Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
A Closer Look at How Religious Restrictions Have Risen Around the World
Number of countries where religious groups were harassed, by type of harassment
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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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