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Religious Freedom & Restrictions
In 2018, Government Restrictions on Religion Reach Highest Level Globally in More Than a Decade
In 2018, the global median level of government restrictions on religion – that is, laws, policies and actions by officials that impinge on religious beliefs and practices – continued to climb, reaching an all-time high since Pew Research Center began tracking these trends in 2007.
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Women in many countries face harassment for clothing deemed too religious – or too secular
Women in 56 countries experienced social hostilities due to clothing that was deemed to violate religious or secular dress norms.
Religious restrictions around the world
For more than a decade, Pew Research Center has been tracking global patterns in restrictions on religion – both those imposed by governments and hostilities committed by individuals and social groups.
Government restrictions on religion around the world reached new record in 2018
Government restrictions in 2018 were at their highest level since 2007, when Pew Research Center began tracking these trends.
Restrictions on religion among the 25 most populous countries, 2007-2018
Among the 25 most populous countries, India, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan and Russia had the highest levels of overall restrictions on religion in 2018, while Japan, South Africa, Italy, Brazil and the United States had the fewest restrictions.
In 2018, Government Restrictions on Religion Reach Highest Level Globally in More Than a Decade
In 2018, the global median level of government restrictions on religion – that is, laws, policies and actions by officials that impinge on religious beliefs and practices – continued to climb, reaching an all-time high since Pew Research Center began tracking these trends in 2007.
Republicans more open to in-person worship, but most oppose religious exemptions from COVID restrictions
Republicans and Democrats' opinions differ on many aspects of the outbreak, including views about religious practices during the pandemic.
Amid pandemic, Black and Hispanic worshippers more concerned about safety of in-person religious services
Black and Hispanic worshippers are less likely than their white counterparts to say they have gone to a house of worship recently.
Most states have religious exemptions to COVID-19 social distancing rules
Only 10 states are preventing in-person religious gatherings in any form, according to our analysis of recent state-level regulations.
Religiously unaffiliated people face harassment in a growing number of countries
The religiously unaffiliated were harassed by governments, private groups or both in 23 countries in 2017, up from 14 the previous year.
Europe experienced a surge in government restrictions on religious activity over the last decade
In addition to government actions, there also was a dramatic increase in Europe in some measures of social hostility to religion.
