It has been said that there have been more Christian martyrs in recent years than there were during the time of the Caesars. According to a study done by Regent University, in 1999, nearly 164,000 Christians worldwide were martyred for their faith, and in 2000 that number was closer to 165,000. With each passing year, the number of Christians who will face death for their beliefs increases. It has been estimated that since AD 70, there have been over 70 million Christians put to death for refusing to renounce their beliefs. This means that on average, just over 36 thousand have been killed each year for their faith.