Four-in-ten countries and territories worldwide had blasphemy laws in 2019
79 countries and territories out of the 198 studied around the world (40%) had laws or policies in 2019 banning blasphemy.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
79 countries and territories out of the 198 studied around the world (40%) had laws or policies in 2019 banning blasphemy.
China has the world’s largest population (1.426 billion), but India (1.417 billion) is expected to claim this title next year.
In 2020, properties in 102 of the 198 countries and territories in the study were targeted in incidents tied to religion.
Our study analyzes 198 countries and territories and is based on policies and events in 2020, the most recent year for which data is available.
Around a fifth (21%) of the 198 countries evaluated banned at least one religion-related group in 2019, our analysis found.
Women make up at least 40% of the workforce in more than 80 countries. Across all of these countries, the median female share of the workforce is 45.4%.
While many, especially in the U.S., may associate Islam with the Middle East or North Africa, nearly two-thirds of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims live in the Asia-Pacific region.
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