There were 5,000 Christian martyrs in 2023, a new report reveals.
The persecuted church agency Open Doors has published its annual World Watch List (WWL). This ranks the 50 countries where it is most difficult to profess and practice the Christian faith. Evangelicals Now was given an advance copy of WWL 2024, together with an exclusive interview with Henrietta Blyth, CEO of Open Doors UK & Ireland.
The bare numbers show that 365 million Christians (one in seven believers worldwide) face high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. This is up from last year’s figure of 360 million. Just under 5,000 paid for their faith with their lives in 2023. There was also a seven-fold increase in attacks on churches, Christian schools and hospitals from 2,110 (WWL 2023) to 14,766 (WWL 2024).
Other key trends noted by Open Doors include Sub-Saharan Africa, which is suffering from the malign twin problems of radical Islam and autocratic regimes bolstered by outsider influence; over 4,600 Christians in this region perished for their faith in 2024.
India, number 11 in 2024, saw a substantial rise in the number of Indian Christians killed, and in the number of churches, Christian schools and homes attacked; the worst area being the north eastern state of Manipur. The violence left 160 Christians dead, and thousands chased from their homes. A horrific video, which achieved worldwide media coverage, showed two naked women from the majority-Christian Kuki tribe being paraded and molested by a mob.
The government in China (number 19) closed an estimated 10,000 churches. Large unregistered ‘house churches’, which had been meeting in hotels or office blocks, have been forced to splinter into a myriad of less-visible house groups. Many of the venues used by state-approved churches were closed down, forcing them to merge with larger churches.
en asked Henrietta Blyth:
Do you think the ‘persecution trajectory’ in sub-Saharan Africa has this year outstripped that in other longstanding persecuting nations such as North Korea and Afghanistan?
If you are asking whether the intensity of persecution is getting worse faster in sub Saharan Africa, it is hard to say. We know that in Afghanistan any Christians remaining in the country have gone into deep hiding. That is why Afghanistan is at number 10 – not because things have got better, but because fewer incidents have been recorded.
Are the Russian Wagner Group forces active in the region supporting/defending Christians against the regional Islamic insurgency?
We don’t think the Wagner Group are defending Christians. Our partners in Mali say its influence has stifled the civil space for Christians, and speaking out about the brutalities it perpetrates is dangerous. As in other countries, Christians fear being linked to the West and thus seen as opposing Wagner’s actions.
Are there any prospects for improvement in the region in 2024?
We are encouraged that, following the military coup in June 2023, Malian voters demanded a new Constitution that could pave the way to a return to civilian rule. It also recognises the Christian minority.
Would you agree that China wants to eradicate non-state sanctioned churches altogether?
Yes. All the evidence suggests that they want to remove independent-thinking Christians completely. This has taken place gradually over the last eight to ten years, with churches pressured to stop displaying crosses; making it illegal for anyone under 18 to attend church; ensuring churches may only meet if they have state sanction (which is very hard to get); preventing online access to all Christian material including Bibles; introducing digital surveillance (including facial recognition technology) in churches; and detention of church leaders.
