Sub-Saharan Africa led the world in killing Christians in 2023, accounting for 4,606 of the nearly 5,000 deaths of Christians globally, according to an annual assessment by an evangelical aid mission for persecuted Christians.
Assaults in Nigeria were responsible for 82% of Christian deaths worldwide, while India saw a nine-fold increase in Christian killings last year, according to the Open Doors Watch List, released Wednesday.
Meanwhile, North Korea kept its No. 1 spot among persecuting nations. Christians there must worship in secrecy: Five worshippers who gathered at a remote farmhouse for prayer were arrested in April and now face years of hard labor.
Overall, 1 in 7 Christians worldwide — 365 million people — face persecution and discrimination for their faith, up from 360 million the previous year, Open Doors reported.
India saw a substantial rise in killings of Christians and attacks on churches, schools and homes of believers. In the northeastern state of Manipur, two members of the majority-Christian Kuki tribe were paraded naked in the streets and molested by a mob, the aid group said.
What’s more, many attacks against Christians in sub-Saharan Africa go unreported, making it likely that the actual numbers there are higher.
“The threat from Islamic militants in sub-Saharan Africa has intensified to the point where many Christians in the region feel increasingly fearful,” said Frans Veerman, Open Doors World Watch Research managing director. “Christians are purposefully targeted or extra vulnerable in a continent that is beset by the twin problems of radical Islamic elements and increasingly autocratic regimes.”
There has been a sevenfold increase in attacks on Christian churches, schools and hospitals, from 2,110 in the 2022 report to 14,766 last year. Beatings and threatened attacks on Christians rose from 29,411 in 2022 to 42,849 last year.
Open Doors reported that 278,716 Christians were forced out of their homes or into hiding last year, more than double the 124,310 reported in the previous cycle.
Christian fatalities in India rose from 17 in 2022 to 160 last year. Attacks on churches and schools rose from 67 to 2,228. The number of Christian homes attacked in India skyrocketed from 91 in 2022 to 5,900 last year.
India and China accounted for nearly 83% of church closures and attacks, the report said. An estimated 10,000 churches were closed in China, and 2,228 congregations were attacked in India , while churches in Angola, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Nigeria , Niger, Rwanda and Sudan faced a “particularly high” level of attacks.
Open Doors publishes the list at the beginning of each year. It said the International Institute for Religious Freedom audits its methodology and the 2024 Watch List covers a reporting period from Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023.
• Mark A. Kellner can be reached at mkellner@washingtontimes.com.