Nicaragua, Cuba, Mexico and Colombia: Countries where following Christ can cost your life

The evangelical organization Open Doors published its World Persecution List 2025, in which they present the 50 most dangerous countries in the world for Christians, where “following Christ can cost your life.”

The presence of four Latin American countries in the first fifty positions on the list stands out: Cuba (26th position), Nicaragua (30th position), Mexico (31st position) and Colombia (46th position). Data was collected between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024.

Marco Cruz, director of Open Doors Latin Americaspecified that there are more than 400 people who work, directly or indirectly, in the formation of the list, which has been published for more than 30 years. The research is then audited by the International Institute for Religious Freedom, which guarantees “the quality and transparency of the process and results.”

“The majority of our brothers in Latin America do not know the situation of persecution on our continent. It takes them by surprise when we talk about countries with a Christian majority, like Mexico, which is a free country but there are regions where there is strong persecution against Christians, especially in indigenous communities and where drug traffickers operate,” Cruz said.

In addition, it highlighted the increase in the number of persecuted Christians in the world compared to 2023. Currently, the organization states that at least 380 million people are persecuted because of their faith, 1 in 7 Christians suffers violence, discrimination and persecution. . The latest figure was 365 million people.

“Another important point was the increase in violence against Christians in Central Asian countries,” added the director of Open Doors Latin America.

“North Korea is in first position in the ranking of the World Persecution List 2025. According to our research, North Korea scored 98 points (out of a possible 100) in terms of persecution. The government controls everything, you are not allowed to be a Christian in North Korea,” Cruz said.

Likewise, he commented that at least 400,000 people practice the Christian faith secretly in that country. Between 50,000 and 70,000 of these people are imprisoned in forced labor camps, many betrayed by their own families, who are bombarded by state propaganda.

The first 10 places on the list are completed by: Somalia, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Eritrea, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. Cruz highlighted the presence of Kyrgyzstan in position 47, after not appearing on the 2024 list.

According to Open Doors estimates, almost 4,500 Christians were murdered in the year because of their faith in Jesus, at least 4,700 were imprisoned without trial and more than 40,000 have been physically and psychologically attacked. Nigeria alone is responsible for 69% of the murders committed in the world against Christians, thanks to the actions of the extremist group fulani.

Likewise, they stated that nearly 7,700 churches and other Christian properties were attacked in the same period of time and almost 140,000 Christians were forced to leave their homes or their country of origin.