2023 Top 50 World Watch List
1 in 7 Christians are persecuted worldwide
1 in 5 Christians are persecuted in Africa
2 in 5 Christians are persecuted in Asia
5,621 Christians murdered
2,110 Churches attacked
4,542 Christians detained
Country (Ranking)
Christian Population
Persecutors
North Korea (1)
400,000 Christians
Juche ideology (Members of the Kim family are worshiped as gods)
Somalia (2)
A few hundred Christians
al-Shabaab (Islamic Extremist Group)
Yemen (3)
A few thousand Christians
Islamist Houthis
Eritrea (4)
1.7 million Christians
Only allow Eritrean Orthodox, Catholic and Lutheran churches, Sunni Islam
Libya (5)
35,400 Christians
Islamic Extremist Groups and Organized Crime Groups
Nigeria (6)
100 million Christians
Islamic Militant Groups (Boko Haram), Fulani Militants
Pakistan (7)
4.1 million Christians
Islam Government, Islamic Extremist Groups
Iran (8)
1.2 million Christians
Islamic Regime
Afghanistan (9)
Thousands of Christians
Taliban government, Islamic Extremist Groups
Sudan (10)
2 million Christians
Islamic Extremist Groups
India (11)
69.5 million Christians
Hinduism
Syria (12)
600,000 Christians
Islamic Militants
Saudi Arabia (13)
2.2 million Christians
Islamic Extremist Groups
Myanmar (14)
4.4 million Christians
Government, Buddhist, Muslim or Tribal groups
Maldives (15)
A few hundred Christians
Islamic Government (100% Sunni), Islamic Extremist Groups
China (16)
96.7 million Christians
Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
Mali (17)
490,000 Christians
Islamic Extremist Groups
Iraq (18)
164,000 Christians
Islamic Extremist Groups, Islamic State (ISIS)
Algeria (19)
139,000 Christians
Islamic Government
Mauritania (20)
11,000 Christians
Islamic Extremist Groups
Uzbekistan (21)
351,000 Christians
Islamic Extremist Groups
Colombia (22)
49 million Christians
Armed criminal gangs, indigenous communities, Cartels
Burkina Faso (23)
5.1 million Christians
Islamic Extremist Groups
Central African Republic (24)
3.7 million Christians
Islamic Militia Groups
Vietnam (25)
9.4 million Christians
Communist government, Buddhist or ethnic-Animist
Turkmenistan (26)
66,700 Christians
The Dictatorial Government, Muslim leaders
Cuba (27)
6.9 million Christians
Cuban Communist Regime
Niger (28)
65,300 Christians
Islamic Extremist Groups
Morocco (29)
31,300 Christians
Moroccan government, Islamic extremist groups
Bangladesh (30)
938,000 Christians
Islam, Hindu, Buddhist or Tribal groups
Laos (31)
207,000 Christians
Communist authorities, Buddhist-animist
Mozambique (32)
18.6 million Christians
Militant Islamic Extremist Groups (al-Shabaab)
Indonesia (33)
34.2 million Christians
Islamic Extremist Groups
Qatar (34)
409,000 Christians
Islam Government, Islamic Extremist Groups
Egypt (35)
9.7 million Christians
Islamic Extremist Groups
Tunisia (36)
22,500 Christians
Islamic Extremist Groups
Congo (DRC)(37)
90.6 million Christians
Violent Rebel Groups, Islamic group Allied Democratic Forces
Mexico (38)
125.7 million Christians
Organized Crime Gangs (Cartels), local gangs, Indigenous communities
Ethiopia (39)
72.4 million Christians
Islamic Extremist Groups, Tribal groups
Bhutan (40)
18,800 Christians
Mandatory Buddhism
Turkey (41)
171,000 Christians
Islamic Religious Nationalism
Comoros (42)
4,600 Christians
Islamic Extremist Groups
Malaysia (43)
3 million Christians
Constitutionally Mandated Islam
Tajikistan (44)
64,100 Christians
Totalitarian Leadership, Islamic Extremist Groups
Cameroon (45)
17 million Christians
Boko Haram, Islamic Militants, Separatist Groups, Government
Brunei (46)
53,500 Christians
Sharia (Islamic law)
Oman (47)
193,000 Christians
Islamic Government, Islamic Extremist Groups
Kazakhstan (48)
4.9 million Christians
Government religious restriction, Islamic Extremist Groups
Jordan (49)
170,000 Christians
Islamic Extremist Groups
Nicaragua (50)
6.4 million Christians
Dictatorial Leadership
