New Report: The Most Dangerous Places in the World to Follow Jesus

It’s most dangerous to follow Christ in North Korea, a new report by Open Doors USA says.

World Watch List

Open Doors USA released today its 2018 World Watch List (WWL) of countries where it’s most dangerous to follow Jesus. The scores are based on a 0-100 scale, with the highest number representing the country with the most persecution of Christians.

The rankings are comprised of scores based on degrees of pressure in five “spheres” of Christian life: Church life, national life, community life, family life and private life. It also takes into account the number of violent incidences against Christians and the Church, the report says.

North Korea has held the number one spot (94 points this year) for persecuting Christians for 16 years in a row. “With more than 50,000 in prison or labor camps, such a ranking is little surprise for the totalitarian regime that controls every aspect of life in the country and forces worship of the Kim family,” Open Doors reported.

But Afghanistan is right behind North Korea in their persecution of Christians at 93 points.

“Never before have the top two countries been so close in incidents,” said David Curry, Open Doors USA president and CEO. “Both countries are extreme in intolerance and outright persecution of Christians in every area Open Doors monitors.”

Top Ten Countries Persecuting Christians

The top ten countries where it’s most dangerous to be a Christian are (1) North Korea, (2) Afghanistan, (3) Somalia, (4) Sudan, (5) Pakistan, (6) Eritrea, (7) Libya, (8) Iraq, (9) Yemen and (10) Iran.

All but two of these countries are predominately Muslim. “Islamic extremism remains the global, dominant driver of persecution, responsible for initiating oppression and conflict in 35 of the 50 countries on the list,” Open Doors stated.

Help us champion truth, freedom, limited government and human dignity. Support The Stream »

Open Doors is a non-profit organization “focused on serving persecuted Christians in more than 60 countries through Bible and Gospel development, women and children advancement and Christian community restoration,” according to their website.

To read more from the report, click here.