Christian persecution is rising. Christians in Western countries face increasing pressure to hide their beliefs like a shameful secret, and practicing Christians in the Middle East, Africa and Asia face imprisonment, torture and death if they are caught. None of this is news to anyone who has been watching the news lately, but many people do not realize the sheer number of Christians who have been caught in the crossfire.

“We believe now based on our research that there are over 245 million Christians who live in areas of extreme or high persecution – that’s a lot,” said David Curry, president & CEO of Open Doors USA.

That number is also only likely to get higher as conditions in countries with large populations, such as India and China, continue to worsen for Christians. India, for example, has the dubious honor of ranking among the 10 most dangerous countries for Christians alongside nations such as Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia and North Korea. China, meanwhile, has begun a crackdown on Christianity that has only gotten worse in the last year.

“[China] moved up from #41 to #27 on the list [of countries with the worst Christian persecution],” said Curry. “That’s a big jump. It’s a huge jump, and it shows things are getting more difficult for China, and it’s a big church so a lot of people are affected.”

As terrible as things are in China, its eastern neighbor continues to top the list of worst nations in which to be Christian. North Korea has won the grim distinction of being the most dangerous place in the world for Christians for the 18 years in a row.  According to Open Doors USA, “it is illegal to be a Christian in North Korea, and Christians are often sent to labor camps or are killed if they are discovered.” To make matters worse, “not only are [Christians] deported to labor camps as political criminals or even killed on the spot, their families will share their fate as well. Christians do not even have the slightest space in society, on the contrary, they are publicly warned against. Meeting other Christians in order to worship is almost impossible and if some believers dare to, it has to be done in utmost secrecy. The churches shown to visitors in Pyongyang serve mere propaganda purposes.” These camps have been repeatedly compared to the infamous concentration camps used by the Nazis.

The number of Christians who have been killed by the regime is almost impossible to determine, but the number of those detained is massive. “Right now, there are over 60,000 Christians in labor camps in North Korea,” said Curry. That means that one in every five Christians in North Korea is currently imprisoned for worshiping God rather than the Kim family that oppresses them and their nation.

Sadly, the rising tide of Christian persecution does not look to be slowing down. If anything, it appears to be getting worse. One can only hope that the trend reverses soon, but unfortunately, it does not look like believers should hold their breath waiting for that.