(ZENIT News / Washington, 02.06.2025).- A new report from International Christian Concern (ICC) has revealed that an estimated 300 million Christians worldwide are facing persecution, with religious nationalism, authoritarian crackdowns, displacement, and extremist violence all contributing to the growing crisis. The 2025 Global Persecution Index dentifies 20 of the most dangerous countries for Christians, analyzing the deepening challenges they endure under hostile governments, terrorist groups, and societal discrimination.

The findings align with broader trends in religious repression worldwide. Data from Pew Research indicates that government-imposed restrictions on religion reached new peaks in 2022, with nearly a third of all countries exhibiting high or very high levels of control. The report highlights that where government restrictions are severe, societal hostilities against religious minorities tend to follow.

Several countries saw significant deterioration in religious freedom throughout 2024. Nicaragua’s government ramped up its suppression of faith-based organizations, while India’s ruling nationalist groups continued to push for a Hindu-only identity, targeting Christian and Muslim minorities. In Africa, Nigeria and the broader Sahel region experienced surging terrorist attacks, forced conversions, and mass displacements.

Under President Daniel Ortega’s administration, Nicaragua has systematically dismantled religious institutions. ICC reports that authorities weaponized the Ministry of Interior to shut down hundreds of churches and faith-based organizations. The U.S. State Department recorded the revocation of licenses for at least 315 religious nonprofits in 2023, including a significant number of evangelical and Catholic groups. The repression extends beyond administrative measures, with clergy and lay leaders facing imprisonment or forced exile.

India’s Christian minority—just 2.3% of the population—has come under increasing pressure as Hindu nationalist movements gain influence. Groups such as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have pushed a vision of India as an exclusively Hindu nation, affecting laws and policies at the highest levels. Anti-conversion laws have led to arbitrary arrests, while accusations of blasphemy serve as tools to silence religious minorities. Muslims, the country’s largest non-Hindu group, have also been targeted by these restrictions.

For years, Nigeria has been one of the most dangerous places in the world for Christians, and 2024 was no exception. Islamic extremist groups such as Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Fulani militants continue to carry out mass killings, church burnings, and kidnappings. Sharia law, enforced in 12 northern states, has been used as a legal weapon against religious minorities, despite secular courts sometimes overturning harsh rulings. ICC also reports a sharp rise in identity-based violence, with Christians often caught between ethnic, political, and economic tensions.

Africa’s Sahel region has become a battleground for extremist groups seeking dominance. Sudan’s ongoing civil war has exacerbated decades of religious persecution, with Christian communities increasingly targeted. Meanwhile, the conflict between Boko Haram and ISWAP has led to widespread massacres, particularly in Christian-majority villages. According to the UN, more than 8 million people have been displaced in Sudan alone since April 2023, with another 3.3 million forced from their homes in Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.

Beyond the ICC report, Pew Research has tracked government restrictions on religion in over 200 countries since 2007. The latest findings show that countries such as Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, and Egypt exhibit some of the highest levels of religious persecution from both governments and society. Meanwhile, nations like India, Israel, Nigeria, and Libya also score among the highest on Pew’s Social Hostilities Index, which measures violence and discrimination against religious minorities.

Governments worldwide continue to impose regulations that favor certain religions while restricting others. Many require religious groups to register for legal recognition, a bureaucratic process often used to exclude minority faiths. Pew’s analysis suggests that in regions where governments impose severe restrictions, persecution by non-state actors often escalates.

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