World Watch List 2022

Open Doors International has published their latest international report. Data received from advocacy groups reveals that Christian persecution is at its highest since the report began thirty years ago. 

If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. (1 Corinthians 12:26-27 NRSV)

In brief:

Christian persecution is growing. Over the last 30 years, persecution has also intensified.

The average score for the Top 50 countries has increased by more than 25%, from the first World Watch List (WWL) in 1993 to the most recent 2022 report.

Persecution is complex. The WWL shows:

• more than one source of persecution is active in a country
• different sources overlap or reinforce each other
• Persecution can be driven by a variety of groups: state actors, non-state actors; one’s own (extended) family to highly organised violent religious or ideological groups
• Persecution can affect different categories of Christian communities in different ways (historical, converts, non-traditional)
• Persecution can affect Christians in different ways in their different spheres of life (private, family, community, national)
• Persecution is not only violent. It can be very subtle, and work through all sorts of pressure in the daily life of Christians.

 Threats to Christianity:

• persecution brings isolation, and may cause loss of hope
• violence can lead to heavy personal trauma and loss of everything one needs to survive
• continuous pressure such as bullying in schools and loss of employment can also be traumatic, and lead to serious economic decline.

However, the biggest threat to the Church in countries with persecution, is the decrease of resilience caused by incessant persecution and the feeling of being forsaken by the rest of the body of Christ.  

Read more:

Find out more about the history, process, and importance of compiling the World Watch List -  Open Doors - 30 years of the World Watch List 

Explore the 50 most dangerous countries to be a Christian right now. - The World Watch List 2022  

Find out more about persecuted Christians and the impact of OpenDoors