Sub-Saharan Africa Faces Extreme Christian Persecution
Nigeria alone saw 3,490 believers murdered for their faith — 72 percent of the world total — as Syria climbed to sixth place.
Open Doors in January 2026 released its 2026 World Watch List, covering the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 2025. The ranking shows sub-Saharan Africa enduring the most extreme violence against Christians of any region in the world.
Violence scores across the region have climbed from 49 percent to 88 percent of the maximum possible over the past decade. Nigeria, Sudan, and Mali top the regional violence scale, each registering a score of 16.7. The findings document a sustained, intensifying assault on Christian communities across large parts of the continent.
Nigeria’s Deadly Toll
Of the 4,849 Christians murdered worldwide for their faith during the reporting period, 3,490 — fully 72 percent — were killed in Nigeria. That figure is up from 3,100 the previous year. Nigeria ranks seventh overall on the global list, a standing that reflects not only lethal violence but the broader climate of pressure faced by believers there.
The concentration of killings in a single country underscores how localized jihadist and communal attacks continue to devastate parishes, families, and villages. For the Catholic Church and other Christian communities, the numbers represent real martyrs and survivors whose suffering demands prayer, solidarity, and sustained attention.
Syria’s Sharp Climb
Syria rose from 18th to 6th place, with an overall persecution score of 90. The rise is linked to the advance of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and to a suicide bombing at the Greek Orthodox Church of Mar Elias in Damascus that killed 22 people. The attack on a place of worship during the reporting period illustrated how quickly conditions can deteriorate for ancient Christian communities in the Middle East.
A Global Map of Pressure
Open Doors estimates that 388 million Christians worldwide face high levels of persecution and discrimination. The World Watch List ranks countries by the intensity of pressure and violence directed at believers for their faith, combining measures of everyday discrimination with acts of physical attack.
Sub-Saharan Africa now stands out not merely for social hostility but for the sheer scale of lethal force used against Christians. The decade-long rise in regional violence scores — from just under half of the maximum to nearly nine-tenths — marks a structural shift rather than a temporary spike.
The Church has long taught that religious freedom is rooted in the dignity of the human person, and that the blood of martyrs remains a living witness. The 2026 list places that teaching against a stark contemporary backdrop: entire regions where following Christ can mean exile, injury, or death, and where the largest share of those killed for the faith continues to fall in Nigeria.