A new report has revealed that the persecution of Christians continues to expand worldwide, with countries like Syria, North Korea, and Nigeria driving the surge in oppression. Still, some bright spots of receding persecution have also emerged in south Asia.

This week, the religious freedom monitoring organization Open Doors released its annual World Watch List, which catalogues the countries in the world that commit the highest levels of oppression against Christians. The report noted that over 388 million Christians currently “suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith.” It found that the total number of believers killed for their faith increased from 4,476 in 2025 to 4,849 in the 2026 reporting period, with 93% of the deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the killings are happening in Nigeria, which totaled 3,490 killings, up from 3,100 the previous year.

“There are now 14 sub-Saharan African countries on the World Watch List,” the report stated. “The combined population of these countries is more than 721 million people, nearly half of whom identify as Christian. Over the past decade, violence scores have more than doubled, with four of these countries now in the top 10.”

The report further found that 224,129 Christians were forced from their homes, up from 209,771 last year. The concentration of forced evacuations occurred in Nigeria, Syria, and Myanmar. The Open Doors list also tallied 4,712 Christians who are currently detained for their faith, as well as 3,632 churches and other Christian properties that have been attacked.

In countries like Syria, the upheaval resulting from rapid regime change has created a dangerous environment for Christians, as Open Doors CEO Ryan Brown explained during “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins” Wednesday.

“Syria [has] actually become our biggest one-year mover in recent history,” he noted. “[L]ast year, [Syria] was number 18 on the list. This year that moved up to number six. … [After] the fall of the previous Assad regime … there were a lot of questions. … [T]he new rulers were giving indications that they wanted to allow religious freedoms and religious liberties. What we have seen over the course of the last year is, well, the rise in persecution has not necessarily been at the direct hand of the new government. It has been … the new government’s lack of control, the lack of presence throughout the country [that] has given rise to extremist ideologies around the country. There have been all sorts of vacuums of power that have been created in these extremist Islamic ideologies have been more than happy to take advantage of that opportunity and step into those vacuums.”

Brown went on to highlight why North Korea has remained at the top of the World Watch List for the last several years as the country with the highest level of persecution against Christians in the world.

“Just to contextualize what life looks like for believers in North Korea, this is a country where individuals — simply for being found in possession of the Bible, being found in possession of the word of God — you and your entire family can be arrested and sent to hard work camps for the rest of your life,” he explained. “It’s the equivalent of a death sentence. Christianity is seen as … inherently seditious and is seen as a threat to power for the state there.”

At the same time, Brown further pointed out that some positive developments have occurred since Open Doors published its list last year, particularly in south Asia.

“Bangladesh would certainly be one,” he observed. “That is one where there was a transition … in power. [T]here were overtures that were made [by the government to expand] religious freedoms. By and large, there was a corresponding drop in violence and extremist activity that occurred. [T]hey have elections coming up, about a month from now in February. So we will see if those overtures that they have made and some of the progress that’s been made, whether that continues or whether others start to drive agendas to court political favor in different camps.”

In addition, Vietnam was ranked number 44 on last year’s list but was removed entirely from the top 50 in 2026. Open Doors stated that this is “due to a decrease in reported acts of violence, with no killings or church attacks reported.” Still, the communist government “continues to control all registered churches and religious activities through its Committee on Religious Affairs.”

Brown concluded by urging the public to use the World Watch List as a prayer guide for persecuted Christians around the globe. “It’s an informational resource, but more than that, it’s a prayer resource because there are specific prayer points for each country there that have been provided by the believers in those countries.”