MILLIONS of Christians have been forced from their homes by conflict, extremism and religiously motivated violence, according to a major new report which warns that some of Christianity’s oldest communities face an increasingly uncertain future.
Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) today (Tuesday, 27th October) launched Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians oppressed for their Faith, which concludes that Christian persecution has significantly worsened in more than half of the countries surveyed within the last two years.
Persecuted and Forgotten? provides global and regional analysis of 18 countries of key concern, from Nicaragua in Latin America to Burma (Myanmar) in South-East Asia.
The report found that the situation for Christians failed to improve in any country assessed, while conditions deteriorated in 10, including China, Nigeria and Pakistan.
Sub-Saharan Africa emerged as one of the most dangerous regions in the world to be a Christian.
Six of the 10 highest-ranked countries in the 2026 Global Terrorism Index are in Africa, while terrorist groups in northern Nigeria, the central Sahel and Mozambique have targeted churches, clergy and Christian villages.
Extremist violence is forcing communities from their homes in countries including Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Sudan.
At least 1 million Christians have been forced from their homes in Nigeria alone.
And in Burkina Faso, Persecuted and Forgotten? states that at least 40 percent of the landmass has been seized by militant Islamist groups, sparking a mass migration of Christians, amid reports that in one diocese alone 2,000 people had fled within 12 months.
The report states: “Millions of Christians are part of a mass exodus of those displaced in conflict zones, some of it religiously motivated.
“This has spread, turning entire swathes of countries in Africa and Asia into danger zones.”
Kidnappings and killings remain widespread, with some victims beheaded.
Conflict and instability are also raising increasing fears for Christianity’s survival in its heartland in the Middle East.
Senior Church leaders in Syria have warned of an existential threat – the country’s Christian population is reported to have fallen by more than 80 percent since 2011.
The report also highlights increased state repression.
In China, intensified government control of religious teaching and practice has placed further restrictions on underground churches, while arrests of Christians have doubled in Iran.
Nicaragua has expanded its crackdown, with Christian leaders arrested, imprisoned and exiled.
Religio-nationalism is fuelling discrimination and violence elsewhere.
In India, anti-conversion laws and Hindutva nationalist rhetoric have contributed to hundreds of incidents targeting Christians, including attacks on churches and worshippers.
In Pakistan, forced conversion and marriage of Christian girls remains endemic, while blasphemy accusations continue to create fear and insecurity.
In some countries, persecution is already so severe that conditions can scarcely worsen, with North Korea highlighted as a particularly extreme example.
ACN (UK) Head of Press and Public Affairs John Pontifex said: “Twenty years after we first launched Persecuted and Forgotten? we can say that the oppression of Christians remains a human rights catastrophe the world refuses to acknowledge.
“People are still forced to deny their faith – bullied in the classroom, discriminated in the workplace and denied justice in the courts – and, in some cases, make the ultimate sacrifice.
“Persecution has become a huge, yet often hidden, factor driving entire communities from their homes, changing the religious demography of entire regions, especially in Africa. What will it take for the world to act?”
This is the 10th edition of Persecuted and Forgotten? which was started in 2006. It is now translated into multiple languages and made available by ACN in countries all over the world.
