Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world.

Omissions

• The 'most persecuted' designation rests chiefly on breadth-of-harassment data (Pew Research: Christians harassed in 165 countries in 2023, more than any other group) rather than on a comparative severity index across all religions.
• Open Doors, the main source for persecution figures, measures only persecution of Christians; it does not compare Christians with other religious groups, so it cannot by itself establish a cross-religious ranking.
• The claim is contested in academic literature (e.g., a 2025 Sociology of Religion article on the 'social construction of Christian persecution') and in analyses such as Canopy Forum's September 2025 piece, which question whether Christians — a large global majority religion — are objectively the 'most persecuted' group when severity-based measures are applied.
• Pew Research's report on 2023 harassment data was published on 2026-06-15, shortly before the session date; the underlying data period (2023) predates the session, so the MEP could have known it.

Sources

• PrimaryPew Research Center — Harassment of religious groups around the world in 2023Christians were harassed by government officials or nongovernmental actors in 165 countries in 2023, slightly down from 166 in 2022. Muslims ... (comparative figures for other groups appear in the same report).
• AcademicOxford Academic, Sociology of Religion — Social Construction of Christian Persecution Through (article)In his speech, Vice President Mike Pence declared that Christians are the most persecuted religious group worldwide: 'The reality is, across the ...' — the article analyzes how this claim is socially and politically constructed.
• SecondaryVatican News — Holy See on Christian persecution"Almost 400 million Christians worldwide face persecution or violence, making them the most persecuted religious community in the world."
• SecondaryOpen Doors US — 5 Things You Need to Know About the 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.
• SecondaryCanopy Forum — Are Christians the Most Persecuted Religious Group Worldwide?Conservative American Christians even claim that Christians are the most persecuted religious group worldwide. ... In 2025, 380 million Christians (Open Doors figure) face persecution — but the article critically examines whether this framing is methodologically sound.