Yemen has moved to 3rd place in the World Watch Report 2023 by Open Doors as Christian persecution has enormously increased. Yemen’s President is Incumbent Rashad al-Alimi since 7 April 2022. The Prime Minister is Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed. Yemen was historically known as Arabia Felix or the “Happy Land.” That’s because this small nation used to be one of the most fertile regions in the Arabian Peninsula. Yemen’s mountain ranges were welcoming sites for rain and agriculture. But today, Yemen is sadly the poorest Arab nation and is currently facing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Decades of war and unrest have torn this nation apart, leaving it crippled by long-standing social, political, and economic instability. Most believers are first-generation. The majority of expatriate or migrant Christians have fled due to war and violence. Of the few believers that remain, most have converted from Islam. If discovered, they are often banished from their tribe or brutally murdered. Evangelism is against the law and those who do so risk death.

Economic reforms launched in 1986 have brought about significant growth and development; its performance during recent years has been the fastest in the previous ten. Of its 95 million people, 70 percent are under the age of 35. One of the last Communist states in the world, Vietnam’s government exerts great power. The state enforces strict controls over political and religious expression. House churches remain illegal, and churches must register though approval is rarely given as Christianity is viewed with suspicion and considered a Western influence. In 2018 laws were introduced that were thought may improve freedom of religion. In some regions, churches have been encouraged by local authorities who noticed the difference in the communities where the Christians are active. However, in other regions, churches have been sentenced harshly for breaking the laws of meeting together.