388 mln Christians face persecution and discrimination over faith – report

According to Portes Ouvertes (Open Doors), pressure on Christians worldwide has intensified. Photo: Open Doors

Persecution of Christians has intensified across the globe. According to the annual report of the NGO Portes Ouvertes (Open Doors), more than 388 million people worldwide faced serious persecution or discrimination because of their faith in 2025, Open Doors reports.

According to David Hamelin, director of Portes Ouvertes in France and Belgium, the number of threatening incidents rose by another eight million over the year. The report emphasizes that it is not only about outright attacks – it is also about life in countries where Christianity is subjected to constant pressure. The most dangerous places for believers are named as North Korea, Somalia, and Yemen, where practicing the faith is treated as a crime against the state.

The organization states that between October 2024 and September 2025, 4,849 Christians were killed, 4,712 were imprisoned, and 3,632 churches were attacked. The report also records 22,702 cases of forced displacement and more than 4,000 acts of sexual violence motivated by religious hatred. A particular surge in aggression is noted in sub-Saharan Africa – Portes Ouvertes reports 4,491 killings of believers there.

The report says more than a thousand churches were affected in Nigeria and China, where the authorities continue a policy of “cleansing” Christianity of foreign influence. In India, a record number of arrests was recorded under “anti-conversion laws” – 2,192 people. The situation in Syria worsened, with the country rising from 18th to 6th place in the persecution ranking.

Portes Ouvertes has published its World Watch List every year since 1993. The report is based on 84 criteria and data from more than five thousand sources, documenting everything from social pressure to murder.

As the UOJ previously reported, another report claimed that over two years, 2,000 Christians were killed and 3,000 were attacked.

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