According to data collected by Fides News Agency, twenty-one missionaries were killed throughout the world in 2021: 12 priests, 1 male religious, 2 women religious, and 6 lay people. Regarding the continental distribution of those killed: the highest number recorded was in Africa, followed by the Americas, Asia, and lastly Europe.
In the collection of this data, Fides uses the term “missionary” for all the baptized, since by virtue of the Baptism, every member of the People of God is considered a missionary. None of the victims carried out any extraordinary deeds. Instead, they simply shared the same daily life as the majority of the people among whom they lived, offering everyone their witness to the Gospel as a sign of Christian hope.