CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION REACHES RECORD-BREAKING HIGH, ACCORDING TO OPEN DOORS 2026 WORLD WATCH LIST
The 2026 World Watch List Ranks Severity of Christian Persecution Across the Globe, Spotlights Discrimination in 50 Countries
Santa Ana, Jan. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Open Doors releases its annual World Watch List, ranking the top 50 countries where Christian persecution and discrimination is at an all-time high. According to the list, the higher the country’s score, the more intense persecution and discrimination in that country. This year, not only is persecution reaching alarming rates, but it’s also getting more creative.
The 2026 report reveals a consistent trend: the intensity of persecution and discrimination continues to increase with more than 388 million Christians worldwide, one in seven, facing high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. This accounts for 8 million more people than last year.
"Our World Watch List is more than just abstract numbers,” said Ryan Brown, CEO at Open Doors US. “To put it into context, for 388 million believers worldwide—more than the entire U.S. population—following Jesus isn't just difficult, it's becoming impossible without divine intervention. Our team at Open Doors is committed to helping the persecuted Church and creating opportunities for other believers to do the same."
Since 2017, Somalia has been listed as one of the top three most dangerous countries to be a Christian, and this year marks the fourth consecutive year it has come in at number two. Aweis Ali knows the risk of being a Christian in Somalia better than most, growing up on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, as the son of a Muslim cleric who was preparing Aweis to follow in his footsteps. However, when Aweis heard the gospel over the radio, his life was forever changed.
“Somali Christians are among the most extremely persecuted in the world,” said Aweis. “You could be sitting in a cafeteria, enjoying your meal, and somebody could come and attempt to decapitate you, to cut your head off.”
Even in the midst of the most intense circumstances, Aweis and other Christians facing persecution worldwide ask fellow believers to rejoice with them for the work of the gospel, no matter how dangerous their situations.
Key findings from the 2026 World Watch List include:
- Syria reaches its highest score ever and is the largest single-year increase registered by any country under the World Watch List methodology since it was established in 2014.
- Fifteen countries hit record-high violence against Christians in the past year—that's nearly one-third of the list of 50 nations.
- Nigeria remains the global epicenter of deadly violence against Christians. Of 4,849 Christians killed worldwide for their faith during the reporting period, 3,490 were Nigerian—an increase from 3,100 last year.
- The 14 sub-Saharan countries on the World Watch List comprise more than 721 million people – nearly half of them Christian. One in every eight Christians on earth lives in these 14 countries.
- Governments are getting more creative, such as using artificial intelligence in places like North Korea to identify "suspicious behavior patterns" that might indicate someone is a believer. Yet remarkably, in these same impossible situations, the Christian church is continuing to grow.
- Sri Lanka dropped four points and four places to rank 65th, with improvements in government treatment of Christians reducing discriminatory practices and improving access to justice.
The complete 2026 World Watch List is available at https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/persecution/countries, starting January 14, 2026. Media resources, including detailed country reports, expert analysis, on-the-ground interviews and assets are available upon request.
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ABOUT OPEN DOORS
Open Doors International (ODI) was founded in 1955 by "Brother Andrew," who began smuggling Bibles to persecuted Christians in Communist Europe. Today, ODI supports persecuted Christians in over 70 countries by providing prayer, Bibles, training and advocacy. The ministry is best known for its annual World Watch List, which ranks the top 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution and discrimination.
Open Doors US is one of 25 national ODI bases located around the world. Learn more at https://opendoorsus.org.
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