North Korea again named 'worst persecutor of Christians'

For the eighth year in a row, North Korea is the worst country in which to be a Christian. The Open Doors World Watch List—a ranking of 50 countries that are the worse persecutors of Christians around the globe—was released today, says Mission Network News.

President and CEO of Open Doors USA Dr. Carl Moeller said, "The biggest thing that we learned from putting the list together this year is that the entire level of persecution globally is accelerating at a really dramatic rate. Eight out of the top 10 countries on our World Watch List this year are Islamic countries where Islamic extremism has gained the upper hand."

Here are the Top 10 persecutors of Christians around the world:

1. North Korea
2. Iran
3. Afghanistan
4. Saudi Arabia
5. Somalia
6. Maldives
7. Yemen
8. Iraq
9. Uzbekistan
10. Laos

You can view the World Watch List 2010 here.

The World Watch List ranks countries according to the intensity of persecution Christians face for actively pursuing their faith. It is compiled from Open Doors' indigenous contacts, field workers, and persecuted believers based on answers to questions covering various aspects of religious freedom.