There were 5,000 Christian martyrs in 2023, a new report reveals.
The persecuted church agency Open Doors has published its annual World Watch List (WWL). This ranks the 50 countries where it is most difficult to profess and practice the Christian faith. Evangelicals Now was given an advance copy of WWL 2024, together with an exclusive interview with Henrietta Blyth, CEO of Open Doors UK & Ireland.
The bare numbers show that 365 million Christians (one in seven believers worldwide) face high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. This is up from last year’s figure of 360 million. Just under 5,000 paid for their faith with their lives in 2023. There was also a seven-fold increase in attacks on churches, Christian schools and hospitals from 2,110 (WWL 2023) to 14,766 (WWL 2024).
