Algorithm

Human rights

Demography

Freedom of religion

Mathematics

Politics

Political science

Religious freedom

Democracy

Population

Political economy

Sociology

Element (criminal law)

Prosperity

Liberal democracy

Economic freedom

State (computer science)

Social Compass

Religious freedom (RF) is important because it is posited to be a central element of liberal democracy and as having multiple additional benefits including increased security and economic prosperity. Yet, it is also a disputed concept and many liberal democracies restrict the freedoms of religious minorities. This study uses the Religion and State (RAS) dataset to examine the extent of RF in 183 countries based on six definitions of RF. The author examines whether religious minorities are restricted in a manner that the majority is not, regulation of the majority religion, and imposition of precepts of the majority religion on a country’s population. He finds that very few countries, including liberal democracies, meet any standard for RF, even when one allows for ‘loose’ standards where some violations of RF are allowed.

What is religious freedom and who has it?