Religious Freedom & Restrictions

In addition to government actions, there also was a dramatic increase in Europe in some measures of social hostility to religion.

The Center's tenth report on religious restrictions around the world focuses on trends in restrictions from 2007 to 2017.

Over the decade from 2007 to 2017, government restrictions on religion - laws, policies and actions by state officials that restrict religious beliefs and practices - increased markedly around the world.

Pew Research Center has analyzed restrictions on religion around the world for 10 years, finding that global restrictions have risen. What is happening in some of the countries with the biggest changes?

In 2017, among the 25 most populous countries, Egypt, India, Russia, Pakistan and Indonesia had the most restrictions on religion, while Japan, South Korea, South Africa, the Philippines and Brazil had the fewest restrictions. Click play to see how restrictions have changed in each country since 2007. Read the full report.

A declining share of Canadians identify as Christians. Most Canadians say religion’s influence in public life is waning in their country.

Most American adults (82%) say Muslims are subject to at least some discrimination in the U.S. today, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in March – including a majority (56%) who say Muslims are discriminated against a lot.

Almost all New Zealanders said in a 2011-2012 survey that they would accept a neighbor of a different religion.

Reports of anti-Semitic incidents in France rose dramatically in 2018. Yet most French adults do not believe negative Jewish stereotypes and are accepting of Jews.

In 2016, seven nations – Turkey, Brunei, Ethiopia, France, Hungary, Niger and Tunisia – directly used emergency laws to restrict religion, according to Pew Research Center’s latest annual religious restrictions study. While a number of different religious groups were targeted, these laws imposed restrictions on Muslims more than any other group.