Religious freedom is under growing threat across the globe, based on a recent report released by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
The organisation’s biennial Religious Freedom within the World 2025 report paints a grim picture, revealing that 64.7% of the world’s population— about 5.4 billion people — live in countries where this fundamental right is severely restricted or denied.
Commenting on the report’s launch, ACN International Executive President Regina Lynch said: “The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion — protected under Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — shouldn’t be only under pressure; in lots of countries it’s disappearing.”
Out of the 196 countries the study examined, grave infringements were present in 62 of them.
Twenty-four nations were categorised as suffering “persecution,” while 38 were marked by “discrimination.”
Only Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka recorded progress for the reason that last report.
Authoritarianism emerges because the chief force behind religious oppression, based on the report.
In most countries where persecution (19 out of 24) or discrimination (33 out of 38) occurs, governments actively monitor, restrict, or silence religious expression.
Governments utilise sophisticated digital and online censorship and illegal detentions to curb autonomous faith groups in nations similar to Eritrea, China, Nicaragua and Iran.
“The control of religion has turn out to be a tool of political power,” the report warns, highlighting a growing “bureaucratization of non secular repression” designed to stifle dissent.
The editor-in-chief of the 2025 report, Marta Petrosillo, said that the study adopts a broad, global perspective that examines all faiths quite than focusing solely on Christianity.
She identified that it’s the only report of its kind not connected to any government and emphasised that, in lots of countries, legal protections for religious freedom remain weak or purely symbolic.
Beyond state control, the influence of extremist movements is steadily growing — particularly in Africa’s Sahel region and parts of Asia.
Islamist militant groups, including Islamic State–Sahel Province (ISSP) and JNIM, have devastated communities, destroying tons of of churches and schools, and forcibly removing thousands and thousands.
Ethno-religious nationalism can be a significant concern. In India and Myanmar, minorities like Christians and Muslims face legal exclusion and mob violence.
ACN describes India’s situation as “hybrid persecution,” mixing discriminatory laws with politically fuelled hostility.
Conflicts in Ukraine, Palestine, Russia, Israel, and Myanmar have worsened the erosion of non secular rights, with violence and war driving mass displacement.
In Nigeria, armed assailants related to extremist Fulani herders have destroyed entire villages.
Across the Sahel, jihadist militias proceed to erase centuries-old Christian communities, while in Sudan, civil war has forced Christians to flee historic homeland regions.
Meanwhile, organised crime has arisen as a recent persecutor of religion.
In Mexico and Haiti, criminal gangs have targeted church leaders through kidnappings and killings to claim territorial dominance.
The report also warns that religious intolerance shouldn’t be limited to authoritarian states.
In Europe and North America, incidents of vandalism, desecration, and assaults against religious institutions have surged.
France alone documented almost 1,000 church attacks in 2023, while Greece, Spain, and Italy also saw tons of of latest cases.
The ACN also tracked a pointy surge in anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim acts within the period after Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
In France, anti-Semitic incidents spiked by 1,000%, while Germany saw over 4,000 religion-linked occurrences — up from just 61 the previous yr.
Amid the grim findings, the report underscores stories of resilience and interfaith cooperation.
In regions like Mozambique and Burkina Faso, faith-based initiatives are fostering reconciliation and rebuilding trust amongst divided communities.
Ms Lynch remarked: “The right to live based on one’s conscience is the heartbeat of human dignity. Where it’s respected, peace and justice flourish. But where it’s denied, the human spirit and society lose their very foundations.”
She added: “Religious freedom is the thermometer for all other human rights. Its decline signals a wider collapse of fundamental freedoms.”
During the Vatican launch, ACN leaders urged international institutions to take concrete steps to defend the precise to belief.
The organisation also revealed plans for its inaugural worldwide petition, geared toward urging stronger legal safeguards for religious liberty.
The initiative is predicted to be formally submitted to the United Nations, the European Union, and various democratic governments in November 2026.
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