The number of countries experiencing high levels of religion-related social hostilities increased for the third consecutive year in 2023, driven in part by rising harassment of religious minorities and global fallout from the Israel-Hamas war, according to a new report from Pew Research Center.
Researchers found that 55 of 198 countries and territories studied recorded high or very high levels of social hostilities involving religion in 2023, up from 45 the year before. While the increase marks a continuing upward trend, it remains below the peak of 65 countries recorded in 2012 following the Arab Spring uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa.
The annual study measures both government restrictions on religion and social hostilities involving religion. Government restrictions include laws, policies and official actions that limit religious practices, while social hostilities encompass harassment, intimidation and violence carried out by private individuals, organizations or extremist groups.
Pew researchers found government restrictions remained near record levels in 2023. Fifty-eight countries registered high or very high levels of government restrictions, just one fewer than the all-time high recorded in 2022. Countries with very high government restrictions included China, Iran, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Syria and Uzbekistan.
Meanwhile, countries with very high levels of social hostilities included Nigeria, India, Israel, Syria, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Despite the increase in countries experiencing elevated social hostilities, the global median score measuring religious hostilities remained unchanged at 1.6 on a 10-point scale, the same level recorded in 2021 and 2022. Researchers said most countries still fall into the low or moderate categories.
The study identified 12 countries that moved from moderate to high levels of social hostilities during 2023. Those nations included Belgium, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Guatemala and Sudan.
Researchers cited a variety of contributing factors, including attacks on religious minorities, rising antisemitism and anti-Muslim incidents following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Israel’s military response in Gaza, Quran burnings in several countries, violence involving religious separatist movements, and attacks tied to accusations of witchcraft.
The report also found that approximately 78% of the world’s population lives in countries with high or very high levels of government restrictions, social hostilities or both. Researchers noted that the figure is heavily influenced by large populations in countries such as China, India and Pakistan, where religious restrictions and hostilities remain significant.
Among specific trends identified in the report, government harassment of religious groups occurred in 185 countries and territories in 2023, while government interference in religious worship or practices reached a record high, occurring in 175 countries.
Pew Research Center’s annual study relies on publicly available information from sources including the U.S. State Department, United Nations agencies and international human rights organizations. The 2023 data is the most recent available because of the time required to collect, verify and analyze information from countries around the world.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.