Where the church stands in Syria
Christians have lived in Syria since the book of Acts — it was on the road to Damascus that Paul met Jesus. Before the civil war began in 2011 perhaps one in ten Syrians was Christian; war, emigration and targeted violence have reduced that to a small fraction, with estimates of the remaining Christian population varying widely.
The fall of the Assad government in December 2024 opened a new and uncertain chapter. Christian communities have voiced fear for their safety, and a suicide bombing at a church in Damascus in June 2025 underlined how fragile their position remains. At the same time, Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Turkey and Europe have come to faith in striking numbers.
Signs of hope
Ancient churches that have stayed through war, and Syrians meeting Christ in exile.
The honest difficulty
Mass emigration of Christians, an uncertain political future, and violence against religious minorities.
What "Unreached" means
There is no indigenous community of believing Christians large enough to evangelise the rest of the nation without outside help. Commonly measured as under 2% evangelical.
In Syria the majority religious context is Islam (~90%). The largest population still considered without meaningful Gospel access is the Sunni Arab, Alawite and Kurdish communities.
How to pray for Syria
Prayer is not a substitute for going; it is how going begins. Take one of these for a week rather than all of them for a day.
- Pray for the protection of Syrian Christians in a time of great uncertainty.
- Pray for Syrians in exile who are meeting Jesus far from home.
- Ask God for a just peace that protects every community.
- Pray for churches serving the hungry and displaced across the country.
People groups in Syria
A nation is not one people. These are the groups profiled on this site who live here — each with its own language, its own Scripture status, and its own reasons the Gospel has or has not reached it.
Questions people ask about Syria
Is Syria an unreached nation?
Syria is classified as unreached. There is no indigenous community of believing Christians large enough to evangelise the rest of the nation without outside help. Commonly measured as under 2% evangelical. Roughly 2.5% of the population identifies as Christian and about 0.2% as evangelical, with an estimated 30 of its 40 people groups still considered unreached. Figures are rounded estimates and vary by source and year.
How many Christians are there in Syria?
About 2.5% of Syria's roughly 24 million people identify as Christian — approximately 600,000 people. Around 0.2% are evangelical. The largest group still without meaningful Gospel access is the Sunni Arab, Alawite and Kurdish communities.
How can I pray for Syria?
Pray for the protection of Syrian Christians in a time of great uncertainty. Pray for Syrians in exile who are meeting Jesus far from home. Pick one of these, pray it for two minutes a day for a week, and ask one other person to pray it with you.