The church is alive. The church is active. The church is growing. And that’s why the church is persecuted.
The persecution of Christians is getting much worse than ever before. Which is affecting an increasing number of believers around the world. This overview of the persecution trend will help give you a better understanding of the situation. It will equip us to pray for our brothers and sisters and continue to follow our Lord Jesus no matter the cost.
More Christians are being persecuted
A staggering 260 million Christians in the top 50 countries on the World Watch List face high or extreme levels of persecution for their faith: in the previous year, it was 245 million. The charity Open Doors estimates that there are another 50 million Christians facing high levels of persecution in a further 23 countries outside the top 50. This includes Mexico, Chad, Pakistan, India and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Persecution is getting worse
Of the top 50, 45 countries have been designated ‘extreme’ or ‘very high’, in terms of the levels of persecution Christians face. That’s five more than last year.