Syria’s Christian Population Plunges 80% Amid War and Persecution

The Greek Orthodox church of Mar Elias in Damascus. Photo: clonline.org

DAMASCUS, SYRIA — Syria’s Christian population has declined by roughly 80 percent since the start of the civil war in 2011, with numbers falling from an estimated 2.5 million to between 500,000 and one million today. Orthodox Christians constitute just under half of those who remain, many of whom continue to face life-threatening persecution.

Recent reports highlight ongoing violence: the Antiochian Patriarchate documented massacres, monastery burnings, and attacks on Orthodox villages in September 2025, while the Iraqi Christian Foundation reported over 1,800 killings by ISIS and Al-Qaeda forces in just days earlier that year. Despite these threats, Syrian Christians have demonstrated remarkable courage, publicly proclaiming their faith and refusing to flee their ancient homeland.

In response, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew reached out on March 8, 2026, to Patr. John X of Antioch to convey solidarity, prayer, and concern for the faithful in Syria and neighboring Lebanon. Patr. John has consistently called for national reconciliation and peace, urging Christians to remain steadfast despite decades of violence, kidnappings, and targeted attacks.

Previously, the UOJ reported that an 85-foot statue of Christ was erected on the Lebanon–Syria border.

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