Situation Worldwide

Religious Freedom in the World Report 2023

Situation Worldwide

Religious Freedom in the World Report 2023

THE HUMAN PERSON HAS A RIGHT TO RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.

Dignitatis Humanae

Do you have a full picture of religious freedom in the world?

Do you have a full picture of religious freedom in the world?

Since 1999, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has been publishing the Religious Freedom in the World Report - a global overview considering the status of this fundamental human right for all religious traditions. Published biennially, the publication reports on incidents gathered over the two-year period, revealing where the individual can freely choose and publicly express his or her faith without being discriminated, oppressed, or persecuted.

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion [guaranteed and respected]; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance (Article 18 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights).

Situation Worldwide

Religious Freedom Report

The ACN report examines the state of religious freedom in 196 countries, runs to nearly 900 pages, and is published in six languages. It is one of four reports on the state of global religious freedom. The others are published by the American Pew Research Center, the U.S. State Department, and the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). The ACN report is the only non-governmental report in Europe that takes Catholic social doctrine into account.

Religious Freedom Report 2023

Main findings:

In the context of a tense global climate impacted by the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, the fallout of the war in Ukraine, the military and economic concerns around the South China Sea, and the rapid, worldwide increase in the cost of living, religious freedom was violated in countries where more than 4.9 billion people live. We count 61 countries where the citizens faced severe violations of religious freedom.

The Red category, which denotes the existence of persecution, includes 28 countries which are home to 4.03 billion people who altogether make up more than half (51.6 percent) of the world’s population. The Orange category, which denotes the existence of discrimination, includes 33 countries, home to almost 853 million people.

Check Executive summary Archives report