International (MNN) — Nigeria replaces North Korea as the world’s worst persecutor of Christians, according to a new report from Global Christian Relief. The ministry’s Red List highlights the top five countries where killings, displacement, arrests, attacks, and abductions are most severe.
The events-based list aggregates data drawn from the Violent Incidents Database—an index documenting physical and non-physical religiously motivated violent incidents from November 2022 to November 2024.
“The two years of reporting from Red List truly reveals where Christian communities face the gravest threats and help us direct life-saving support where it’s needed most,” Brian Orme, acting chief executive of Global Christian Relief, said in a press release.
The persecution of Christians has grown across the globe since 2014, driven by the rising influence of Islamic extremism, growing Hindu nationalism, resurgent authoritarian regimes, government corruption, and the misuse of more sophisticated technology.
India saw the most destruction of Christian property between 2022 and 2024, while China topped the Red List for arrests and sentencing. Over 9,800 believers died in Nigeria during the reporting period.
“Nigeria has been on our radar for almost 20 years,” Unknown Nations’ Greg Kelley says.
“More people are killed for their faith in Christ in Nigeria than the rest of the world combined.”
Islamic extremist groups target isolated villages throughout the country. “Boko Haram is a radical Islamic group in the vein of ISIS, al Qaeda, and al Shabaab that wants to take over the north. So, it (persecution) starts with Boko Haram, but then you also have the Fulani, who are one of the largest Muslim people groups in all of Africa,” Kelley says.
“They’re pushing their cattle from place to place, and [when] the Fulani come into these farmlands for grazing, there becomes a violent sort of interaction between the farmers and the Fulani herdsmen. Many times, the farmers are Christian.”
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(Photo courtesy of Unknown Nations)
Despite government assurances that they will defeat the radical groups, violence continues to escalate. Nigeria also tops the Red List for abductions and ransom demands.
“Leaders want to be able to go into a Muslim community and share the Gospel without the threat of being kidnapped,” Kelley says.
Pray for an end to the violence in Nigeria. Ask the Lord to strengthen and sustain Gospel workers.
“We just ask for people to be praying for us to be able to send more solar-powered audio Bibles in the various languages so that people can hear about Jesus for the first time,” Kelley says.
Header image courtesy of The Voice of the Martyrs USA.
