More than 900,000 Christians have been killed for their faith over the last 10 years, according to a study conducted by a research firm that monitors global demographic trends in Christianity.

A report from The Christian Post shared that the Gordon-Conwell's Center for Study of Global Christianity, a research firm affiliated with the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, released their annual report focusing on Christian persecution from around the globe.

The group's findings and methodology titled "Christian Martyrdom as a Pervasive Phenomenon," which are available upon request through info@globalchristianity.org, presented data on the number of Christians who were killed last year in the name of their faith.

"In the last week, several news organizations reported on the persecution of Christians around the world and cited our figure of 90,000 Christian martyrs in 2016," the group said in a published email. Christian martyrs, as the organization defines, are "believers in Christ who have lost their lives prematurely, in situations of witness, as a result of human hostility."

They said that to be considered as "martyr," one should be a believer of Christ, having identified himself or herself as Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican or Independent, who lost his or her life in the hands of another human being in a premature manner while in a situation of witness. This may also include deaths resulting from hostilities like war, genocide, and random killing.

The think tank also explained how they arrived at the numbers, saying they factored in "historical, sociological, and theological arguments in quantifying Christian martyrdom throughout time." Moreover, they also released their annual Status of Global Christianity, containing a breakdown of their estimate.

Last week, Open Doors USA, a leading human rights and persecution watchdog, released their 2017 World Watch List, naming the top 50 countries where Christians face the most number of persecutions. "2016 was the worst year of persecution on record with a shocking 215 million Christians experiencing high levels of persecution for their faith," Open Doors USA CEO David Curry said in a press briefing at the National Press Club last week.