The World Watch List (WWL) by Open Doors is the annual ranking of countries where Christians face the most persecution. Afghanistan is number one for the first time – persecution has increased since the Taliban took control in August 2021.
To help create the list, data is collected to measure pressure on being a Christian in six areas; private life, family life, community life, national life and church life. A sixth area, violence, is also measured to assess whether Christians have been attacked, arrested, abducted, tortured, imprisoned or killed.
In Myanmar, because of a combination of rising violence and pressure, due in large part to the military coup which commenced in February 2021, the situation for Christians has got markedly worse. It is one of the highest risers in this years list, moving from position 18 in 2021, to 12th in the 2022 WWL.