By Lisa Navarrette, ICC Fellow 

During the past 20 years, the global development agenda has achieved remarkable progress.  

Tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions, of people have been lifted out of extreme poverty. Access to clean water, electricity, and basic health care has expanded dramatically. 

Yet, in many regions, Christians continue to face increased persecution, legal restrictions, social hostility, and violence. This stark dichotomy suggests that material advancement alone does not guarantee freedom of conscience, religious rights, or protection for minority faiths. 

Poverty Reduction  

One of the most striking successes of the last two decades is the dramatic reduction in extreme poverty. In 1997, roughly 29.5% of the world’s population lived in extreme poverty; by 2017, that figure had fallen to about 9.1%.(1) 

More broadly, since 1990, more than 1 billion people have been lifted from extreme poverty, and the extreme poverty rate has declined from about 38% to less than 10% in many world regions.(2) Although progress has slowed in recent years — especially due to shocks like COVID-19, conflict, and climate crises — the trend during the last two decades remains overwhelmingly positive. Some countries exemplify this change. For example, India reduced its poverty rate substantially between 2011 and 2023, moving millions above the international poverty line, from about 16.2% to nearly 2.3%.  

Access to Clean Water and Sanitation 

Parallel to poverty gains, access to clean water and sanitation has expanded globally. Countless communities that once relied on unsafe surface water now have pipelines, wells, or treated communal supplies. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and later the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targeted universal access to drinking water and sanitation, and progress has been significant (e.g., MDG 7 aimed to reduce by half the share of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water).(3)  

While disparities persist — especially in remote rural and conflict-affected areas — the baseline that many communities once lacked any safe water at all has shifted. 

Electricity and Energy Access 

Electrification has also expanded. In many parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, villages and peri-urban neighborhoods now enjoy grid or off-grid electricity, enabling schools to use computers, clinics to power refrigerators, and households to benefit from lighting and connectivity. International development agencies, governments, and private investment have pushed the expansion of energy access as part of infrastructure development and poverty reduction strategies. 

This expansion is often coupled with access to modern appliances and communication devices, contributing to human well-being and economic productivity. 

Health Care Advances 

On the health front, global indicators have improved across the board. Infant and child mortality rates have declined substantially; access to vaccinations, maternal care, and essential medicines has broadened. Diseases that once devastated populations, such as polio, measles, and malaria, have become more controlled in many regions. Life expectancies have increased in many countries as public health systems, international aid, and disease control campaigns expand. Furthermore, global health initiatives (e.g., Gavi, the Global Fund, and WHO’s campaigns) have pushed delivery of basic services to remote and impoverished areas, helping to close gaps in healthcare access.(4) 

Growing Threat to Christians 

While development has brought gains in material well-being, Christian persecution in many regions has not followed the same trajectory. In fact, reports indicate that in many cases persecution has intensified during the past two decades. Organizations that monitor religious freedom report worsening conditions in many countries. Open Doors, which tracks persecution globally, notes that during recent years, violence against Christians, closure of churches, restrictions on Christian institutions, and broader social pressure have increased in many nations.(5)  

Similarly, in 2024, a report observed that global Christian persecution and oppression rose in large states such as China, India, and Nigeria; for the first time, countries like Nicaragua appeared on extreme oppression lists due to clergy detainment and expulsion.(6) 

Another source, He Comes With Fire, provides analyses of persecution trends from 1995–2025, showing that as the number of believers grows, the intensity of legal, social, and violent pressure often increases rather than declines.(7) 

Implications and Call to Action 

While water, electricity, and health are essential, human flourishing includes freedom of belief, conscience, worship, and community. A life improved materially but destroyed spiritually is still impoverished in dignity and purpose. True progress requires both material and moral liberty. Donors, NGOs, faith-based organizations, and governments should integrate religious freedom metrics into development planning. Investing billions in infrastructure without safeguarding religious rights risks empowering oppressive systems. Development should not be blind to human rights.  

Christians in freer nations must see the material gains in developing regions not as reasons to look away, but as opportunities to press for justice. As Matthew 25 calls believers to care for the marginalized, protecting the persecuted is part of global discipleship. To ensure that progress in services does not come at the cost of religious suppression, institutional safeguards (constitutional protections, legal recourse, civil society watchdogs) are key. Wherever development is expanding, checks on state power should expand, too. 

During the past two decades, humanity has seen extraordinary progress: poverty rates have halved, millions have gained reliable water and electricity, and health metrics have improved across continents. Yet, these material gains have not guaranteed religious freedom or safety for Christian minorities in many regions. Indeed, in some places, persecution has become more severe even as infrastructure advances. 

This paradox should not surprise us. Development, by itself, lacks moral force. Without justice, the rule of law, and respect for conscience, technology and services can mask oppression rather than fix it. For Christians and advocates of human dignity alike, the lesson is clear: we must push not only for better lives but for freer lives. Progress must include the improvement of souls, communities, and spiritual freedoms — not only the extension of pipelines, clinics, or power grids. 

Sources

1. https://www.gapminder.org/questions/gms1-3 
2. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/overview 
3. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/millennium-development-goals-(mdgs) 
4. https://www.who.int/campaigns 
5. https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/persecution/persecution-trends 
6. https://persecution.org/2024/10/24/report-shows-christian-persecution-worsening-worldwide 
7. https://hecomeswithfire.com/global-christian-persecution-scale-regional-breakdown-and-trends-1995-2025 

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