4. Among the most populous countries, Russia, Egypt, India, Pakistan and Nigeria had highest overall restrictions on religion in 2015
Examining the world’s 25 most populous countries is a way to see the restrictions on religion that have the potential to impact the highest number of people. More than 5 billion people – about 75% of humanity – live in these 25 countries, although the populations within these nations likely do not necessarily experience government […]
3. Government restrictions rise in nearly all regions in 2015
Government restrictions by region The median level of government restrictions on religion increased in four of the five regions analyzed in this report (Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, and Europe) from 2014 to 2015 and remained roughly the same in one region (the Americas). The largest increase occurred […]
2. Nearly all Muslims, Jews, Hindus live in countries where their group was harassed in 2015
In addition to looking at government restrictions on religion and social hostilities involving religion separately, this analysis also combines the two broad types of religious restrictions when examining the harassment or intimidation of specific religious groups. Whether perpetrated by governments or social groups, specific religious groups were harassed in 169 countries in 2015, up from […]
1. Rise in countries with ‘very high’ government restrictions on religion in 2015
Countries with the most extensive government restrictions on religion Many countries have some form of government restriction on religion, whether it involves policies that favor some groups over others or outright bans on certain worship practices. But each year, a few countries stand out as having particularly extensive restrictions. In 2015, 23 of the 198 […]
Global Restrictions on Religion Rise Modestly in 2015, Reversing Downward Trend
Government restrictions on religion and social hostilities involving religion increased in 2015 for the first time in three years. Government harassment and use of force surged in Europe, as did social hostilities against Muslims.
Trends in Global Restrictions on Religion
Worldwide, both government restrictions on religion and social hostilities involving religion decreased modestly from 2013 to 2014 despite a rise in religion-related terrorism, according to Pew Research Center’s latest annual study on global restrictions on religion.1 Of the 198 countries included in the study, 24% had high or very high levels of government restrictions in […]
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