EDITOR’S NOTE: This article first appeared in The Baptist Paper (Click here to read the original report; to read other Baptist Paper reports on the persecuted church, click here).
NORTH KOREA (The Baptist Paper) – North Korea remains atop the list of countries where persecution of Christians is highest, Open Doors reported Jan. 17 amid the release of its 2024 World Watch List. The annual report highlights the top 50 countries where Christians are most at risk for living out their faith.
This is the second consecutive year North Korea has been named the world’s worst country to be a Christian after dropping down to No. 2 in 2022. That year Afghanistan jumped into the top spot, but has since dropped to No. 10 on the list. Before that, North Korea had been in the top spot since 2002.
Others in the top 10 include Somalia (2), Libya (3), Eritrea (4), Yemen (5), Nigeria (6), Pakistan (7), Sudan (8) and Iran (9).
“More than 365 million Christians face high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith — that’s one in seven Christians globally,” the organization noted in a promotional video on its website. Open Doors has been supporting and advocating for the persecuted church for nearly seven decades.
North Korea
In 2023, North Korea reportedly strengthened its border with China, Open Doors reported, “so it’s now harder for Christians to flee and harder for support to reach them.” In North Korea, simply owning a Bible is illegal and can cost someone their life.
“Christians are sent to appalling labor camps or simply killed on the spot,” they noted.
“… Being discovered as a follower of Jesus is effectively a death sentence.”
One Christian, identified as “Ji Ho,” shared with Open Doors that her father was arrested when authorities found his “secret book.” “She never saw him again.”
‘Disturbing increase in persecution’
Other countries spotlighted in the report include Algeria (15), which has risen four places on the World Watch List, “with a disturbing increase in persecution,” Open Doors reported. “Previously, there were 47 Protestant churches in the country. Now only four remain open, and they are under intense pressure,” they said.
In China (19), more than 10,000 churches closed in China in 2023.
“Most were house churches but official churches are under pressure too,” they said. “New regulations mean churches must display signs reading, ‘Love the Communist Party, love the country, love the religion.’ Digital surveillance is growing, with Christians in one province required to register on a state-controlled app before attending church services.”
Nigeria’s death toll
Meanwhile in Nigeria, more Christians are killed for their faith than anywhere else on the globe, the organization reported. Read more about persecution in Nigeria here.
According to Open Doors, 13 Christians across the globe were killed each day in 2023 for their faith — that’s a total of 4,998 people. And Nigeria comprises more than 80% of them.
“Nigeria remains the deadliest place to follow Jesus; 82% of killings happened here,” Open Doors reported on its website. “Violence only eased during Nigeria’s elections, which accounted for a drop in the number of Christians killed globally compared to 2023.”
Multiple human rights and religious liberty organizations have reportedly united with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to appeal to Congress for decisive action against the relentless persecution in Nigeria. The joint letter calls for Nigeria to be designated a Country of Particular Concern by the U.S. Department of State.
Other trends
In 2023, 14,766 churches and Christian properties were reportedly attacked.
“The number of attacks on churches and Christian-run schools, hospitals and cemeteries has exploded in 2023, up seven-fold compared to the previous year,” Open Doors said. “It’s been driven by mob violence in India, church closures in China, and attacks in Nigeria, Nicaragua and Ethiopia.”
And 295,120 Christians were displaced from their homes in 2023, Open Doors reported.
“When countries are destabilized by war or extremism, Christians are at risk,” they said. In 2023, they reported, the number of Christians who were forced to flee their homes more than doubled, and “across the most dangerous countries for believers in Sub-Saharan Africa, about 3% of all Christians are displaced.”
For more information, go to opendoors.org.
Screenshot from Open Doors: https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/