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0 / 31 Fotos
China
- The Chinese government imposes strict control over religion, targeting groups like Falun Gong, underground Christian churches, and Uyghur Muslims with surveillance, arrests, and "reeducation" camps in Xinjiang.
© Getty Images
1 / 31 Fotos
Iran
- The Shia Islamic theocracy enforces strict religious laws, severely persecuting Baha'is, Sunni Muslims, and Christians while criminalizing apostasy and blasphemy.
© Getty Images
2 / 31 Fotos
Maldives
- The constitution mandates Islam as the state religion, banning the public practice of other religions and punishing apostasy and proselytization with imprisonment.
© Getty Images
3 / 31 Fotos
Saudi Arabia
- Wahhabi Islam is strictly enforced, with public worship of other religions banned. Religious police monitor compliance with Islamic laws, and blasphemy is harshly punished.
© Getty Images
4 / 31 Fotos
Egypt
- The government officially recognizes Sunni Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, restricting public worship to these groups. Disrespecting these religions or promoting "extremist" ideologies is criminalized, limiting freedom of belief and expression.
© Getty Images
5 / 31 Fotos
Morocco
- Morocco's constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but this is limited in practice. Islam is the state religion, and proselytization or conversion from Islam is prohibited, with restrictions placed on non-Muslim worship.
© Getty Images
6 / 31 Fotos
Syria
- Civil war and sectarian violence have devastated religious minorities. The Assad regime favored Alawites while other groups, including Sunni Muslims and Christians, faced significant hostilities.
© Getty Images
7 / 31 Fotos
Turkey
- Though officially secular, the government increasingly promotes Sunni Islam, marginalizing non-Muslim minorities and using blasphemy laws to suppress dissent.
© Getty Images
8 / 31 Fotos
Malaysia
- Sunni Islam is the state religion, and the government enforces apostasy laws, restricts conversions from Islam, and limits the rights of non-Muslim religious minorities.
© Getty Images
9 / 31 Fotos
Mauritania
- The government enforces strict Islamic law, including capital punishment for apostasy, and limits the religious freedom of non-Muslims and Islamic minorities.
© Getty Images
10 / 31 Fotos
Vietnam
- The communist government controls all religious activities through strict registration requirements and bans on independent religious groups, targeting unregistered Christian and Buddhist communities.
© Getty Images
11 / 31 Fotos
Afghanistan
- Under the Taliban, religious freedom is nearly nonexistent, with severe restrictions on women’s rights and harsh enforcement of Sunni Islamic law targeting Shia Muslims and non-Muslims.
© Getty Images
12 / 31 Fotos
Algeria
- Algeria's constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but in practice, the government favors Sunni Islam as the state religion. Non-Muslim worship is heavily restricted, religious associations face strict regulations, and proselytization is criminalized.
© Getty Images
13 / 31 Fotos
Myanmar
- Buddhist nationalism drives persecution, particularly against Rohingya Muslims, who face ethnic cleansing and severe restrictions on religious practices.
© Getty Images
14 / 31 Fotos
Kazakhstan
- In Kazakhstan, where Islam is the predominant religion, authorities require religious registration, restrict missionary work, and monitor unregistered religious groups. Public religious expression is also heavily regulated and subject to limitations.
© Getty Images
15 / 31 Fotos
Indonesia
- While officially recognizing six religions, the Indonesian government enforces blasphemy laws, and minorities like Ahmadiyya Muslims and Christians face discrimination and violence.
© Getty Images
16 / 31 Fotos
Russia
- Religious laws in Russia favor the Russian Orthodox Church, while Islam, the country's second-largest religion, faces monitoring and restrictions. Groups like Jehovah's Witnesses are banned as "extremist," limiting religious freedoms.
© Getty Images
17 / 31 Fotos
Turkmenistan
- In Turkmenistan, where Sunni Islam is the predominant religion, religious freedom is tightly restricted. The government mandates the registration of religious groups, bans unregistered worship, and closely monitors all religious activities.
© Getty Images
18 / 31 Fotos
Singapore
- In Singapore, where Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam are the most practiced religions, religious harmony laws tightly regulate religious groups. Authorities ban unregistered activities and groups like Jehovah's Witnesses while controlling public religious expression.
© Getty Images
19 / 31 Fotos
Pakistan
- Islamic blasphemy laws with severe penalties disproportionately target minorities such as Christians, Hindus, and Ahmadis, while sectarian violence against Shias persists.
© Getty Images
20 / 31 Fotos
Belarus
- The constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but the government restricts this right by closely monitoring religious groups, limiting unregistered organizations, and favoring the Belarusian Orthodox Church over other faiths.
© Getty Images
21 / 31 Fotos
Azerbaijan
- The state strictly regulates religion, limiting the activities of non-Muslim and non-Orthodox groups while monitoring religious publications and public gatherings.
© Getty Images
22 / 31 Fotos
Bahrain
- The Sunni monarchy discriminates against the Shia majority, limiting their political and religious expression and tightly regulating public religious practices.
© Getty Images
23 / 31 Fotos
Sri Lanka
- Buddhist nationalism fuels hostilities against Muslims and Christians, with the government accused of turning a blind eye to violence and discrimination.
© Getty Images
24 / 31 Fotos
Brunei
- The government enforces Sharia law alongside civil law, restricting non-Muslim religious practices and imposing severe penalties for violations of Islamic law.
© Getty Images
25 / 31 Fotos
Iraq
- Sectarian violence and government favoritism toward Shia Islam marginalize religious minorities, with Christians, Yazidis, and Sunni Muslims facing significant persecution in Iraq.
© Getty Images
26 / 31 Fotos
Eritrea
- The government officially recognizes Sunni Islam, the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Roman Catholicism, and Evangelical Lutheranism. All other religious groups face harsh restrictions, with unregistered worship often resulting in arrests, imprisonment, and reports of torture.
© Getty Images
27 / 31 Fotos
Laos
- The official religion in Laos is Theravada Buddhism. The government closely monitors and restricts religious activities, particularly those of Christians, often requiring approval for gatherings and targeting converts.
© Getty Images
28 / 31 Fotos
Uzbekistan
- Religious activity is heavily controlled through strict registration laws. Unregistered groups face raids and arrests, with restrictions on religious literature and private worship.
© Getty Images
29 / 31 Fotos
Tajikistan
- The government enforces strict control over Islam, banning minors from attending mosques, limiting religious dress, and monitoring clergy for political dissent. Sources: (Pew Research Center) (US Department of State Report on Religious Freedom) (BBC) (The Guardian) See also: The most atheist countries in the world
© Getty Images
30 / 31 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 31 Fotos
China
- The Chinese government imposes strict control over religion, targeting groups like Falun Gong, underground Christian churches, and Uyghur Muslims with surveillance, arrests, and "reeducation" camps in Xinjiang.
© Getty Images
1 / 31 Fotos
Iran
- The Shia Islamic theocracy enforces strict religious laws, severely persecuting Baha'is, Sunni Muslims, and Christians while criminalizing apostasy and blasphemy.
© Getty Images
2 / 31 Fotos
Maldives
- The constitution mandates Islam as the state religion, banning the public practice of other religions and punishing apostasy and proselytization with imprisonment.
© Getty Images
3 / 31 Fotos
Saudi Arabia
- Wahhabi Islam is strictly enforced, with public worship of other religions banned. Religious police monitor compliance with Islamic laws, and blasphemy is harshly punished.
© Getty Images
4 / 31 Fotos
Egypt
- The government officially recognizes Sunni Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, restricting public worship to these groups. Disrespecting these religions or promoting "extremist" ideologies is criminalized, limiting freedom of belief and expression.
© Getty Images
5 / 31 Fotos
Morocco
- Morocco's constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but this is limited in practice. Islam is the state religion, and proselytization or conversion from Islam is prohibited, with restrictions placed on non-Muslim worship.
© Getty Images
6 / 31 Fotos
Syria
- Civil war and sectarian violence have devastated religious minorities. The Assad regime favored Alawites while other groups, including Sunni Muslims and Christians, faced significant hostilities.
© Getty Images
7 / 31 Fotos
Turkey
- Though officially secular, the government increasingly promotes Sunni Islam, marginalizing non-Muslim minorities and using blasphemy laws to suppress dissent.
© Getty Images
8 / 31 Fotos
Malaysia
- Sunni Islam is the state religion, and the government enforces apostasy laws, restricts conversions from Islam, and limits the rights of non-Muslim religious minorities.
© Getty Images
9 / 31 Fotos
Mauritania
- The government enforces strict Islamic law, including capital punishment for apostasy, and limits the religious freedom of non-Muslims and Islamic minorities.
© Getty Images
10 / 31 Fotos
Vietnam
- The communist government controls all religious activities through strict registration requirements and bans on independent religious groups, targeting unregistered Christian and Buddhist communities.
© Getty Images
11 / 31 Fotos
Afghanistan
- Under the Taliban, religious freedom is nearly nonexistent, with severe restrictions on women’s rights and harsh enforcement of Sunni Islamic law targeting Shia Muslims and non-Muslims.
© Getty Images
12 / 31 Fotos
Algeria
- Algeria's constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but in practice, the government favors Sunni Islam as the state religion. Non-Muslim worship is heavily restricted, religious associations face strict regulations, and proselytization is criminalized.
© Getty Images
13 / 31 Fotos
Myanmar
- Buddhist nationalism drives persecution, particularly against Rohingya Muslims, who face ethnic cleansing and severe restrictions on religious practices.
© Getty Images
14 / 31 Fotos
Kazakhstan
- In Kazakhstan, where Islam is the predominant religion, authorities require religious registration, restrict missionary work, and monitor unregistered religious groups. Public religious expression is also heavily regulated and subject to limitations.
© Getty Images
15 / 31 Fotos
Indonesia
- While officially recognizing six religions, the Indonesian government enforces blasphemy laws, and minorities like Ahmadiyya Muslims and Christians face discrimination and violence.
© Getty Images
16 / 31 Fotos
Russia
- Religious laws in Russia favor the Russian Orthodox Church, while Islam, the country's second-largest religion, faces monitoring and restrictions. Groups like Jehovah's Witnesses are banned as "extremist," limiting religious freedoms.
© Getty Images
17 / 31 Fotos
Turkmenistan
- In Turkmenistan, where Sunni Islam is the predominant religion, religious freedom is tightly restricted. The government mandates the registration of religious groups, bans unregistered worship, and closely monitors all religious activities.
© Getty Images
18 / 31 Fotos
Singapore
- In Singapore, where Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam are the most practiced religions, religious harmony laws tightly regulate religious groups. Authorities ban unregistered activities and groups like Jehovah's Witnesses while controlling public religious expression.
© Getty Images
19 / 31 Fotos
Pakistan
- Islamic blasphemy laws with severe penalties disproportionately target minorities such as Christians, Hindus, and Ahmadis, while sectarian violence against Shias persists.
© Getty Images
20 / 31 Fotos
Belarus
- The constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but the government restricts this right by closely monitoring religious groups, limiting unregistered organizations, and favoring the Belarusian Orthodox Church over other faiths.
© Getty Images
21 / 31 Fotos
Azerbaijan
- The state strictly regulates religion, limiting the activities of non-Muslim and non-Orthodox groups while monitoring religious publications and public gatherings.
© Getty Images
22 / 31 Fotos
Bahrain
- The Sunni monarchy discriminates against the Shia majority, limiting their political and religious expression and tightly regulating public religious practices.
© Getty Images
23 / 31 Fotos
Sri Lanka
- Buddhist nationalism fuels hostilities against Muslims and Christians, with the government accused of turning a blind eye to violence and discrimination.
© Getty Images
24 / 31 Fotos
Brunei
- The government enforces Sharia law alongside civil law, restricting non-Muslim religious practices and imposing severe penalties for violations of Islamic law.
© Getty Images
25 / 31 Fotos
Iraq
- Sectarian violence and government favoritism toward Shia Islam marginalize religious minorities, with Christians, Yazidis, and Sunni Muslims facing significant persecution in Iraq.
© Getty Images
26 / 31 Fotos
Eritrea
- The government officially recognizes Sunni Islam, the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Roman Catholicism, and Evangelical Lutheranism. All other religious groups face harsh restrictions, with unregistered worship often resulting in arrests, imprisonment, and reports of torture.
© Getty Images
27 / 31 Fotos
Laos
- The official religion in Laos is Theravada Buddhism. The government closely monitors and restricts religious activities, particularly those of Christians, often requiring approval for gatherings and targeting converts.
© Getty Images
28 / 31 Fotos
Uzbekistan
- Religious activity is heavily controlled through strict registration laws. Unregistered groups face raids and arrests, with restrictions on religious literature and private worship.
© Getty Images
29 / 31 Fotos
Tajikistan
- The government enforces strict control over Islam, banning minors from attending mosques, limiting religious dress, and monitoring clergy for political dissent. Sources: (Pew Research Center) (US Department of State Report on Religious Freedom) (BBC) (The Guardian) See also: The most atheist countries in the world
© Getty Images
30 / 31 Fotos
Countries with the harshest religious restrictions
These nations have the tightest grips on religion
© Getty Images
Religious freedom varies significantly worldwide, with some governments imposing severe restrictions on religious activity. A Pew Research Center study analyzing 198 countries and territories revealed that nearly all had some level of government control over religious practices. While the study avoided precise rankings due to tied scores and minimal differences between closely ranked nations, this gallery highlights the top 30 countries with the highest levels of religious restrictions, uncovering the challenges faced by religious groups and minorities around the world.
Curious? Click on to learn more.
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