Top Ten Most Dangerous Places to be a Christian

VIDEO SCRIPT

There are countries in this world where people want to make being a Christian impossible. They pass laws and close down churches. They issue threats and send out spies. They put leaders in prison and drive Christian communities from their homes. They attack, they kidnap, they even kill. The pressure is intense. And these are the countries where Christian persecution is most extreme.

Number ten Iran. Christian converts are seen as spies. Intelligence agents raided Shima’s* home in the night. They interrogated her and ordered her to return to Islam, but she refused to give up her faith.

At number nine, Libya. Christians in Libya must exercise extreme caution. They can be arrested, attacked, even kidnaped and enslaved. Converts from Islam are pressured to renounce their new beliefs.

Pakistan is at number eight. Many Christians are poor and socially marginalized. Believers are vulnerable to false accusations of blasphemy and mob violence. Some are even killed.

Number seven Nigeria. More Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than anywhere else in the world. Simon survived an attack by Fulani militants on his community. But over 250 other Christians were killed.

Millions are displaced. Many traumatized and living in poverty.

Number six Syria. Pressure has increased on Christians in Syria since the regime change in 2024. Violence has risen significantly in June 2025. A suicide attack during a church service in Damascus killed 22 Christians.

Eritrea is at number five. Christians who worship outside the state sanctioned churches face arrest. He once was at a secret house church gathering when the police came.

She spent nearly ten years in jail.

Sudan is number four on the list. Sudanese Christians are caught in the crossfire of civil war. Church buildings have been destroyed and leaders threatened. Among the millions who have been displaced, Christians find it especially hard to access food and aid.

At number three is Yemen. All Christians are in danger here. With intensive monitoring by both extremists and the state. It’s almost impossible for Christians to meet up in person or online. If discovered, they risk arrest, rejection by community, and even murder.

Number two Somalia. To be Somali is to be Muslim. When *Oasis first started following Jesus, he was cut off from his family and clan. He gathered a small group of Christians, but when 12 out of 14 of them were killed, Oasis fled the country.

And at number one, North Korea, still the most dangerous country in which to be a Christian. The regime demands total allegiance. Even owning a Bible is illegal. Believers must hide their faith or risk being sent to a labor camp or being killed on the spot.

All around the world, more than 388 million Christians face high levels of persecution and discrimination to their faith. They live in lands where others want to make faith impossible. But it never works because God makes a way. The church remains alive, active, even growing. And through your prayers and gifts, Open Doors stands alongside our persecuted church family, supporting them with crucial aid, Bibles, training and long term care.

Because, humanly speaking, faith might be impossible, but with God, it’s an entirely different story.

*Names changed for security reasons.

Organization featured in this Story
Open Doors UK – www.opendoorsuk.org