Marrakech – Morocco ranks 23rd of 50 countries on Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List, with approximately 37,400 Christians living in the North African country of 38.5 million people.
The Christian minority represents just 0.1% of the population, according to the newly released international advocacy report, which assigns Morocco a persecution score of 75 out of 100, placing it among countries experiencing “very high” levels of pressure against Christians.
According to the World Watch List 2026, more than 388 million Christians globally face high levels of persecution or discrimination. Within the top 50 countries alone, 315 million experience “very high” or “extreme” pressure.
Morocco’s ranking reflects what the report describes as “very high” pressure combined with a rising violence score from 8.3 to 9.3 points over the monitoring period.
The report documents that Moroccan Christians, “especially the young, face intense family pressure, forced isolation, expulsion from home, physical violence and even superstitious treatment by imams.”
Violence indicators show 48 Christians physically or mentally abused, 22 detained, 11 churches or Christian buildings attacked or closed, and 6 Christians abducted during the October 2024 to September 2025 reporting period.
Morocco’s Christian population includes approximately 37,400 believers, according to World Christian Database figures accessed in April 2025.
The community consists primarily of converts from Islam alongside expatriate Christians, mostly from Sub-Saharan Africa. “Since Morocco’s independence in 1956, most Europeans and their churches have largely departed,” the report states.
Faith expression is publicly constrained
Open Doors researchers found that “family pressure regularly forces Moroccan converts to be separated from their families.” The document reveals that “communal pressure, especially in rural areas, can deeply affect Moroccan Christians, causing them to lose their jobs and force them to move.”
Persecution patterns vary significantly by location. The report identifies that “most violations take place in the predominately Berber-populated north-east of the country, the Atlas Mountains and the south-eastern desert area.”
Rural communities prove particularly hostile, with “the population in rural areas is known to be conservative,” while “most converts to Christianity live in urban areas, where it is easier to escape family and community pressure.”
The research identifies Article 220 of Morocco’s Penal Code as creating ongoing legal risks by criminalizing “shaking the faith of a Muslim.”
The report notes this “puts both Moroccan and foreign Christians who evangelize at risk of arrest.” Government monitoring has intensified, with “an increasing number of Christian leaders have come under heightened scrutiny and questioning from security agencies,” with several Christians pressured to report on their own communities.
Government monitoring extends to all Christian activities, with authorities viewing the church “especially activities involving converts, with suspicion.”
The document also outlines distinct pressure patterns across different life spheres. Private life restrictions mean “it is risky for both local and expatriate Christians to speak about their faith publicly with those outside their immediate family.”
Family law prohibits “intermarriage between Muslim women and Christian men,” while children of Christians “are likely to face discrimination and harassment from peers.”
Community-level persecution stems from Christianity being “seen as standing outside the traditional Moroccan identity.” The report states it is “stigmatized as the faith of imperialists and considered a threat to the social fabric of society.”
This justification enables “Moroccan security services monitor local and expatriate Christians’ activities,” while authorities “prohibit the organization of any groups who identify as overtly Christian for fear of evangelism.”
Moroccan Christians cannot establish churches
Church establishment remains severely restricted. “Moroccan Christians are not permitted to establish their own churches,” while “expatriate churches are monitored to ensure that Moroccan nationals do not attend their services.” The government “refuses to allow the display or sale of Bibles, which it views as tools for proselytizing.”
The report documents specific incidents during the monitoring period. “Several house churches of Sub-Saharan African Christians were forced to stop meeting by the police,” with churches “regularly forced to move their meeting places following neighborhood complaints, police visits or a landlord evicting them.” These closures affected both migrant and Moroccan Christian communities.
Forced marriages and family separations increased during the reporting period. “Several cases of forced marriage were reported,” while “several converts from Islam to Christianity, mainly young women, were relocated against their will.” Additional persecution included Christians “divorced by their spouses, usually under family pressure, and even losing access to their children.”
Compounded by overlapping vulnerabilities linked to gender, social position, family-based control mechanisms, religious identity, and, in the case of conversion, departure from Islam, women converts face particular vulnerabilities, including “arbitrary divorces, denied access to children, domestic confinement and forced marriage.”
The report documents that “rape and sexual harassment is a taboo area associated with family honor, making it a powerful tool for religious coercion.” Rural Christian women “must adhere to religious clothing and rites” while facing restrictions on accessing Christian materials.
Male Christians experience different pressures, with the report stressing that “employment pressure is key, as men are usually the main family providers.”
The document notes they are “more likely than women to be targeted for government interrogation and arrest, especially if they are a church leader.” Christian men risk “family ostracization, denied financial support and inheritance, and abandonment by their wives.”
The monitoring and questioning of Moroccan Christians, especially leaders, by security forces “continued” throughout the WWL 2026 reporting period. While “no Christian has been prosecuted, these summons have a chilling effect, stigmatizing Moroccan Christians both in front of their families and communities.”
The broader World Watch List reveals escalating global persecution, with 4,849 Christians killed worldwide during the monitoring period because of their faith identity. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for the highest violence levels, with Nigeria alone recording 3,490 Christian deaths.
Open Doors operates support programs in Morocco through local partnerships, providing “leaders retreats, leadership training and mentoring” alongside “discipleship training, theological initiatives, persecution preparedness training.”
The organization distributes Bibles and Christian literature while offering “trauma counseling training for women, legal aid for persecuted Christians, and practical support,” including “micro-loans to start small businesses, vocational training, medical help and relief items.”
It claims that Morocco violates international treaty obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, particularly regarding freedom of religion and expression.
“Christians face restrictions in employment in the public sector and experience discrimination in the private sector,” the report concludes, adding: “Judaism is the only minority religion officially recognized in the Constitution.”
Read also: Christians Remain World’s Largest Religious Group, Islam is Growing Fastest Worldwide
