Four of the five most populous countries in the world share a disturbing reality: Christians are systematically and harshly persecuted within their borders.
China (1.41 billion people), India (1.46 billion people), Indonesia (285 million people), and Pakistan (255 million people) routinely strip Christians of fundamental human rights like worshipping freely and sharing their faith with others. The United States (347 million people) is the other country in the top five.
The governments of these countries collectively govern roughly 3.41 billion people, or about 41% of the world’s total population. Christians are minority populations in these four nations, and their access to human rights is often overlooked or outright abused. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in China is openly atheistic and continuously attempts to curb the religious expression of Christians within its nation. According to a 2023 report from Pew Research, the CCP’s religious restrictions “are part of a long-standing strategy by the Chinese government to align religion with communism and ensure loyalty to the…CCP, which espouses and promotes atheism.”
Additionally, the CCP has implemented Sinicization in the nation for some time. It’s a policy that the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said emphasizes “the CCP’s political agenda and Marxist vision for religion.” In May, Chinese authorities released a plan to incorporate lyrics that applaud communism into church worship music.
In India, Christians endure being evicted from their homes simply for following Christ. Evictions are often carried out by Hindu nationalists who want Indians to adhere to Hinduism only. According to the European Center for Law and Justice, Christians were the targets of more than 160 violent attacks in 2024, including physical assaults and attacks on church meetings.
Indonesian authorities, functioning in a Muslim-majority nation, routinely condone the suppression of Christian rights. A prayer house was attacked in July, and Christian churches have been closed in recent years due to restrictive Indonesian law. According to Christianity Today, “a 2006 law requires churches to secure signatures of approval from 60 Christians and 90 people from another faith” to build a Christian church. This allows those opposed to Christianity to stop the construction of churches.
In predominantly Muslim Pakistan, blasphemy laws are egregiously used to target and punish Christians for following Jesus. Christ followers are often discriminated against and not given equal opportunities in employment. Jobs like sewer maintenance and street sweepers are typically reserved for Christians, and believers are jailed for their faith if they are found to have violated the nation’s strict blasphemy laws.
Christians in these nations may face harassment, intimidation, and imprisonment for following Christ. The most basic human right, the liberty to follow one’s own conscience, is often out of reach for believers in these countries.
China, India, and Pakistan made the Top 15 on the Open Doors World Watch List for 2025 for religious freedom abuses. Additionally, the USCIRF recommended in March that China, India, and Pakistan be placed on the U.S. Department of State’s Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) list for gross abuse of religious freedoms. The commission also stated that Indonesia should be recognized as a country on the Special Watch List. Special Watch List nations engage in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom, but don’t meet the full criteria for being designated as a CPC.
Source: ICC
