According to a report from the advocacy group International Christian Concern (ICC), Christian churches are growing in some of the world’s most hostile countries.
According to the ICC’s Global Persecution Index 2026, the body of Christ is adding members in locations where worshipping Jesus may result in arrest, imprisonment or death. It stated that underground and digital networks have allowed for believers to gather outside the reach of the state.
According to the report, Iran’s house church movement has one of the fastest expansions anywhere, fueled by hidden networks and online evangelism. While this takes place, blasphemy and national-security laws permit arrests, imprisonment and in some cases, execution of converts from Islam.
The ICC’s report highlights anonymous experts who say Iran’s Christian population is “one of the fastest-growing Christian populations in the world.”
“Though still a tiny part of the population, Iranian Christians are proving resilient to the government pressure that surrounds them every day,” it reveals.
In China, believers also gather in private residences and through encrypted online meetings even under constant state monitoring. It forms one half of a dichotomy, as the country experiences a rise in religious nationalism, which the report stresses is one of the origins of decrease in freedom of belief.
The report also reveals that in India, militant Hindu groups connected to the governing Bharatiya Janata Party have attacked minorities. Anti-conversion measures laws are also now enforced in 13 of India’s 28 states. Notably, courts have yet to convict a Christian of forced conversion but they are often “harassed and jailed on the mere suspicion of wrongdoing.” In the year ending in July 2025, the ICC recorded 1,100 Christians in India who were driven from their homes and 276 recorded cases of physical or mental abuse.
“Yet amid repression, faith continues to grow,” researchers wrote. “Reports from underground networks in India and Pakistan indicate steady increases in conversions and discipleship. Believers gather in private homes, remote villages, and online fellowships. Their quiet courage affirms that the flame of faith cannot be extinguished, even in the crucible of persecution.”
Additionally, ICC records more than 500 Christians killed and nearly 500 attacks on churches in Nigeria in the year ending in July 2025. Armed movements such as Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province and al-Shabab have operated in Nigeria, the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and Mozambique. Meanwhile, data from the Institute for Economics and Peace reveals that close to half of all terror-related deaths now happen in Africa. Even under these conditions, the report said, congregations rebuild burned churches and keep worshiping.
“Despite these challenges, the Church continues to grow in some of the most hostile environments, and resistance to repression is rising as individuals and communities push back against injustice and demand greater freedom,” the researchers said.
