Nigeria, Sub-Saharan Africa Remain ‘Epicenter’ of Christian Persecution, According to Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List

2026 world watch list
The signboard of the Church of Nigeria, Diocese of Katsina State; this is the area of Christians in Funtua town. They are mostly business people from Southern Nigeria and some rural Christian residents of the city. Dec. 3, 2023. Gwanki, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Persecuted Christians Request Solidarity, Prayer

Ryan Brown, CEO of Open Doors US, said the annual World Watch List is intended to raise awareness and to encourage prayer for persecuted Christians. The prompts listed for each country come directly from Christians on the ground in those areas.

In an August 2025 interview, Christianity Today asked Brown what U.S. Christians can do to “lessen the likelihood of persecution” worldwide. The Open Doors leader responded by saying we need to listen to the people who are impacted the most. Brown continued:

It blows me away, but by and large, the thing that folks are most asking for is not that we pull them out of persecution, not that we lessen the persecution, but that we let them know that we’re standing with them, that we’re praying for them, that they are not forgotten but are part of a global body standing in solidarity with them.

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Stephanie Martin
Stephanie Martin, a freelance writer and editor in Denver, has spent her entire 30-year journalism career in Christian publishing. She loves the Word and words, is a binge reader and grammar nut, and is fanatic (as her family can attest) about Jeopardy! and pro football.

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