Rising Persecution of Christians in Africa Highlighted in Latest Report

A devastating wave of persecution against Christians across sub-Saharan Africa has been revealed in Open Doors’ World Watch List for 2025, with the startling finding that three out of four Christians murdered worldwide for their faith were killed in Nigeria.

The report, compiled by the global Christian charity that supports persecuted believers, identifies 14 sub-Saharan African nations among the top 50 countries where Christian deaths could be directly linked to their faith. While one in seven Christians worldwide face high levels of persecution, that ratio rises dramatically to one in five in Africa.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, ranks seventh worst globally for Christian persecution in all forms. The statistics are particularly alarming: of the 4,849 Christians killed for their faith globally during the reporting period ending September 2025, 3,490 were murdered in Nigeria — representing 72% of the total.

Though Muslims have also been targeted in Nigerian violence, the data shows Christians have been “disproportionately targeted” across several states. In Benue State, 1,310 Christians were killed compared to 29 Muslims. Plateau State saw 546 Christians killed versus 48 Muslims. In Taraba State, 73 Christians were killed compared to 12 Muslims, while in Kaduna State, 1,116 Christians were abducted versus 101 Muslims.

“The latest figures should leave us in no doubt: there is a clear religious element to this horrific violence,” said Henrietta Blyth, CEO of Open Doors U.K. “Those who witnessed their families being killed, and their homes razed to the ground by Islamist Fulani militants report being told by their attackers that ‘we will destroy all Christians.'”

Mohammed Idris, Nigeria’s minister of information and national orientation, responded by acknowledging the government recognizes “the pain felt by all affected families and communities.” However, he maintained that Nigeria’s security challenges stem from “criminal insurgency, armed banditry, resource competition, and localized communal disputes, not from state-directed or institutional religious persecution.”

Regarding violence in the Middle Belt states specifically, Idris argued it is “primarily driven by long-standing disputes over land and resources, organized banditry, and criminal networks that prey on vulnerable communities, Christian and Muslim alike.” He cautioned that framing the crisis as a systematic campaign against Christians “does not reflect the full security reality on the ground.”

Sudan has emerged as another critical area of concern. With approximately 150,000 estimated deaths since civil war erupted in 2023, the situation for the nation’s two million Christians is described as “especially grim.”

“We are considered as the enemy by both opposing factions, who accuse us of being allied with the other side,” explained Rafat Samir, general secretary for the Sudan Evangelical Alliance. “We are told ‘you don’t belong here’ and driven from our homes. To make matters worse, Christians are often excluded when aid is distributed.”

Open Doors identifies a troubling pattern across sub-Saharan Africa where “Islamist militants enter the vacuums in law and order left by a weak junta and civil conflicts.” This allows extremist groups to operate with impunity in countries including Burkina Faso, Mali, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Somalia, Niger, and Mozambique, with their stated goal of creating “Sharia states” under their interpretation of Islamic law.

The report notes North Korea remains at the top of the list for worst persecution globally, where discovered Christians and their families face execution or labor camps. Syria has jumped to sixth place following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s presidency in December 2024, with a significant spike in violence against Christians. China ranks 17th, with churches forced underground by intensive surveillance and regulatory pressure.

The World Watch List reporting period concluded approximately two months before President Trump ordered U.S. forces to bomb Muslim militants in northwestern Nigeria on Christmas Day, an action aimed at stopping the killing of Christians.

Jo Newhouse from Open Doors sub-Saharan Africa noted the airstrikes “have thrown many of the militant groups in the area into a state of panic. They have been scattering and attacking civilians as they come across soft targets, hoping that they can rebuild their resources through looting and kidnapping.”

“Many Christians across the northern states are in a state of flux, unable to find any safety or stability,” Newhouse added. “They bear the scars of living under the perpetual risk of death, destruction and displacement.”