Asia remains the world’s most dangerous region for Christians, with two in every five believers living under high, very high, or extreme levels of persecution, according to the World Watch List 2026 released by Open Doors International.
The report estimates that more than 181 million Christians in Asia face serious persecution or discrimination because of their faith, making the region the single largest contributor to the global total of more than 388 million persecuted Christians worldwide.
In comparison, one in five Christians in Africa and one in seven globally experience similar levels of pressure.
Several Asian countries rank among the most hostile environments for Christians worldwide. North Korea remains the most dangerous country globally, followed by other Asian states in the top 20, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Myanmar, China, and the Maldives.
Southeast Asian countries such as Laos, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Brunei also appear on the top 50 list, reflecting a wide geographic spread of persecution across the continent.
Unlike other regions where violence is the primary driver, the report shows that persecution in Asia is increasingly characterized by state control, legal restrictions, surveillance, and social pressure, rather than mass killings.
Governments and local authorities use laws, registration requirements, digital monitoring, and restrictions on worship, education, and online activity to limit Christian life. These pressures often force churches to operate in isolation or underground.
Christian converts and ethnic minority believers are identified as the most vulnerable groups across Asia. Converts from Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism face family rejection, social exclusion, and legal penalties, while ethnic minority Christians experience compounded discrimination linked to both faith and identity, particularly in parts of East and Southeast Asia.
Globally, the report documents a worsening situation for Christians overall. Of the 388 million Christians living under high levels of persecution or discrimination, 315 million are concentrated in the 50 countries on the World Watch List.
The reporting period recorded 4,849 Christians killed for faith-related reasons, 4,712 detained, and 3,632 churches or Christian properties attacked.
While Africa continues to account for the majority of killings due to militant violence and weak state protection, Asia’s role in the global picture is defined by the breadth and intensity of systematic pressure, affecting daily life, family relations, community participation, national citizenship, and church activity.
The World Watch List 2026 is based on research covering the period from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025, using a scoring system that measures both violence and pressure across five spheres of Christian life.
The findings underline Asia’s central place in the global landscape of religious persecution, even as the phenomenon continues to expand worldwide.
