Global Trends in Government Restrictions and Social Hostilities Involving Religion: A 2019 Analysis by Pew Research Center

The Pew Research Center has released its 12th annual report on global restrictions on religion, revealing some interesting trends in government restrictions and social hostilities involving religion around the world. The study, part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project, analyzes data from 198 countries and territories to measure the extent to which governments and societies impinge on religious beliefs and practices.

In 2019, social hostilities involving religion saw a decline globally, with fewer countries experiencing violence and harassment against religious groups compared to previous years. The number of countries with high levels of social hostilities dropped to 22%, the lowest since 2009. This decline can be attributed to a decrease in religion-related terrorism incidents, with only 49 countries experiencing such events in 2019, down from 64 in 2018.

However, government restrictions on religion remained at the highest level since the study began, with 29% of countries having high or very high levels of restrictions. Most of these countries were in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East-North Africa regions. The study also highlighted an increase in government harassment against religious groups and interference in worship, with more countries reporting incidents in 2019 than in previous years.

The report also introduced new measures to assess online restrictions related to religion and the use of technology by governments to surveil religious groups. In 2019, 14% of countries had online restrictions, with the majority in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East-North Africa regions. Additionally, 10 countries used technology to monitor religious groups, citing security concerns as a reason for such actions.

Overall, the report provides a comprehensive overview of the state of religious restrictions globally in 2019, shedding light on the challenges faced by religious communities in different parts of the world. The full results and analysis can be found in the report’s appendices, offering a detailed look at the data for each country and region.