World
Watch List
Discover the most dangerous places to be a Christian.
Discover the most dangerous places to be a Christian.
What would your Christian life look like if you lived somewhere else? Would you be imprisoned for your faith, followed by secret police, or kidnapped by extremists?
The World Watch List reveals the 50 most dangerous countries to be a Christian. Produced annually by expert analysts, the World Watch List is the most authoritative of its kind.
Discover the places where believers are forced to choose between faith and freedom.
North Korea is the most dangerous country to be a Christian.
We want to help you understand where your Christian brothers and sisters are suffering for their faith and help you to stand with the parts of the body of Christ that are hurting the most.
Download the guidebook and map to learn more.
DOWNLOAD Guidebook
Please note the map will print best in A3.
The highest score ever recorded, the “China effect,” rising violence, and some good news from the Gulf.
Read more about what the Word Watch List reveals in 2023.
Read NowAs part of our World Watch List launch, we’re created a 7-day devotional based on the encouragements our team have experienced in working with the persecuted church.
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Our expert researchers measure developing trends in Christian persecution each year from 1 November – 31 October through on-the-ground interviews and data collection. In over 70 countries, we uncover where the Church is most persecuted.
There are two main ways Christians experience persecution: violence and pressure.
Violence
Based on the number of violent incidents in the reporting period.
Pressure
Measured in five spheres of life: private, family, national, church, and community.
Each country receives a score based on a detailed report of violent incidents and the five spheres of pressure. These are added up to a score out of 100, creating each country’s rank on the World Watch List.
EXPLORE THE WORLD WATCH LISTMore than one year after the fall of Kabul and with winter approaching, thousands of Afghan refugees are left to…
Two people have been arrested following the disappearance of a German Catholic priest in Mali last week. Fr. Hans-Joachim Lohre…
When Gonesh came to faith in Christ, an uncontrollable joy struck him, and he simply couldn’t keep it to himself….
At least four students were injured when their Bible school in Myanmar’s northern Shan state was hit by army artillery…
In the last few months, we have seen a sharp increase of the number of arrests in Yemen. Those arrests…
Open Doors’ local partners have been heavily involved in various discipleship programs for the youth and young adults in East…
We have received new reports of several cases of persecution in Kyrgyzstan where indigenous citizens converting to Christianity are being…
An evangelical church in the southwestern part of Bangladesh was having a baptism for their new believers, 45 in total;…
Last week, Burkina Faso faced its second coup this year after rival officers ousted military ruler President Paul-Henri Damiba. It’s…
Please pray for a young Christian in Libya who has been sentenced to death. Since his conversion four years ago,…
When Rafiqul and his family left their house in the morning, they never expected their home to be gone by…
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake jolted a mountainous and steep-sloped area of China last week. Over 80 people have lost their…
The first World Watch List was produced in January 1993. Countries’ overall persecution scores are an amalgamation of six different scores. This year’s list covers the period 1 Oct 2021 – 30 Sept 2022.
Released at the beginning of each year, the list uses extensive research, data from Open Doors field workers, their in-country networks, external experts and persecution analysts to quantify and analyse persecution worldwide. Each edition is certified by the International Institute for Religious Freedom.
Read: 30 Years Of The World Watch ListSome of the findings from the latest report include:
Afghanistan (9) has fallen from No. 1 in 2022 to No. 9 in this year’s list. However, the sharp drop offers little good news.
After the brutal takeover in 2021, many Christians were executed, as the Taliban went door-to-door to root out believers. Many Christians went deep into hiding or fled overseas.
Find out morePlease stand with us in prayer. As Open Doors founder, Brother Andrew, says:: “Our prayers can go where we cannot… there are no borders, no prison walls, no doors that are closed to us when we pray.” Ephesians 6.18 reminds us, to ‘keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.’
Each quarter we release a prayer guide to help you in praying for the Top 50 countries on the World Watch list. Prayer points have come from our partners on the field and the families and communities they serve. Whether you pray alone or with your bible study or group, we know your prayers are powerful and effective.
Sign up to get a Prayer Guide delivered every quarter.
Sign up todayWe love when churches get involved in learning about the persecuted church. We have resources for you or your pastor to share in church and information to help you pray and support your suffering brothers and sisters in Christ.
Find out moreWe need to stand with our suffering brothers and sisters. Here’s three ways to help:
Our experts use nine broad categories to measure the source of persecution:
“If someone is willing to kill me for my faith, my God must be powerful.”
Sara, Egypt