International Institute for Religious Freedom

Audit statement of the World Watch List 2025

The IIRF releases the audit statement of the World Watch List 2025 of Open Doors International

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The audit of the 2025 World Watch List (WWL), conducted by the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF) for the 11th consecutive year, confirms the World Watch Research team’s continued adherence to quality standards, maintaining the benchmark set in previous years.

The audit, conducted in two parts, first examined the correct application of the WWL methodology. The findings revealed that the WWL 2025 largely complies with all methodological requirements, drawing from diverse sources and generally adequately substantiating its conclusions.

The second part of the audit evaluated whether the scores and write-ups accurately reflected the country situations based on the auditors’ knowledge and expertise. The overall conclusion is that WWL 2025 provides a precise, well-balanced, and detailed account of the discrimination and persecution faced by Christians worldwide.

A team of five scholars with active expertise in religious freedom across the audited regions and countries carried out the audit. To ensure a comprehensive evaluation, five countries from the WWL Top 50, none of which had been previously audited, were selected. The audit encompassed the work of both junior and senior World Watch Research persecution analysts.

Audit materials included final questionnaires (along with underlying questionnaires completed by external experts, field researchers, and field contributors) and accompanying country dossiers. Statements, documents, or interpretations from Open Doors International or its affiliates related to the WWL 2025 publication were outside the audit’s scope.

A detailed audit report, including recommendations for potential improvements, has been submitted to World Watch Research and will be reviewed with the persecution analysts.