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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.
The Shia Islamic theocracy enforces strict religious laws, severely persecuting Baha'is, Sunni Muslims, and Christians while criminalizing apostasy and blasphemy.
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.
The constitution mandates Islam as the state religion, banning the public practice of other religions and punishing apostasy and proselytization with imprisonment.
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.
The communist government controls all religious activities through strict registration requirements and bans on independent religious groups, targeting unregistered Christian and Buddhist communities.
The government enforces strict Islamic law, including capital punishment for apostasy, and limits the religious freedom of non-Muslims and Islamic minorities.
Though officially secular, the government increasingly promotes Sunni Islam, marginalizing non-Muslim minorities and using blasphemy laws to suppress dissent.
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.
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
Buddhist nationalism drives persecution, particularly against Rohingya Muslims, who face ethnic cleansing and severe restrictions on religious practices.
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.
Religious activity is heavily controlled through strict registration laws. Unregistered groups face raids and arrests, with restrictions on religious literature and private worship.
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.
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.
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.
While officially recognizing six religions, the Indonesian government enforces blasphemy laws, and minorities like Ahmadiyya Muslims and Christians face discrimination and violence.
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.
The state strictly regulates religion, limiting the activities of non-Muslim and non-Orthodox groups while monitoring religious publications and public gatherings.
The Sunni monarchy discriminates against the Shia majority, limiting their political and religious expression and tightly regulating public religious practices.
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.
Islamic blasphemy laws with severe penalties disproportionately target minorities such as Christians, Hindus, and Ahmadis, while sectarian violence against Shias persists.
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.
The government enforces Sharia law alongside civil law, restricting non-Muslim religious practices and imposing severe penalties for violations of Islamic law.
Buddhist nationalism fuels hostilities against Muslims and Christians, with the government accused of turning a blind eye to violence and discrimination.
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.
Sectarian violence and government favoritism toward Shia Islam marginalize religious minorities, with Christians, Yazidis, and Sunni Muslims facing significant persecution in Iraq.
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.
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.
Wahhabi Islam is strictly enforced, with public worship of other religions banned. Religious police monitor compliance with Islamic laws, and blasphemy is harshly punished.
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.
Countries with the harshest religious restrictions
These nations have the tightest grips on religion
LIFESTYLE Religion
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.