Watchdog Ranks Christian-Persecuted Countries for 2025

The human rights watchdog group Open Doors published its World Watch List 2025, a ranking of the 50 most Christian-persecuted countries.

These are the top five countries in the ranking:

1. North Korea
2. Somalia
3. Yemen
4. Libya
5. Sudan

"If your Christian faith is discovered in North Korea, you could be killed on the spot. If you aren't killed, you will be deported to a labor camp and treated as a political criminal. You will be punished with years of hard labor that few survive. And it's not only you who will be punished: North Korean authorities are likely to round up your extended family and punish them too, even if your family members aren't Christians," Open Doors wrote in its 2025 profile of North Korea.

The group estimates that 380 million Christians are persecuted worldwide.

• Report: 5,000 Christians Killed for Their Faith in 2023
• Watch List Sheds Light on Global Christian Persecution