Originally published in Christian Today
International Christian Concern (ICC) has released its 2026 Global Persecution Index (GPI), a report that details the plight of persecuted Christians around the globe.
The report looks at over 20 countries, most of which are in Africa or Asia, and shines a spotlight on three world leaders, although it also includes a section on “hindrances to religious freedom in the West”.
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In terms of the West, the GPI raises a number of high profile cases concerning freedom of religion and speech, notably the conviction of Finnish parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen under hate speech laws.
It also expresses concerns about abortion clinic buffer zone laws and convictions relating to silent prayer, as well as cases of teachers being fired over their Christian beliefs.
Highlighted in the report are a number of cases in the UK, including that of Dr Bernard Randall who was dismissed by a Christian school after telling pupils they did not need to agree with LGBT ideology, and the case of Dr Aaron Edwards, who lost his job as a Methodist college for posting a tweet that supported the biblical view of marriage.
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The report expresses particular concern that “growing Islamisation in Europe encroaches on Christianity and other faiths”.
“While Christians in Western nations don’t experience the same horrific persecution that believers in other hot spots face, religious freedom in corners of the West is eroding,” the report says.
On a worldwide level, the GPI states that religious freedom is under “mounting pressure”. Governments hostile to Christianity are increasingly clamping down on believers not only within their borders, but externally. The report also states that “Western technologies and markets” are sometimes used to enable or sustain persecution.
China in particular was singled out for repressing its religious minorities overseas, with members of house churches, Uyghur Muslims and Falun Gong practitioners all being targeted — apparently with the help of Silicon Valley hardware and software, which ICC says is being used for surveillance.
Looking at Nigeria, the deadliest country for Christians, the GPI states that while President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not create the sectarian violence that plagues parts of the country, he stands accused of “deepening” the rift between Christian and Muslim when “he abandoned the longstanding tradition of presidential candidates choosing a running mate from a different faith”.
Since coming to power two years ago, it is estimated by Amnesty International that over 10 200 people have been killed in sectarian or bandit attacks in Nigeria.
India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, was also placed under the spotlight by the GPI. Modi, the report argues, “has overseen a sharp rise in Hindu nationalism and a corresponding decline in religious freedom across India.”
While not as deadly as Nigeria, the GPI states that in India in the year ending July 1 2026 there were 94 attacks on Christian homes or business, 42 religious buildings destroyed, and 1 134 Christians forced to flee their homes.
Moving to the Americas, the GPI took Daniel Ortega, President of Nicaragua, to task. Although in office since 2007, a real downturn in the situation there started in 2018 when the security services violently put down protests.
“Since then,” the GPI states, “Ortega has expelled Catholic charities, confiscated church property, shut down faith-based universities, and stripped citizenship from prominent priests and bishops.”
ICC President Shawn Wright said of this year’s report, “This year’s Global Persecution Index is a sobering reminder that millions of our brothers and sisters in Christ continue to pay a high price for their faith.
“Behind every statistic is a real person: someone who has chosen faithfulness to Jesus over safety, comfort, or even life itself. Our hope is that this report not only informs decision-makers and stakeholders, but moves readers to act with urgency, conviction, and compassion.”
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