2025 Global Index Exposes Startling Threats to Christianity

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According to a new report regarding religious freedom, an estimated 300 Christians across the globe face persecution for their faith. International Christian Concern's (ICC) 2025 Global Persecution Index highlights a gamut of threats, ranging from violence and harassment to incarceration and murder. The 116-page report also includes a country-by-country summary and names the terror groups and regimes responsible for persecuting Christians, Premier Christian News reported. 

As noted by ICC President Jeff King, North Korea continues to be one of the deadliest places for Christians, describing the country as a "giant prison state."

"If you're a Christian, they'll kill you slowly, take your children and parents, and you're all going to die," King explained.

He estimated that the North Korean regime has killed roughly one million Christians. 

According to Open Doors USA's 2024 World Watch List, North Korea ranks as the top country in the world where Christian persecution is most rampant. 

Meanwhile, over 100,000 Christians have been murdered Christians in Nigeria, which was also a severe offender in the report. King noted that 3.5 million Christian farmers displaced in the past 20 years due to a "stealth jihad" and "slow genocide" by radical Islamic groups.

Additional findings included Russia's destruction of hundreds of religious heritage sites in Ukraine and the growth of radical Islamists throughout Africa, where Christians are subjected to beheadings, sexual violence, displacement, and other heinous crimes and murders. Over in Nicaragua, Catholic communities have been persecuted by the government of Daniel Ortega, which recently attacked and imprisoned evangelical Christians.

Nevertheless, King believes that the church ultimately thrives in the midst of persecution. For instance, Christianity has been growing rapidly in Iran, as decades of repression have led people away from Islam. 

"It's probably the fastest-growing church in the world," King said, stressing that "God wins in the end."

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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.