The 50 Countries Where It’s Most Difficult to Be a Christian

“And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26a).

For the 16th consecutive year, North Korea was ranked as the most dangerous country for persecution of the church.

Compiled by Open Doors USA, the 2018 World Watch List profiles the 50 countries where it’s most dangerous to follow Jesus. The rankings are calculated by analyzing the level of violent persecution in relation to pressure experienced at the church, national, community, and family levels. In North Korea, Open Doors cites communist and post-communist oppression as the source of the country’s 99.8% pressure ranking out of a max total of 100. The organization estimates that there are only 300,000 Christians among the nearly 25.4 million people in the country.

“The primary driver of persecution in North Korea is the state,” writes Open Doors. “For three generations, everything in the country focused on idolizing the leading Kim family. Christians are seen as hostile elements in society that have to be eradicated. Due to the constant indoctrination permeating the whole country, neighbors and even family members are highly watchful and report any suspicious religious activity to the authorities.”

Among the top 10, eight of the countries list Islamic oppression as the main source of persecution. The exceptions were North Korea and the country of Eritrea in the Horn of East Africa.

To take action, the organization lists prayer points for each country. To get the free report for your family, simply visit the official Open Doors USA website and complete the form. Then, each night as part of your family devotions, you can take the time to pray for each country on the list and model the power of prayer to your homeschool family.

The 50 Countries Where It’s Most Difficult to Be a Christian
1. North Korea
2. Afghanistan
3. Somalia
4. Sudan
5. Pakistan
6. Eritrea
7. Libya
8. Iraq
9. Yemen
10. Iran
11. India
12. Saudi Arabia
13. Maldives
14. Nigeria
15. Syria
16. Uzbekistan
17. Egypt
18. Vietnam
19. Turkmenistan
20. Laos
21. Jordan
22. Tajikistan
23. Malaysia
24. Myanmar
25. Nepal
26. Brunei
27. Qatar
28. Kazakhstan
29. Ethiopia
30. Tunisia
31. Turkey
32. Kenya
33. Bhutan
34. Kuwait
35. Central African Republic
36. Palestinian Territories
37. Mali
38. Indonesia
39. Mexico
40. United Arab Emirates
41. Bangladesh
42. Algeria
43. China
44. Sri Lanka
45. Azerbaijan
46. Oman
47. Mauritania
48. Bahrain
49. Colombia
50. Djibouti

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