The World Watch List (WWL) ranks 50 countries according to the intensity of persecution Christians face for their faith. The 2012 WWL covers the period from November 1, 2010 through October 31, 2011. Persecution situations are often a confusing mix of factors, such as political, economic, social, ethnic or religious. However, it is clear that as restrictions on religious freedom increase, the more vulnerable Christians are, especially when persecution is originating from both the government and hostile social groups.
The WWL is based on a questionnaire devised by Open Doors to measure the degree of persecution in over 60 countries. The questionnaires are filled out by Open Doors field personnel working in the countries, as well as by external experts, to arrive at a quantitative score per country. Countries are then ranked according to the points received. A country’s position on the list is no indication about persecution getting better or worse in the country. Sometimes a country’s score is higher than the year before, and yet the country may have a lower position on the list because ranking is determined in relation to what has happened in other countries.
The table below shows the structure of the questionnaire and the weighing of the questions:
| Block |
Title |
Description |
Number of questions |
Maximum score* |
| 1 | Legal Status of Christians | Is religious freedom guaranteed by the Constitution or comparable laws, and applied in court? |
4 |
8 |
| 2 | Position of the state | What is the attitude of the state towards Christians and churches? |
4 |
8 |
| 3 | Church organization | Can churches function freely? |
9 |
15 |
| 4 | Role of the churches/believers in society | Is it possible for Christians to express their faith in public life (not only evangelization)? |
7 |
15 |
| 5A | Situation of individual Christians (part A) | What are the persecution incidents: killings; (arbitrary) arrests; kidnappings; physical harassment; houses or meeting places attacked; Christians forced to flee. |
6 |
36 |
| 5B | Situation of individual Christians (part B) | What are the persecution incidents at a bit more generic level: discrimination at school or work (in general, with the authorities); hindrance in travelling; fines, threats or obstruction; pressure to change or renounce their faith. |
6 |
15 |
| 6 | Other Factors limiting the life of churches and believers | Are other groups/organizations besides the state monitoring or restricting the activities of Christians or churches? |
2 |
3 |
| 7 | Other important factors | What is the background information on the persecution situation, and the needs of Christians and churches? |
15 |
0 |
| TOTAL |
53 |
100 |
* Answers to questions are scored on a scale of 1 to 4 or 5, with the option of 0 (unknown/insufficient information). This option causes a “variation score”, indicating the situation could be worse but not enough reliable information is available
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