A frequently cited source for the claim that Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world is Thomas Schirrmacher's article: Defending religious freedom of Christians benefits all. It was published in the International Journal of Religious Freedom in 2008. The article's abstract states: 'At least 75% of all religious liberty violations worldwide are committed against Christians. However, the article does not state that the above is based on a study, statistics or empirical evidence to support the claim.
A similar estimate is provided in a 2009 article from the Internationale Gesellschaft für Menschenrechte (IGFM) in Frankfurt, which estimated that 80 percent of the religiously persecuted in the world are Christians. The article has been removed from the IGFM website, so it has not been possible to read it in person.
The oft-quoted claim that around 80 % of the people persecuted for their faith are Christians therefore has not the slightest basis. But this thesis has developed its own momentum. It has been and is often quoted, with the best of intentions, even by the secular media.
International Society for Human Rights
Danish European Mission has asked IGFM to send the article, but the request has not been answered. Therefore, the estimate in the article is found in quotes, for example in the Bishop of Truo's interim report to the British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt in 2019: 'the inconvenient truth that the overwhelming majority (estimated at 80%) of persecuted religious believers are Christians' (Bishop of Truro:2019a). The claim is repeated in the Bishop of Truro's final report, published in July 2019 (Bishop of Truro:2019b).
A month later, IFGM publishes an article in German distancing itself from the claim (Dahl:2020). IGFM writes, among other things: The often quoted claim that around 80% of the people persecuted for their faith are Christians therefore has no basis whatsoever. However, this thesis has developed a momentum of its own. It has been and is often quoted, with the best of intentions, even by secular media. The origin of these figures is unclear, and there is no information on how these 80% are arrived at. The number is completely unsecured and probably fictitious. (IGFM:2019).
Pew's comparison of harassment against religious groups
Some try to use an article Harassment of religious groups continues to be reported in more than 90% of countries from the Pew Research Center from 2020 arguing that Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world. This article describes how many countries different religious groups can experience harassment in. Pew's definition of harassment is very broad.
The article states that religious groups are reportedly harassed in more than 90 % of the world's countries. It also states that Christians were harassed in 145 countries in 2018, while Muslims were harassed in 139 countries in the same year. Does this mean that Christians are more persecuted than Muslims? The Pew Research Center does not do so in its article. Instead, it points out that Christians and Muslims are the world's largest religious groups.
If you also look at the footnotes, it states that countries from which at least one example of harassment has been reported are included. This means that the article does not address the extent of harassment in a country. A few examples of harassment in a democratic country weigh just as heavily in Pew's statistics as many examples of harassment in a dictatorship state.
Trying to use Pew's article to argue that Christians are the most persecuted group in the world is therefore on very shaky ground.
How can you find out which religious group is most persecuted?
In my view, there is a method to calculate which religious group is most persecuted. You need two numbers, the total number of a religious group and the number of incidents in a given year where this group was persecuted. Add the number of incidents to the numerator and divide by the total number in the denominator to find the percentage.
A fictitious calculation might look like this: In 2030, 50 Christians face persecution and there are 2500 Christians in the world in 2030, corresponding to 2 % of the world's Christians being persecuted in 2030 (50/2500*100). In 2030, 40 Muslims are persecuted and in 2030 there are 1800 Muslims in the world, corresponding to 2.22 % of the world's Muslims being persecuted in 2030.
For example, saying that Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world simply because Christians are the largest religious group in the world is like saying that more Jutlanders than Funeners are nearsighted simply because there are more Jutlanders than Funeners.
From the fictitious calculation, you can see that in absolute numbers, more Christians were persecuted than Muslims, but in relative numbers, Muslims were persecuted the most. And relative numbers should be the most relevant to use in this context. For example, saying that Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world simply because Christians are the largest religious group in the world is like saying that more Jutlanders than Fynbos are nearsighted simply because there are more Jutlanders than Fynbos. It's empty information. It is only interesting to look at which group is relatively more persecuted. Only by looking at relative numbers can you compare the degree to which different groups are persecuted, including which religious group is most persecuted.
However, having found a correct method does not mean that we can calculate which religious group is the most persecuted. Within the Christian world, there is no consensus on what the definition of a persecuted Christian is. There are a number of definitions that range widely.
For example, Johan Candelin defines persecution only as physical attacks on Christians, while Charles Tieszen says that making fun of Christians is persecution. In between these extremes, the Think Tank for Persecuted Christians has a definition that includes physical attacks and discrimination in legislation. The think tank defines persecution as follows: "...persecution of Christians is violent and judicial attacks against Christians, Christian groups and congregations because of their Christian beliefs and practices..." (Lodberg:2020).
Read about definitions of persecution of Christians: What is Christian persecution?
In 2022, the Think Tank for Persecuted Christians published the report The Extent of Persecution. It is a fine report that highlights the methodological challenges in the study of Christian persecution. Jørgensen writes in the report that at least 80,000 Christians were persecuted in 2020.
The figure is made up of at least 10,000 people who suffered martyrdom while: "At least 70,000 Christians experienced harassment in the form of abductions, rapes, forced marriages, and discrimination in the form of detention and lack of civil rights."
The think tank also found that the total number of Christians in 2020 in countries with social discrimination was 310 million. This figure is based on estimates, among other things. In countries with discrimination and persecution, it can be difficult to count the number of Christians.
Using the think tank's figures, 0.02 % of the total number of Christians were persecuted in countries with social discrimination in 2020 (80,000/310 million * 100).
According to the World Religion Database at Boston University, 2.5 billion people in the world identified themselves as Christians in 2020. This equates to 0.003 % of the world's Christians being persecuted in 2020 (80,000/2.5 billion *100).
If you choose to work with the Think Tank for Persecuted Christians' definition, you will find that a very small proportion of the world's Christians are persecuted.
However, Jørgensen writes: "In addition, there is a large number of unreported cases from countries where there is no clear documentation." Due to security concerns, some Christians are isolated and their stories do not necessarily reach Western news media and statistics. Uncertainty about facts and figures is characteristic of the study of Christian persecution and therefore important to highlight.
Conclusion
It is surprising that the claim that Christians are the most persecuted group in the world has been cited so often. There are currently no figures, either absolute or relative, to support this claim.
Bibliography
Bishop of Truro (2019a). Bishop of Truro's independent review for the foreign secretary of fco support for persecuted Christians. Interim report. https://christianpersecutionreview.org.uk/storage/2019/05/interim-report.pdf
Bishop of Truro (2019b). Bishop of Truro's independent review for the foreign secretary of fco support for persecuted Christians. Final report and recommendations. https://christianpersecutionreview.org.uk/storage/2019/07/final-report-and-recommendations.pdf
Candelin, Johan (2000). The Message of the Cross And the cross of the Message in Evangelical Review of Theology, volume 24, number 1.
Dahl, Bent (2020). German Human Rights Society: It's impossible to say which religious group is most persecuted. https://www.religionsfrihed.nu/2020/12/22/tysk-menneskerettighedsselskab-det-er-umuligt-at-sige-noget-om-hvilken-religioes-gruppe-der-er-mest-forfulgt/
IGFM (2020). Are Christians persecuted more than other religions? https://www.igfm.de/werden-christen-staerker-verfolgt-als-andere-religionen/
Lodberg, Peter (2020). When are Christians persecuted? in Think Tank for Persecuted Christians: Denmark's responsibility for persecuted Christians. Published by Bibelselskabet.
Pew Research Center (2020). Harassment of religious groups continues to be reported in more than 90 % of countries. November 10. 2020. www.pewresearch.org/religion/2020/11/10/harassment-of-religious-groups-continues-to-be-reported-in-more-than-90-of-countries/
Tieszen, Charles (2008). Towards redefining persecution in International Journal of Religious Freedom Vol 1:1. Charles Tieszen is an affiliate professor at Fuller Theological Seminary in Texas, USA.
Think Tank for Persecuted Christians (2022). How many Christians face persecution? in The Extent of Persecution. Published by Bibelselskabet.
