According to Open Doors, 4,849 Christians were murdered worldwide last year.

Omissions

• The Open Doors World Watch List 2026 figure of 4,849 refers to the reporting period 1 October 2024 – 30 September 2025, not the exact calendar year 2025; Open Doors' own UK office, however, frames the figure as 'In 2025, according to Open Doors research, at least 4,849 Christians paid the ultimate cost'.
• The figure is a count of Christians killed 'for their faith' (due to Christian faith), which is a more specific category than all violent deaths of Christians worldwide.
• Open Doors describes the figure as 'at least' 4,849, i.e. a minimum count based on documented cases.

Sources

• PrimaryOpen Doors — World Watch List 2026 (Persecution Trends)4,849 Christians killed. The total number of Christians killed for their faith increased from 4,476 in WWL 2025 to 4,849 in the WWL 2026 reporting period.
• PrimaryOpen Doors UK — 'Why are more Christians killed in Nigeria than anywhere else?'In 2025, according to Open Doors research, at least 4,849 Christians paid the ultimate cost for following Jesus. Of these, 3,490 believers ...
• PrimaryOpen Doors US — '5 Things You Need to Know About Open Doors' 2026 World Watch List'During the 2026 World Watch List reporting period, Open Doors researchers counted 4,849 total deaths that happened due to Christian faith. More than 388 million Christians face high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. That's one in seven Christians, worldwide.
• SecondaryVatican News — 'Open Doors: Number of Christians persecuted worldwide'After a decline, the number of killings of Christians has risen again, increasing from 4,476 to 4,849—13 a day. Nigeria is confirmed as the ...
• SecondaryOLIRE — 'World Watch List 2026 launched'The reporting period is from 10-01-2024 to 09-30-2025. Among the top countries with an extreme degree of persecution are North Korea, Somalia, ...