North Korea Remains Worst Persecutor of Christians But Nigeria is the Deadliest Killing Field
New Report Reveals Where Following Jesus Christ Costs the Most Lives
North Korea continues to hold the top position as the worst country in the world for Christian persecution according to the latest World Watch List released by Open Doors, but Nigeria has emerged as the deadliest nation for Christians with the highest number of believers killed for their faith.
The report reveals a disturbing global trend of escalating violence against Christians, with thousands murdered and countless more imprisoned, tortured, or displaced because of their commitment to Jesus Christ.
North Korea's totalitarian regime maintains its brutal suppression of all religious expression, treating Christianity as a direct threat to the state's ideology of Kim family worship.
An estimated 70,000 Christians are held in labor camps where they face torture, starvation, and execution. Believers caught with Bibles or engaged in worship are subject to immediate arrest along with three generations of their family, creating a climate of absolute terror that forces Christianity completely underground.
Nigerian Christians Face Systematic Massacre by Islamist Groups
Nigeria claimed the grim distinction of being the world's deadliest country for Christians, with thousands killed in targeted attacks by Fulani militants and Boko Haram terrorists.
The violence against Nigerian Christians has reached genocidal proportions, with entire villages wiped out, churches burned, women and children abducted, and Christian farmlands systematically seized. Despite the overwhelming evidence of religious motivation behind these attacks, international media and governments often mischaracterize the violence as mere farmer herder conflicts or economic disputes.
The Open Doors report documented that Christian persecution has intensified globally, with over 365 million Christians living in countries where they experience high levels of persecution and discrimination.
The findings show that one in seven Christians worldwide faces persecution, with the situation worsening in both Islamic majority nations and communist states.
Beyond North Korea and Nigeria, the report highlighted severe persecution in countries including Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Eritrea, Yemen, Iran, and India. In these nations, Christians face systematic discrimination, violent attacks, church closures, and legal prosecution for their faith. The report emphasized that women and girls suffer disproportionately, facing sexual violence, forced marriage, and forced conversion in addition to general persecution.
THE CRUSADER'S OPINION
North Korea imprisons 70,000 Christians in death camps.
Three generations of families punished for one person's faith.
Nigeria slaughters thousands of Christians in villages burned to ashes.
Churches destroyed, women abducted, children murdered, farmlands stolen by Islamic militants.
One in seven Christians worldwide faces persecution for following Christ.
365 million believers live under threat of violence, imprisonment, or death.
And the world calls it farmer herder conflict.
The media refuses to name it genocide.
Governments ignore the systematic elimination of Christian communities.
International bodies offer thoughts and prayers while doing nothing.
If Muslims faced this level of coordinated violence, the UN would mobilize armies.
But Christian blood remains cheap in the global calculation of concern.
Our brothers and sisters die in North Korean camps and Nigerian villages while Western Christians debate worship styles and building aesthetics.
This is what real persecution looks like.
This is what faith costs when it's not comfortable.
TAKE ACTION
Support Persecuted Christians Globally: • Open Doors USA: www.opendoorsusa.org/donate (provides aid to persecuted believers worldwide) • Email: contact@opendoorsusa.org | Phone: 1-888-524-2535
Nigerian Christians Emergency Relief: • International Committee on Nigeria: www.intlcomnigeriacn.org (advocates for Nigerian Christians) • Email: info@intlcomnigeriacn.org
North Korean Underground Church: • Voice of the Martyrs: www.persecution.com/give (smuggles Bibles, supports families of martyrs) • Email: thevoice@vom.org | Phone: 1-800-747-0085
Direct Action Today: • Contact congressional representatives demanding Nigeria be designated a Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom violations • Share documented cases of Christian persecution using #NigeriaChristians and #PersecutedChurch on social media • Commit to regular financial support for organizations providing emergency relief to displaced Christian families • Pray daily for specific persecuted believers by name through Open Doors and VOM prayer networks • Demand media coverage of Christian genocide by contacting news outlets directly with documented evidence
