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More than 388 million Christians around the world now endure high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith, according to the latest report from Open Doors International. This marks an eight-million increase from the previous year and represents one in seven Christians globally,up from one in eight five years ago. Alarmingly, 13 Christians are killed every day for their faith.
Open Doors, a global advocacy group for persecuted Christians, tracks and ranks the countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. Last year, the violence was particularly pronounced across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with numerous countries now experiencing extreme violence.
According to Open Doors, “the scale of persecution across SSA is staggering. Violence scores [Open Doors ranks the threat level faced by Christians] across SSA have surged drastically. A similar pattern can be seen across the region: Islamist militants enter the vacuum in law and order left by weak governance, war and civil conflicts. It means they can operate with impunity. […] Their stated aim is to create ‘Sharia states’ operating under their deadly interpretation of Islamic law.”
The bulk of the threat faced by Africa’s Christians arises from Islamist persecution that surged on the continent following the displacement of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria from the Middle East.
Nigeria was the global focal point for Christian persecution, and saw 3 490 Christians killed, accounting for over 70% of global Christian deaths for 2025.
The extent of Christian persecution in Africa remains very poorly known, even though Africa is now home to one of every three global Christians with a Christian population larger than that of either Europe or America. South Africa’s government has shied away from the issue, as have the country’s political parties. Western governments, too, have tended to ignore the issue, as have major church groups in the West.
