V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · Freedom of Religion
Freedom of religion by country
Are people free to choose and practise their religion?
New Zealand placed first of the 176 countries compared in 2025, at 2.792, and Afghanistan last, at -3.294. In the middle country the figure was 1.297. Among the 168 countries measured in every edition since 1990, the middle one moved from 0.966 to 1.324.
Part ofDemocracy & Civil Liberties
Freedom of religion · 2025
Context statistic
Highest of 176New Zealand
2.792012025 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 176 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: Karora derivative work: Inkey · Public domain, greyscale
2Photo: Ximonic , Simo Räsänen · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3Photo: Joonas Lyytinen · CC BY-SA 2.5, greyscale
Lowest in 2025
- 176
Afghanistan-3.294 - 175
North Korea-3.250 - 174
Yemen-2.889
Positions out of 176. Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
Highest on each continent
- Africa
Ghana2.497 - Americas
Trinidad and Tobago2.449 - Asia
Taiwan2.607 - Europe
Norway2.739 - OceaniaNew Zealand2.792
- Every region
02Every measured country
Freedom of religion on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- -3.294–-0.339
- -0.285–0.967
- 1.019–1.516
- 1.536–2.047
- 2.087–2.792
- No reading in 2025
- Americas
1.953
the middle country, of 27 measured · 48 members
Trinidad and Tobago2.449
Nicaragua-1.558Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Oceania
1.898
the middle country, of 6 measured · 21 members
New Zealand2.792
Fiji1.351Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Europe
1.750
the middle country, of 40 measured · 49 members
Norway2.739
Ukraine-0.905Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Africa
1.163
the middle country, of 55 measured · 55 members
Ghana2.497
Eritrea-1.987Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Asia
-0.100
the middle country, of 48 measured · 52 members
Taiwan2.607Afghanistan-3.294Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Every region
20 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Northern Europe
2.220
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Norway2.739
United Kingdom0.703Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- South America
2.172
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Peru2.319
Venezuela0.459Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Western Europe
1.987
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Netherlands2.411
France1.603Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Southern Africa
1.869
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
South Africa2.437
Eswatini0.789Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Caribbean
1.820
the middle country, of 6 measured · 24 members
Trinidad and Tobago2.449
Cuba-0.605Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Central America
1.756
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
El Salvador2.267Nicaragua-1.558Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Eastern Asia
1.592
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
Taiwan2.607North Korea-3.250Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Western Africa
1.476
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Ghana2.497
Mauritania-1.309Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Southern Europe
1.302
the middle country, of 13 measured · 17 members
Italy2.177
Greece0.768Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Eastern Europe
1.238
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Poland2.263Ukraine-0.905Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Middle Africa
0.805
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
São Tomé and Príncipe2.002
DR Congo-0.285Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Eastern Africa
0.694
the middle country, of 19 measured · 19 members
Zambia2.230Eritrea-1.987Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- South-eastern Asia
0.580
the middle country, of 10 measured · 11 members
Philippines1.743
Vietnam-1.404Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Western Asia
-0.060
the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members
Cyprus1.640Yemen-2.889Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Central Asia
-0.344
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Kyrgyzstan1.264
Turkmenistan-2.534Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Southern Asia
-0.722
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Bangladesh1.133Afghanistan-3.294Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Northern Africa
-1.168
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Tunisia0.082
Algeria-1.490Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
New Zealand2.792
Australia2.236Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Melanesia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Vanuatu1.942Fiji1.351Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
Canada0.967
United States0.953Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
03The whole field at once
The spread
176 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 1.297; a quarter are above 1.943, and a quarter below 0.075. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 176 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. Higher is better. It measures restrictions imposed by the authorities — bans on worship or conversion, registration used to shut out a faith, state control of clergy — not hostility between religious communities in society.
Showing 25 of 176 countries
Values for 2025. The change column compares 2025 with 2024 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051990–2025 · 36 reference years
Over time
Each point is one year from 1990, all of them re-estimated together in V-Dem's v16 release. The scale has no fixed ends, so read the movement and the gap to other countries rather than the number on its own.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 168 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 176 | 1.297 | 0.075 – 1.943 | 1.324 |
| 2024 | 176 | 1.334 | 0.096 – 1.992 | 1.348 |
| 2023 | 176 | 1.320 | 0.217 – 1.947 | 1.324 |
| 2022 | 176 | 1.320 | 0.221 – 1.965 | 1.324 |
| 2021 | 176 | 1.309 | 0.409 – 1.965 | 1.326 |
| 2020 | 176 | 1.300 | 0.426 – 1.945 | 1.320 |
| 2019 | 176 | 1.217 | 0.507 – 1.868 | 1.288 |
| 2018 | 176 | 1.269 | 0.401 – 1.988 | 1.354 |
| 2017 | 176 | 1.339 | 0.374 – 1.992 | 1.375 |
| 2016 | 176 | 1.332 | 0.474 – 1.996 | 1.378 |
| 2015 | 176 | 1.489 | 0.488 – 2.079 | 1.489 |
| 2014 | 176 | 1.567 | 0.354 – 2.099 | 1.567 |
| 2013 | 176 | 1.567 | 0.393 – 2.173 | 1.567 |
| 2012 | 176 | 1.635 | 0.360 – 2.087 | 1.640 |
| 2011 | 176 | 1.632 | 0.360 – 2.080 | 1.636 |
| 2010 | 175 | 1.645 | 0.268 – 2.090 | 1.651 |
| 2009 | 175 | 1.620 | 0.208 – 2.088 | 1.624 |
| 2008 | 175 | 1.579 | 0.212 – 2.083 | 1.600 |
| 2007 | 175 | 1.568 | 0.237 – 2.065 | 1.573 |
| 2006 | 175 | 1.518 | 0.251 – 2.065 | 1.517 |
| 2005 | 175 | 1.518 | 0.251 – 2.051 | 1.517 |
| 2004 | 175 | 1.540 | 0.341 – 2.065 | 1.546 |
| 2003 | 175 | 1.524 | 0.328 – 2.065 | 1.520 |
| 2002 | 175 | 1.516 | 0.328 – 2.065 | 1.520 |
| 2001 | 175 | 1.458 | 0.319 – 2.045 | 1.469 |
| 2000 | 175 | 1.444 | 0.317 – 2.032 | 1.451 |
| 1999 | 175 | 1.345 | 0.149 – 1.988 | 1.378 |
| 1998 | 174 | 1.343 | 0.146 – 1.959 | 1.377 |
| 1997 | 173 | 1.345 | 0.140 – 1.958 | 1.377 |
| 1996 | 173 | 1.345 | 0.140 – 1.958 | 1.377 |
| 1995 | 173 | 1.336 | 0.092 – 1.942 | 1.360 |
| 1994 | 173 | 1.336 | 0.069 – 1.942 | 1.360 |
| 1993 | 173 | 1.304 | -0.092 – 1.903 | 1.341 |
| 1992 | 172 | 1.281 | -0.139 – 1.900 | 1.316 |
| 1991 | 171 | 1.147 | -0.210 – 1.901 | 1.165 |
| 1990 | 168 | 0.966 | -0.420 – 1.828 | 0.966 |
062024 → 2025
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after
Mali0.466 → 1.818 · 125th → 50th+1.352
Syria-1.793 → -1.149 · 168th → 158th+0.644
Indonesia0.699 → 1.277 · 118th → 92nd+0.578
Colombia1.756 → 2.260 · 61st → 19th+0.504
Tajikistan-2.053 → -1.580 · 170th → 166th+0.473
Declined most
before → after- United States2.311 → 0.953 · 16th → 109th−1.358
- United Kingdom1.673 → 0.703 · 65th → 118th−0.970
Croatia1.923 → 1.019 · 52nd → 105th−0.904
Cameroon2.030 → 1.163 · 43rd → 98th−0.867
Portugal1.785 → 0.955 · 60th → 108th−0.830
176 countries were measured in both 2024 and 2025.
07Across every edition
Freedom of religion in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
2.995
Original latent estimate (≈ −3.5 to +3); higher = more religious freedom
Lowest reading on record
-3.515
Original latent estimate (≈ −3.5 to +3); higher = more religious freedom
Biggest improvement between editions
+2.352
-3.055 → -0.703
Biggest decline between editions
−2.084
0.922 → -1.162
Most improved since first measured
+3.633
-2.369 → 1.264
At the top most often
21 of 36
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About freedom of religion
V-Dem's measure of freedom of religion asks whether people are free to choose, change and practise a religion, in private or in public, and whether religious groups can organise without interference from the authorities. It is an expert-coded estimate on an open-ended scale centred near zero, and a higher figure means more religious freedom.
What the number is: Original latent estimate (≈ −3.5 to +3); higher = more religious freedom.
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Democracy & Civil Liberties, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Moves with
Where freedom of religion is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Civic Space RatingsKeyCIVICUS · 176 countries in commonρ 0.77
- Freedom of Expression and Alternative Sources of Information IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ 0.77
- Academic Freedom IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ 0.77
Moves against
Where freedom of religion is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Neopatrimonial Rule IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ −0.67
- Refugees by Country of OriginUNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency · 173 countries in commonρ −0.51
- Social Institutions and Gender IndexKeyOECD · 138 countries in commonρ −0.50
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 309 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The countries at either end
More from V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
11Questions
Freedom of religion: questions and answers
Which country has the highest freedom of religion?
New Zealand, at 2.792, among the 176 countries compared in 2025.
Which country has the lowest freedom of religion?
Afghanistan, at -3.294, among the 176 countries compared in 2025.
How many countries does the Freedom of Religion cover?
176 in 2025. The number measured varies from 168 to 176 between editions.
What is the world average freedom of religion?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 176 compared in 2025, the figure was 1.297.
Is this V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg’s own ranking?
No. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Freedom of Religion published?
This site holds 36 reference years, 1990–2025, all recalculated in V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg’s 2026 report on one method — not 36 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, under CC BY-SA 4.0. From the V-Dem Institute's Country-Year Core dataset (v16), University of Gothenburg, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. V-Dem's data runs back to 1789; the series here starts in 1990 so that every row belongs to a present-day country. Stored as the measurement model's original estimate, not V-Dem's 0–4 rescaling. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Freedom of Religion — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
From the V-Dem Institute's Country-Year Core dataset (v16), University of Gothenburg, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. V-Dem's data runs back to 1789; the series here starts in 1990 so that every row belongs to a present-day country. Stored as the measurement model's original estimate, not V-Dem's 0–4 rescaling.
Newest edition
Report year 2025Data year 2025
Cite the source as: Coppedge, M. et al. V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v16. Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project, University of Gothenburg.
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0, checked 2026-09-29.
How this page reads the numbers
- V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- New Zealand — Karora derivative work: Inkey, Public domain
- Norway — Ximonic , Simo Räsänen, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Finland — Joonas Lyytinen, CC BY-SA 2.5
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Freedom of religion by country: Freedom of Religion, data from V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/freedom-of-religion