Christians have for years been the most persecuted religious group in the world, with millions suffering persecution.

Omissions

• The 'most persecuted religious group' ranking is an advocacy characterization by Open Doors (and echoed by the Vatican) based on the World Watch List, which measures the persecution of Christians specifically; it is not a neutral cross-faith statistical comparison produced by an independent statistics office, and some scholars and analysts contest the comparative ranking.
• The figure of 388 million counts Christians facing 'high levels of persecution and discrimination' under Open Doors' methodology, not only those suffering violent persecution (murder, imprisonment, etc.).
• The underlying data comes from a faith-based NGO's annual report; no national or international statistics office independently measures this ranking.
• Sources confirming the 'most persecuted group' phrasing include advocacy-oriented and religious media; the primary Open Doors materials emphasize the 388 million figure and the ranking of 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution.

Sources

• 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.
• SecondaryVatican News — Open Doors: Number of Christians persecuted worldwide rises to 388 millionThe number of Christians exposed to persecution and at risk of suffering violence worldwide rose by 8 million people compared to last year; the World Watch List 2026 reports 388 million Christians facing persecution.
• SecondaryUK Parliament Commons Library — Religious persecution and the World Watch List 2024Around 365 million Christians are subject to 'high levels of persecution and discrimination'. 1 in 7 Christians are persecuted worldwide.
• TertiaryKKLA (Salem Media) — Christians Remain the Most Persecuted Religious Group GloballyChristians Remain the Most Persecuted Religious Group Globally ... The Open Doors World Watch List 2026 found that 388 million Christians face persecution.