Christians are nowadays the most persecuted religious group in the world.

Omissions

• Open Doors' World Watch List measures persecution of Christians only; it does not itself compare levels of persecution across religious groups, so it cannot independently establish the cross-religious superlative on its own.
• Pew Research Center measures 'harassment' (government and social hostilities) by number of countries, not the severity or intensity of persecution; Muslims and other groups also face harassment in nearly as many countries, and in some specific countries/regions other groups face more severe violence.
• The broader statement in the speech that Islamophobia is 'inesistente' (non-existent) is a separate, unsupported assertion that goes beyond the persecution-ranking data.
• The comparative claim ('most persecuted') is a matter of how persecution is measured (number of countries, absolute numbers of victims, severity); some scholars contest the superlative framing, though Pew and Open Doors data support it on the main metrics.

Sources

• PrimaryPew Research Center — Number of countries where religious groups were harassed reached new peak level in 2022In 2022, most religious groups analyzed faced harassment in more countries than was the case in 2021. This includes Christians, Muslims... (Pew Research Center's global restrictions on religion study, 2022 data, published Dec 2024)
• PrimaryOpen Doors US — 5 Things You Need to Know About Open Doors' 2026 World Watch ListMore than 388 million Christians face high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. That's one in seven Christians, worldwide.
• PrimaryOpen Doors International — World Watch List 2026The World Watch List is Open Doors' annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. More than 388m Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith.
• SecondaryReligion Unplugged — New Global Pew Survey Shows Rising Religious IntoleranceThe report also found Christians 'were harassed by governments or social actors' in 166 countries — an increase from 160 the previous year.
• SecondaryVatican News — Open Doors: Number of Christians persecuted worldwide risesThe number of Christians exposed to persecution and at risk of suffering violence worldwide rose by 8 million people compared to last year (World Watch List 2026).
• SecondaryCanopy Forum — Are Christians the Most Persecuted Religious Group Worldwide?In 2025, 380 million Christians face very high or extreme levels of persecution. This number is the total population of Christians in countries...