North Korea ranks number one in the Open Doors World Watch List for the ninth straight year, but Islamic countries are quickly gaining ground as the most dangerous for Christians.

Eight of the top 10 countries on the 2011 list have Islamic majorities—and persecution has increased in seven of them.

The top 10 in order are North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Maldives, Yemen, Iraq, Uzbekistan and Laos, which has a Communist government. Iraq is new to the top 10 list while Mauritania dropped out, going from No. 8 to No. 13, according to the annual list compiled by Open Doors International that tracks Christian life in 77 societies and ranks the top 50 most dangerous environments among them.

According to Open Doors Watch List significant regress has been reported in Turkey which dropped from 65th to 30th position.

“Turkish government imposes limitations on religious groups and there are restrictions on evangelism or holding unauthorised meetings. There were reports of discrimination based on religious belief. Violent attacks and threats create an atmosphere of pressure for some non-Muslim communities. In 2008 no Christians were murdered or jailed, but converts from Islam face social harassment and violence from relatives and neighbours,” the organization website reports.