Map Of Top 50 Countries Where Christians Face Persecution In 2023

The map above was create by Open Doors and shows the top 50 countries around the world where they claim Christians are facing persecution.

Number 1 is North Korea which isn’t a huge shock.

However, many of the countries further down the list such as Mexico and Columbia are majority Christian countries so are a bit more surprising.

The data comes from their World Watch List, which states that:

How does Open Doors divide up types of persecution?

Broadly, the methodology distinguishes between two main expressions of persecution: ‘squeeze’ and ‘smash’. ‘Smash’ is relatively easy to identify and track, since it refers to concrete acts of overt violence against Christians, because of their faith. ‘Squeeze’, on the other hand, is the persecution experienced as pressure in many areas of Christian life.

Christian experience is thus considered in five different areas of life – which can be considered ‘squeeze’ – as well as the final category being the ‘smash’ of violence:

• Private life. What freedom does a Christian have to worship and own religious material? Is conversion to Christianity allowed? Is freedom of thought permitted?
• Family life. How free are Christians to express their faith within their family? Is it possible to hold Christian family milestones, such as Christian marriages and funerals?
• Community life. Can Christians live without harassment and discrimination in their local communities? How does their faith affect their education or employment?
• National life. Does the government allow Christians to express their faith? Can converts call themselves Christians on official documents? Do the police target Christians?
• Church life. Are Christians allowed to meet together? Can they build churches? And if they can, are they heavily monitored? Are Bibles freely available?
• Violence. Are Christians attacked mentally or physically? Do they face sexual harassment? Are they arrested, abducted, tortured, imprisoned or even killed?

It could be possible for a country to allow, say, church meetings and religious freedom – but believers, particularly those who have converted from a majority faith, experience harsh persecution in private, family and community life.

The full list is:

1. North Korea
2. Somalia
3. Yemen
4. Eritrea
5. Libya
6. Nigeria
7. Pakistan
8. Iran
9. Afghanistan
10. Sudan
11. India
12. Syria
13. Saudi Arabia
14. Myanmar
15. Maldives
16. China
17. Mali
18. Iraq
19. Algeria
20. Mauritania
21. Uzbekistan
22. Colombia
23. Burkina Faso
24. Central African Republic
25. Vietnam
26. Turkmenistan
27. Cuba
28. Niger
29. Morocco
30. Bangladesh
31. Laos
32. Mozambique
33. Indonesia
34. Qatar
35. Egypt
36. Tunisia
37. Democratic Republic of the Congo
38. Mexico
39. Ethiopia
40. Bhutan
41. Turkey
42. Comoros
43. Malaysia
44. Tajikistan
45. Cameroon
46. Brunei
47. Oman
48. Kazakhstan
49. Jordan
50. Nicaragua