The number of countries experiencing high levels of religion-related social hostility increased significantly in 2023, according to a new global study from Pew Research Center.
The report found that 55 countries recorded high or very high levels of social hostilities involving religion in 2023 – a rise from 45 countries the previous year.
It marks the third consecutive annual increase, although the figure remains below the peak of 65 countries recorded in 2012.
Pew researchers attributed the rise to several factors, including growing hostility targeted towards minority faith groups and the international repercussions of Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.
The study examines religious freedom in 198 countries and territories using two measures: the Government Restrictions Index (GRI), which assesses laws, policies and actions that limit religious freedom, and the Social Hostilities Index (SHI), which measures religion-related harassment and violence carried out by private individuals, organisations and extremist groups.
Among religious groups, Christians faced harassment in the largest number of countries, with incidents recorded in 165 nations.
Muslims were harassed in 143 countries, while Jews faced harassment in 98 countries, up from 90 the previous year.
Across the world, physical harassment of religious groups became more widespread.
Religious communities faced at least one form of physical harassment in 151 countries, up from 145 in 2022.
Damage to religious property was the most frequent form, occurring in 120 countries.
Europe experienced particularly high levels of such incidents, with property damage reported in 78% of countries across the region.
Physical assaults were recorded in 96 countries, while religion-related killings were reported in 48 countries
While social hostilities involving religion increased in 2023, government restrictions on religious freedom remained close to record levels.
The report found that 58 countries registered high or very high levels of government restrictions, just below the record high of 59 countries in 2022.
Government harassment of religious groups remained widespread, occurring in 185 countries.
At the same time, interference with religious worship reached a new peak, affecting 175 countries and territories.
Such restrictions included refusing permits for places of worship, limiting burial practices and restricting objections to military service based on religious or moral convictions.
Overall, Pew estimated that around 78% of the world's population lives in countries experiencing high or very high levels of government restrictions, social hostilities involving religion, or both.
Among the countries with the greatest levels of government restrictions were China, Iran, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Syria and Uzbekistan.
Regionally, the Middle East and North Africa continued to record the highest median level of government restrictions on religion, while social hostilities in the region also increased.
Europe saw rising levels of both government restrictions and social hostilities, while sub-Saharan Africa was the only region where both measures declined overall, despite Nigeria retaining the world's highest social hostilities score.
Among the world’s 25 most populous countries, India, Egypt, Pakistan, Iran and Indonesia recorded the highest combined levels of restrictions and social hostilities involving religion in 2023.
By contrast, South Africa, the United States, Japan, the Philippines and the United Kingdom recorded the lowest combined levels.
European countries including Norway, Spain and Sweden recorded notable rises in social hostilities involving religion.
Six countries recorded very high levels of social hostilities in 2023: Nigeria, Israel, India, Pakistan, Syria and Bangladesh. Israel and Bangladesh were new additions to the category during the year.
Israel's score increased from 7.1 to 8.4 following the October 7 attacks and the resulting conflict, while Bangladesh's rise from 6.1 to 7.8 was linked in part to violent attacks on members of the Ahmadi Muslim community that left two people dead and caused extensive damage to homes, a mosque and a medical clinic.
The report also highlighted a rise in the number of countries moving into the high social hostility category - 12 in 2023, including several in Europe: Belgium, Norway, Russia, Spain and Sweden. Further afield, countries included Turkey, Thailand, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Guatemala.
Several of these increases were linked to highly publicised incidents.
In Spain, the rise in SHI score from 2.8 to 3.7 was driven by attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses, a machete attack on two churches in Algeciras, and post-October 7 surges in anti-Muslim and antisemitic incidents.
In Norway, the SHI increased from 3.2 to 4.2 due to physical attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses and increased hate speech against both Jews and Muslims after October 7.
The report states that the Jewish Community of Oslo expressed “concern regarding increasing expressions of antisemitism in the country, and fear among the Jewish community at a level not experienced in decades.”
Sudan experienced one of the largest increases – from 3.5 to 5.7 - driven by the ongoing conflict the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which targeted Coptic Christians, seized mosques and churches as military bases, and coerced the conversion of Christians to Islam.
