’s takeover by the Taliban last August, Afghan believers have had to leave their country or relocate internally. Many lost everything they had, notes the report, while house churches were closed in their wake.
Overall, 360 million Christians live in nations with high levels of persecution or discrimination. That’s 1 in 7 Christians worldwide, including 1 in 5 believers in Africa, 2 in 5 in Asia, and 1 in 15 in Latin America.