(LiCAS News/RVA News): 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, LiCAS News reported on January 15.
The report estimates that over 181 million Christians in Asia face serious persecution or discrimination because of their faith, making the region the largest contributor to the global total of more than 388 million persecuted Christians.
In comparison, one in five Christians in Africa and one in seven worldwide experience similar levels of pressure.
According to RVA News, Cristian Nani, director of Open Doors, described the situation as “deeply alarming,” stating, “This is once again a record year.” He noted that more than half of those affected are women and girls, while 110 million are children under the age of 15. The report also highlighted an increase in killings—from 4,476 to 4,849—an average of 13 deaths per day.
Christians in South and Southeast Asia face increasing discrimination, surveillance, and violence—often intensified by political instability, religious nationalism, and weak protection for minorities, according to RVA News
Open Doors identified 15 countries where persecution has reached an “extreme” level, up from 13 last year. Several of these countries are in Asia, including North Korea, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, and Yemen, with North Korea remaining the most dangerous country globally.
Christians in South and Southeast Asia face increasing discrimination, surveillance, and violence—often intensified by political instability, religious nationalism, and weak protection for minorities, according to RVA News.
Unlike other regions where violence is the primary driver, LiCAS News reported that the World Watch List showed persecution in Asia is increasingly characterised by state control, legal restrictions, surveillance, and social pressure, rather than mass killings.
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 discrimination linked to both faith and identity, particularly in parts of East and Southeast Asia.
Unlike other regions where violence is the primary driver, LiCAS News reported that the World Watch List showed persecution in Asia is increasingly characterised by state control, legal restrictions, surveillance, and social pressure, rather than mass killings
Globally, the report documents a worsening situation for Christians. 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, according to LiCAS News.
During the reporting period, 4,849 Christians were killed for faith-related reasons, 4,712 were detained, and 3,632 churches or Christian properties were attacked.
While Africa continues to account for the majority of killings due to militant violence and weak state protection, Asia’s role is defined by the breadth and intensity of systematic pressure, affecting daily life, family relations, community participation, national citizenship, and church activity.
For Asian Churches, the findings are a call not only to awareness but to prayer, advocacy, and solidarity. As Christianity continues to grow across the Global South, the report underscores a painful reality: where the Church is growing, it is often suffering most, RVA News reported.
The World Watch List 2026 is based on research covering the period from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025, using a scoring system measuring 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.
