North Korea re-established its hold on No. 1, even as it strengthens relations with its neighbours. The authoritarian regime of the Kim dynasty continues to throttle any perceived threat to its rule, including faith in Jesus. All spheres of pressure for followers of Jesus remain the highest possible across North Korea.

In 2023 India remained within the top 11 in the run up to national elections. In 2024, India will held its general elections, the largest elections in the world shining a light on a government and a Hindu extremist movement that targets non-Hindus as non-Indians. The 2023 violence in Manipur and Chhattisgarh States drove home how dangerous it can be to follow Jesus in India, particularly for converts from Hinduism and for ethnic minorities. Hindu nationalism doesn’t seem to show signs of slowing, and this may be codified even further after the elections. India has the second highest number of churches and Christian-run properties that were targeted. Many were attacked by mobs. This was the case in Manipur State, where mobs belonging to the Meitei ethnic group not only attacked the predominantly Christian Kuki ethnic group but also turned against Christian communities within their own people group

China closed at least 10,000 churches in 2023

China closed at least 10,000 churches in 2023. Most of these are so-called “house churches,” which are unregistered and have long existed in a legal grey area. For many years, these churches grew and had hundreds and even thousands of members. But during the COVID pandemic, the Chinese authorities effectively shuttered thousands of these churches, and they’ve never been able to return. Instead, they’ve splintered into smaller communities, many of which have little pastoral leadership and few resources. Even in the official churches in China, new regulations continue to squeeze the expression of Christianity in the face of an increasing demand for allegiance to Communist ideology.

In Algeria has seen ongoing pressure against the Protestant church—at least 18 Christians, both church leaders and those active in churches, have received (suspended) prison sentences. Of the 47 churches that were affiliated with the Protestant umbrella organisation in the country, only four churches remain open.

And even those churches are under significant enough pressure that they may face extremely difficult decisions in 2024.

Syria and Iraq: More than a decade of civil war in Syria had already scattered and diminished the Christian presence in the country. The devastating earthquake in February 2023 made the precarious situation worse. Militant Islamic opponents of the Assad regime, such as Hayʾat Taḥrīr al-Shām and elements of the Islamic State group, have demolished or taken over historical churches, whose leaders are vulnerable to attack or kidnapping. Christians in these areas who haven’t been forcibly displaced from their homes have little scope for expressing their faith.

In 2023 Turkey continued its years-long military incursions into northern Iraq, where most of Iraq’s Christians live. The fighting has prevented Christians, who had fled the violence, from returning to their villages. Even the meagre piece of political territory held by Iraqi Christians is increasingly contested, as political jockeying and a new election reform law may dilute the political power of the Christian population.

In the Arabian Peninsula, relative freedom for expats, secrecy for converts. In places like Oman and Qatar, foreign Christians are largely free to worship openly (unless they are converts who come from places or cultures where they would be pressured for their faith). But indigenous Christians are at risk of immense pressure from family and community if they convert from Islam. Saudi Arabia, long one of the more conservative parts of the Middle East, has made some overtures at liberalisation as it tries to attract foreign investment to rival the UAE and Qatar. Yet, any converts from Islam are still under immense risk from the surrounding culture if they choose to follow Jesus.

Cuba is the highest rated country in Latin America and shows how authoritarianism can have a chilling impact on the church. Cuba saw a rise in score for both pressure and violence, and the regime opposes any church leaders or Christian activists who point out the government’s human rights abuses or expressed concerns about Family Code issues.

Nicaragua deteriorates rapidly as Latin America continues to be impacted by dictatorships and organised crime persecution in Nicaragua increased sharply due to the authoritarian government’s increasingly open hostility toward the Church. No longer indirect, the restrictions on religious freedom now are in full view, wrapped in legal frameworks tailor-made for the purpose. Critics of the government’s repression of free expression, both clerical and secular, are arrested, as are their defenders. The government’s aim is not simply to silence the voice of Christians but, given their influence in the country, to hinder their credibility and stop their message from spreading.