Africa: Most Deadliest Region for Christians

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By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

ABUJA (Worthy News) – Africa remains the deadliest region for Christians, with Nigeria ranking as the country where a Christian is most likely to be killed for his or her faith, according to a new report by the Global Christian Relief (GCR) charity and advocacy group.

The 2025 GCR Red List noticed that in the reporting period of November 2022 – 2024, “a devastating total of 9,814 Nigerian Christians were killed.”

The perpetrators include Islamic extremist groups such as Boko Haram, armed Fulani herdsmen, and the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP), investigators said.

“Most of the killings are concentrated in the northern “sharia” states, where Christians often live in remote villages in semi-arid landscapes, making them particularly vulnerable to attacks,” the report explained.

Despite government pledges to “defeat the extremists,” violence continues to escalate, according to Christians familiar with the situation.

While Nigeria’s grim statistics are unmatched, the second-deadliest country for Christians on the GCR Red List is also located in Africa and identified as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, otherwise known as the DRC. Some 390 Christians were recorded as killed during the reporting period since November 2022, GCR said.

“Most of these deaths occurred in the North Kivu province in the east—a region plagued by more than 100 armed groups. Again, Islamic militant groups like the Allied Democratic Forces are the main killers, who make a point of targeting at-risk Christians.”

MOZAMBIQUE KILLINGS

Mozambique ranks third on the GCR Red List for Killings, with 262 recorded deaths. “Once a relatively peaceful Christian-majority country, the island nation has suffered escalating violence in recent years due to a swarm of militants led by Islamic State Mozambique (ISM),” the report noticed.

The violence there peaked in February 2024. Ethiopia is fourth on the list, with at least 181 Christians killed.

“Though it is a Christian-majority nation, believers-particularly converts—face high risks of violence in regions dominated by Islamic militants. Ongoing political conflicts in areas like Oromia and Amhara further complicate the situation.”

Finally, Russia ranks fifth on the list, with 164 Christian fatalities, primarily in the Muslim-majority region of Dagestan. “Again, Muslim militants are waging war in Makhachkala and Derbent, targeting religious and law enforcement sites.

The violence has included attacks on Orthodox churches and other religious buildings. In one high-profile incident, Reverend Nikolai Kotelnikov became the first Orthodox cleric killed in the unrest,” the report noticed.

The five mentioned countries are among the “25 worst nations for Christian persecution across five categories of concern,” including “killings,” “arrests,” “building attacks,” “displacements,” and “abductions and assaults,” GCR explained.

“It is no surprise that China tops the 2025 GCR Red List for Arrests, given that the communist nation has the world’s most sophisticated surveillance mechanisms. In February 2024, Chinese-American pastor Bob Fu—a voice for persecuted believers in China—told participants at the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit, ‘We are seeing the worst persecution of believers in China since the “Cultural Revolution,’” the report said.

INVASIVE REGULATIONS

Churches are subject to “invasive religious regulations” enacted in 2018, and during the November 2022 – 2024 reporting period, at least 1,559 Christians, primarily from unregistered churches, were arrested or sentenced, according to GCR.

Pastor Wang Yi of Chengdu is currently the most prominent Christian prisoner, serving a nine-year sentence for “inciting subversion of state power” and “illegal business activity.”

Sources close to Wang Yi cite his “Faithful Disobedience” pamphlet as the actual key factor in his arrest; it raises the question of who has final allegiance over the church. “Refusing to acknowledge that the [Communist] government has supremacy invites almost certain arrest,” the report said.

Elsewhere, India tops the “2025 GCR Red List for Building Attacks,” which focuses on the destruction of Christian property, including churches (both those attacked or forcibly closed), as well as Christian homes and businesses.

In India, there were “4,949 incidents during the November 2022 – 2024 reporting period, mostly targeting Christian homes. Much of the violence occurred in Manipur, where unrest erupted in May 2023,” the report stressed.

“Rioters, driven by Hindu extremists from the Meitei tribe, attacked predominantly Christian Kukis, systematically burning churches and setting fire to the homes of believers.”

Muslim-majority Azerbaijan ranks first in the “Displacements” category. “During the November 2022 – 2024 reporting period, state-level pressure forced over 120,000 Armenian Christians residing in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh to flee. Confronted with military shelling and supply blockades, these ethnic Armenians—one of the world’s oldest Christian communities–were forced from their homes,” GCR recalled. “A painful history of genocide against Christians evoked strong memories as a forced migration to neighboring Armenia took place amid the background of the military offensive.”

SYSTEMATIC ATTACK

Yet it was once again Nigeria that topped the “2025 GCR Red List for Abductions & Assaults with 9,311 recorded incidents during the reporting period.”

GCR said the trend was “highlighting a clear and systematic attack designed to funnel money and women from Christian communities to bad actors like Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province, and al-Qaida affiliates.”

“Many are young women snatched to be brides for jihadis. Nigeria greatly exceeds the other top-5 offenders by the thousands,” it added.

Worthy News learned that pastors and church leaders often become targets because a congregation can collectively raise more money. “Kidnappings often fuel organized crime, non-state militias, and terrorist organizations. As such, it is imperative for governments to take action,” GCR stressed.

Mexico is “a distant second” on the Red List, with “138 verified Christian disappearances from lawless regions. Many recorded attacks lack identified perpetrators, yet the victims are clearly targeted for their faith or religious behavior. Pastors and church leaders who choose to stand against corruption, trafficking, or the drug trade frequently vanish.”

It is part of a broader trend in a world where devoted Christians are increasingly becoming targets for persecution, the report and other church watchers suggest.

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