North Korea once again has taken the top spot when it comes to the hardest country to live in with a Christian faith.
A country of just over 26 million people, North Korea has 400,000 people who still consider themselves Christians.
According to Open Doors USA, if a Christian is caught in North Korea, they will be either be deported to labor camps or killed on the spot. Essentially it is a death sentence.
Three African countries now take the second, third, and fourth spot on the World Watch List in 2024, including Somalia, Libya, and Eritrea.
"When you look at the society in general, you can see that there is a rise of extremism in West Africa," says Dr. Mohamed-Ibrahim Yattara, a persecuted Christian and expert with Open Doors US. "Because of the Islamic violence in many places, you can't do evangelism. You can't even go to church. Many Christians were killed."
Other countries in the top 10 list of hardest places to practise a Christian faith are Yemen, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Iran, and Afghanistan.
To date, there are over 365 million Christians currently being persecuted, which is one in seven Christians.
A persecuted Christian in Afghanistan shared, "The Word of God does not just burn away because someone lights it and sets it on fire. The Word of God is in my heart."