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Home Research Topics Religion International Religious Freedom & Restrictions
Pew Research CenterJuly 15, 2019
A Closer Look at How Religious Restrictions Have Risen Around the World

Countries with most restrictive laws and policies toward religious freedom

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Countries with most restrictive laws and policies toward religious freedom

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A Closer Look at How Religious Restrictions Have Risen Around the World
Since 2007, increasing number of countries have high/very high levels of government restrictions on religion, social hostilities involving religion
Government restrictions on religion around the world
Globally, most restrictions, hostilities involving religion have risen over past decade
Government favoritism of religious groups highest in Middle East, rising elsewhere
Social hostilities involving religion, by region
Countries with high levels of religious violence by organized groups
General laws, policies restricting religious freedom increased across all regions
Social hostilities involving religion around the world
Countries with most restrictive laws and policies toward religious freedom
Restrictions on religion among the world’s most 25 populous countries
Europe’s average score measuring government limits on religious activity has doubled
Countries with most limits on religious activities of religious groups and individuals
Average score measuring government harassment of religious groups has increased in every region since baseline year
Countries with high levels of government harassment of religious groups
Levels of social hostilities related to religious norms have increased most in Americas, Europe and sub-Saharan Africa
Countries with high levels of social hostilities related to religious norms
Interreligious tension and violence has declined in multiple regions, including Asia-Pacific
Harassment of religiously unaffiliated people became more widespread in 2017
Countries with high levels of interreligious tension and violence
Middle East has highest levels of religious hostilities by organized groups 0 015
Countries with high levels of religious violence by organized groups
Number of countries where religious groups were harassed, by type of harassment
Social hostilities by individuals, social groups in society ticked up globally since 2007
Countries with high levels of individual and social group harassment
Government restrictions on religion by region
Global median level of government restrictions on religion stable between 2016 and 2017
Countries with very high government restrictions on religion
Countries with very high social hostilities involving religion
Identical number of increases, declines in country-level government restrictions on religion in 2017
More countries with decreases than increases in social hostilities involving religion in 2017
Overall changes in global restrictions on religion: 85 countries had increased scores in 2017, while 87 had decreases
Government restrictions categories
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Social hostilities categories
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