According to the latest report by the American organization International Christian Concern, or ICC, 380 million Christians around the world face persecution.
This was reported by the KAI news agency.
The Global Persecution Index 2026 provides a comprehensively documented overview of the persecution of Christians in more than twenty countries.
Drawing on field data, eyewitness testimony, statistics, and surveys conducted over the past year, the report sheds light on a reality that is too often overlooked. Christians remain the world’s most persecuted religious group. The headline figure presented by ICC illustrates the scale of the tragedy. Nearly 380 million Christians each year become victims of persecution or severe discrimination because of their faith.
Africa has become the global epicenter of this persecution. According to the report, the continent now accounts for nearly half of all terrorism-related deaths worldwide. The Democratic Republic of the Congo exemplifies this extreme violence. Between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, the organization documented the deaths of nearly 400 Christians, 94 kidnappings, damage to 23 places of worship, attacks on 72 homes, and the forced displacement of 346 people. The report also cites the mass killing of 70 Christians who were beheaded in Kasanga and the deaths of nearly 50 believers during a prayer vigil in Komanda.
In Eritrea, persecution is less visible but equally relentless. The regime of President Isaias Afwerki continues to detain believers without trial.
The report also focuses on Asia. In India, so-called anti-conversion laws are regularly used to persecute Christians accused of missionary activity. In China, the Communist Party controls the appointment of religious leaders, the content of sermons, online religious gatherings, and even the architecture of places of worship. In Iran, the authorities continue to imprison people who have converted to Christianity.
Finally, the report devotes an entire chapter to Western countries. Without drawing parallels to the violent persecution seen in other regions, the authors point to a gradual erosion of religious freedom.
As previously reported by LF, members of the White House Commission on Religious Freedom presented their final report to President Donald Trump following an extensive investigation into threats to religious faith in the United States. The report, which exceeds 200 pages and is based on seven commission hearings held since its establishment by President Trump last year, draws on testimony from more than 100 witnesses and concludes that violations of religious freedom are increasing.
Earlier, we reported that four US states adopted laws this year introducing criminal penalties for disrupting religious services. Lawmakers took this step in response to a high-profile protest at a church in the state of Minnesota that sparked outrage among religious leaders.
As previously reported by LF, a new Gallup survey found that Americans have become more conservative in their assessment of a number of moral issues. According to the annual Values and Beliefs survey, the proportion of Americans who consider certain forms of behavior to be morally acceptable declined significantly over the past year.
