Restrictions and Hostilities in the Most Populous Countries
Explore the levels of social hostilities and government restrictions on religion in the world's 25 most populous counties since 2007.
5 facts about Catholicism in the Philippines
Iraqi Yazidis: Hazy population numbers and a history of persecution
The Yazidis who have been fleeing the advance of the Sunni militant group ISIS in Iraq are a religious group of uncertain numbers and a long history of persecution.
In 30 countries, heads of state must belong to a certain religion
A new Pew Research analysis finds that 30 of the world’s countries (15%) belong to a unique group of nations that call for their heads of state to have a particular religious affiliation.
A look at the damage governments inflict on religious property
Though religious property damage by governments were most common in the Middle East-North Africa region, instances have occured in every region of the world.
As FIFA attempts to curb racism at the World Cup, a look at hate speech laws worldwide
Hate-speech laws exist in 89 countries around the world (45%). In some countries, the laws protect only certain religious or social groups, while others have broader laws, covering words or actions that insult, denigrate or intimidate a person or group based on race, gender, religion, ethnicity or other traits.
How religious harassment varies by region across the globe
Here’s a region-by-region look at where religious harassment takes place, and to which groups.
Religious police found in nearly one-in-ten countries worldwide
As of 2012, at least 17 nations have police that enforce religious norms. Religion police forces are most common in the Middle East and North Africa, and are also found in the Asia-Pacific and in sub-Saharan Africa.
Religious Restrictions in the World’s 25 Most Populous Countries
Among the world’s 25 most populous countries, Egypt, Indonesia, Russia, Pakistan and Burma (Myanmar) stand out as having the most restrictions on religion when both government restrictions and social hostilities are taken into account.
Religious Hostilities Reach Six-Year High
A third of the 198 countries studied had a high or very high level of social hostilities involving religion in 2012. About three-in-ten countries had a high or very high level of government restrictions on religion, roughly the same as in 2011.
