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How many Christians were killed in Nigeria each year from 2015 to 2024, by verified sources?
Executive summary
Available reporting shows major disagreement about annual counts and methodologies: Open Doors’ World Watch List reported 3,100 Christians killed in Nigeria in 2024 (cited by multiple outlets) while Nigerian-based Intersociety and allied groups report much higher totals—tens of thousands across multi‑year spans and figures like “not less than 5,000” or 30,250 since 2015 in aggregate [1] [2] [3]. Independent data aggregators and analysts warn that delineating killings by victims’ religion is methodologically difficult and that sources use different definitions and databases, producing very different year‑by‑year totals [4] [5].
1. Numbers cited for 2024: two competing headline figures
Two widely circulated figures appear for 2024: Open Doors’ World Watch List (reported in news coverage) states 3,100 Christians were killed in Nigeria in 2024 [1] [6]. By contrast, Intersociety and organizations citing its research assert far larger counts—statements include “not less than 5,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria in 2024” and an Intersociety claim that 30,250 Christians were killed since 2015 [2] [3]. These are not reconciled in the reporting provided here [1] [2] [3].
2. Multi‑year tallies: aggregated claims vs. annual reporting
Several sources present multi‑year aggregates rather than clean annual breakdowns. Intersociety’s report has been cited asserting roughly 52,250 Christians killed over 14 years, with 30,250 of those since 2015 [7] [3]. Other advocacy groups (Open Doors, ICC/International Christian Concern) cite totals such as “more than 50,000” Christians killed since 2009, but these aggregates mix methods and timeframes and are reported by advocacy outlets [8] [9]. The lack of a single, transparent dataset across these claims means year‑by‑year comparability is limited [3] [8].
3. Methodology matters: who counts, and how?
The estimates rest on very different data sources and methodologies. Open Doors compiles its World Watch List using its own criteria and field reporting and reports an explicit annual figure for 2024 [10] [11] [1] [9]. Intersociety, a Nigeria‑based group, produces higher counts and longer cumulative tallies but its methodology and data provenance have been described by some analysts as opaque in the reporting provided [2] [5]. Independent analysts and academic commentators caution that fatality datasets (like ACLED or national police records) may record total violent deaths but do not always classify victims by religion, making attribution to “being Christian” difficult [4] [5].
4. Independent data and critical perspectives
Analysts and fact‑checking outlets cited here note that some large national or political claims rely on Intersociety or advocacy synthesizing multiple sources, which can produce much higher totals; the BBC and academic commentators explicitly warn that Intersociety’s figures are opaque and that many monitors say the number of Christian victims is lower or not reliably separable by religion [5] [4]. The Conversation and other analysts stress that terrorism and banditry in Nigeria kill people of multiple faiths and that attributing killings by religious identity is analytically challenging [12] [4].
5. European, US and parliamentary actors repeating high estimates
Political actors and institutions have repeated large totals in policy settings: a European Parliament question cites “nearly 17,000 Christians killed” between 2019–2023 [13], and U.S. congressional press materials and statements have referenced figures like “50,000+ since 2009” or 7,000 killed in a year in 2025—these references draw on advocacy reports and Intersociety’s numbers [14] [13]. The reporting shows that such figures influence policy debate even while methodological questions remain [14] [13].
6. What the available sources do and do not provide about 2015–2024 year‑by‑year counts
Available sources do not provide a consistent, source‑verified annual list of Christian deaths for every year 2015–2024. Open Doors supplies a clear single figure for 2024 [10] [11] but not a complete, year‑by‑year breakdown in the extracts provided here [1]. Intersociety and allied organizations provide multi‑year aggregates and some annual claims (e.g., high counts for 2024 and 2025) but lack a universally accepted methodology in the cited reporting [2] [3]. Independent datasets and academic commentary underscore that separating faith‑based targeting from broader conflict fatalities is difficult and underreported [4] [5].
7. Practical takeaways and next steps for verification
If you need a year‑by‑year, verifiable table for 2015–2024, current reporting suggests two paths: use Open Doors’ published annual World Watch List figures where available (Open Doors provides explicit yearly summaries, with 3,100 for 2024 as cited here) or compile national and regional fatality data (e.g., ACLED, Nigeria government statistics) and apply transparent, replicable criteria to code victims’ religious identity — noting that the latter approach is complex and may not be possible with public data [1] [4] [5]. Available sources do not mention a single, independently verified year‑by‑year table for 2015–2024 covering only Christians that reconciles these divergent claims [1] [2] [3].
Limitations: this analysis uses only the supplied reporting; it highlights disagreements between Open Doors’ 3,100‑for‑2024 figure [1] and much larger Intersociety/advocacy aggregates [2] [3], and notes independent warnings about methodology and attribution [4] [5].