Open Doors creates an annual listing of the top 50 countries most dangerous to Christians. These are countries where Christianity is illegal, forbidden, or punished – countries that exhibit extreme in intolerance and outright persecution of Christians in every area Open Doors monitors.
Most of the countries in the list below are located in Central America, the Middle East, and Northern Africa. The most common Christian persecution comes from countries where radical Islamic extremism occurs. However, radical Hinduism and Indian nationalism are trending upward in 2019.
The levels of danger presented by some of the countries is magnified by the country’s overall rate of crime. The ten most dangerous countries on the planet are Syria (#15), Afghanistan (#2), South Sudan (#4), Iraq (#8), Somalia (#3), Yemen (#9), Libya (#7), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic (#36), and Russia.
Extreme levels of persecution
- North Korea
- Afghanistan
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Pakistan
- Eritrea
- Libya
- Iraq
- Yemen
- Iran
- India
Very High levels of persecution
- Saudi Arabia
- Maldives
- Nigeria
- Syria
- Uzbekistan
- Egypt
- Vietnam
- Turkmenistan
- Laos
- Jordan
- Tajikistan
- Malaysia
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Brunei
- Qatar
- Kazakhstan
- Ethiopia
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Kenya
- Bhutan
- Kuwait
- Central African Republic
High levels of persecution
- Palestinian Territories
- Mali
- Indonesia
- Mexico
- United Arab Emirates
- Bangladesh
- Algeria
- China
- Sri Lanka
- Azerbaijan
- Oman
- Mauritania
- Bahrain
- Colombia
- Djibouti
Open Doors USA requests prayers for persecuted Christians
Open Doors USA accepts donations but most importantly, they respectfully ask for your prayers. Please pray for Christians living in these deplorable conditions to “shine as lights” before their persecutors.