The Open Doors organization published today the 2020 update of the “World Persecution List”. It shows the classification of the 50 countries where Christians are persecuted for their faith in Jesus.
According to the survey, more than 260 million Christians worldwide are persecuted for their faith.
This list is the result of a study with Christians from more than 60 countries between 11/01/2018 and 10/31/2019.
Open Doors has published its research annually since 1993. Although monitoring of persecution has occurred since the 1970s.
In this year’s edition it was revealed that 46% of countries experienced an increase in persecution, including Saudi Arabia, China , Morocco and Bangladesh.
22% of nations such as Sudan, Jordan and Indonesia, the level of intolerance has decreased.
24% is equivalent to countries that had no significant changes from the previous year, such as North Korea, Syria, Egypt and Kenya.
The remaining 8% includes new members of the report, such as Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Niger.
There is a less level of persecution in Latin America
Asia is the continent with more countries in the World List with 30 countries.
Africa took the second place with 19, while Latin America take the third place with only one county, Colombia.
The violence, internal laws, physical and psychological damage, the closure and depredation of Christian churches, stores and homes are key factors in the list of these countries. This is the way hese countries treat Christians.
The survey divides countries into extreme, severe and high persecution. Besides, it rates each one of them. Not only according to the types and sources of persecution but also according to the hostilities Christians face almost everyday.
Since 2002 and this year there has been no difference. North Korea tops the list. With more than 300,000 Christians who remain hidden, the country has about 30 percent of Christians jailed for religious reasons.
World Persecution List
- North Korea
- Afghanistan
- Somalia
- Libya
- Pakistan
- Eritrea
- Sudan
- Yemen
- Iran
- India
- Syria
- Nigeria
- Saudi Arabia
- Maldives
- Iraq
- Egypt
- Algeria
- Uzbekistan
- Myanmar
- Laos
- Vietnam
- Turkmenistan
- China
- Mauritania
- Central African Republic
- Morocco
- Qatar
- Burkina Faso
- Mali
- Sri Lanka
- Tajikistan
- Nepal
- Jordan
- Tunisia
- Kazakhstan
- Turkey
- Brunei
- Bangladesh
- Ethiopia
- Malaysia
- Colombia
- Oman
- Kuwait
- Kenya
- Bhutan
- Russia
- United Arab Emirates
- Cameroon
- Indonesia
- Niger
EXTREME PERSECUTION
SEVERE PERSECUTION
HIGH PERSECUTION
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