The Government Restrictions Index (GRI) gives each country and territory analyzed in this study a score of 0.0 to 10.0 based on how much they restrict or control religious activities such as public preaching or worship, and how much they harass or use force against the group’s believers. The first section below discusses countries with the highest GRI scores (ie those with the most extensive levels of government restrictions in 2022) and countries with large changes in GRI scores from the previous year.
Among the 198 countries and territories analyzed in this study, 59 had either “high” or “very high” levels of government restrictions on religion in 2022. This figure represents an increase from 55 countries in 2021 and a new high for the study.
Of those countries, 24 had “very high” GRI scores, an increase from 19 countries in 2021. And 35 countries had “high” GRI scores, down from 36 countries the previous year. (A score of 4.5 to 6.5 – out of 10.0 – is classified as a “high” score for a country, while a score of 6.6 to 10.0 is classified as “very high”. For more information on how “high” and “very high” categories are defined for GRI, see Methodology.)
Countries with the most extensive government restrictions
Seven countries moved from the “high” GRI category to the “very high” category in 2022, including Iraq, Israel, Mauritania, Morocco, Turkey, Vietnam and Western Sahara. Most of these countries had small changes in their GRI scores (increases of 0.1 to 0.9 on the index) that pushed them from one category to another. For example, Mauritania’s GRI score rose by 0.5 points (from 6.1 to 6.6), partly due to the arrest of a man in April in the border town of Rosso after his son brought Bibles and other Christian literature to Mauritania across the state border with Senegal. (The man claimed ownership of the materials to deflect blame from his son and was released from custody by the end of the year, according to the US State Department.)
Israel’s GRI score rose 1.0 points in 2022, from 5.7 to 6.7, partly due to new reports of violations of prisoners’ religious freedoms, which alleged that Israeli authorities prevented prisoners from praying; ate in front of detainees while they were fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan; and took off the women’s scarves.
In 2022, both Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan moved in the other direction on the GRI, from the “very high” to “high” category. Kazakhstan’s score fell by less than 1.0 points, from 7.0 to 6.3, while Turkmenistan’s score fell by more than 2.0 points, from 7.1 to 4.8.
In Turkmenistan, unlike the previous year, in 2022 there were no reported arrests of persons due to holding religious gatherings or conscientious objection to military serviceaccording to the sources analyzed for the study. Although the country’s religious people continue to face harassment and many religious prisoners remain incarcerated in Turkmenistan, minority religious groups have reported that they face fewer obstacles in freely practicing their faith. For example, relations with authorities have improved and there are fewer obstacles to registering as religious groups, according to the US State Department.
For a full list of countries in each GRI category, see Appendix A.
Changes in Government Constraints Index scores
In 2022, a total of 97 countries had an increase of 0.1 points or more on the GRI, while 63 countries had a decrease of 0.1 points or more.
Looking at changes in classification, about two-thirds of the analyzed countries (134 out of 198) had small changes (0.1 to 0.9) in their GRI scores in 2022: 85 were small increases and 49 were small decreases.
An additional 38 countries had no increase or decrease, while 25 did modest changes (1.0 to 1.9 points) in 2022, including 12 with modest increases and 13 with modest decreases.
Only Turkmenistan had big reduction (2.0 points or more). No country had a large increase in GRI in 2022.
Social hostilities related to religion
The Social Hostility Index (SHI) gives each country a score based on reports of incidents of religion-related hostilities by non-governmental actors (such as private individuals and social groups). These acts may include verbal and physical harassment, mob violence, tensions between religious groups, or violence committed in the name of religion. This section of the report discusses countries with the highest levels of social hostility and major changes in SHI scores from 2021 to 2022.
A total of 45 countries had “high” or “very high” levels of social hostility in 2022, compared to 43 countries in 2021. Among these countries, seven had “very high” SHI scores in 2022, the same number as the previous year. A total of 38 countries had “high” levels of social hostility, up from 36 in 2021. On the Social Hostility Index, scores of 3.6 to 7.1 (out of 10.0) are categorized as “high,” while scores of 7.2 to 10.0 is considered “very high”. (Look at Methodology to learn how these categories are defined.)
Countries with the greatest social hostilities
Nigeria was one of seven countries with “very high” levels of social hostility in 2022. The US State Department reported that “general insecurity prevailed throughout the country” in 2022, with multiple reports of religious violence, kidnappings and mass murders of Muslims and Christians by armed groups. In addition, the militant groups Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa burned down churches and mosques in the northeastern part of the country.
Of the seven countries with “very high” SHI scores in 2022, only one (Iraq) moved in this category. Another country moved (Israel). of category and instead into the “high” category.
In Iraq, part of the increase in SHI was linked to the activities of sectarian armed groups such as the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which imprisoned religious minorities and held them in secret prisons. (For more examples of social hostility by the PMF in Iraq, see Chapter 3.) According to Amnesty International, there were also more reports in the Iraqi Kurdistan region in 2022 than in previous years women and girls killed by male family members for reasons including conversion to another religion.
For a list of countries in each SHI category, see Appendix B.
Changes in scores on the Social Hostility Index
In 2022, four countries had large changes (2.0 points or more) in their SHI scores. Three of them – Iran, Jordan and Sierra Leone – had large increases in their SHI scores, while Uganda had a large one reduction. An additional 42 countries had modest changes (1.0 to 1.9 points) in their scores, including 18 modest increases and 24 decreases. A total of 103 countries had small changes (0.1 to 0.9 points), including 42 increases and 61 decreases. And 49 countries had no change in their SHI scores.
Of the four countries with major changes, two (Iran and Sierra Leone) moved into different SHI categories. Iran moved from a “moderate” to a “high” category, while Sierra Leone moved from a “low” to a “moderate” SHI category. Meanwhile, Jordan and Uganda remained in the “high” category despite large changes in their SHI scores.
Sierra Leone’s score increased due to multiple reports of hostilities between the groups. For example, foreign preachers from Pakistan who are a part Jamaat TablighiIslamic missionary movement, attacked an Ahmadi Muslim missionary from Pakistan for “listening to a different version of the Qur’an on his cell phone,” the US State Department reported. AND a Pentecostal church in Sierra Leone was attacked by Muslims in the area during the graduation ceremony. The attackers damaged furniture, threw stones and complained that the ceremony was too noisy.
Uganda’s SHI score decreased in 2022 due to fewer reports of conversion and proselytizing hostilities compared to the previous year.
Changes in the general restrictions of religion
When we combine each country’s GRI and SHI scores, we find that 88 countries had an overall increase in scores since 2021, 85 had a decrease, and 25 had no overall change.
Among the 88 increases, 67 were small (0.1 to 0.9 points) and 18 modest (1.0 to 1.9 points). A total of three countries – Iran, Jordan and Sierra Leone – had large overall increases in their scores.
When looking at the 85 countries where overall scores fell in 2022, 60 had a small decline (0.1 to 0.9 points) and 24 had a modest decline (1.0 to 1.9 points). Only Turkmenistan had a large overall decline.
