340 million, the number Christians who suffer a high level of persecution and discrimination.
50 are the countries in which discrimination reaches a level defined as "extreme".
4,277 Christians were arrested without trial and imprisoned and 1,710 the number of Christians kidnapped.
On the other hand, the number of closures, attacks and destruction of churches and connected buildings decreased: 4,488 cases compared to 9,488 in the previous year.
The number of nations that reveal extreme persecution rose to 12; the first 5 are North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya and Pakistan.
The pandemic has also created a pretext for new restrictions on religious freedom.
Source: Vatican News
