Report Says One-Third of World's Countries Have High Restrictions on Religion

About one-third of the countries in the world have high restrictions on religion, exposing almost 70 percent of the globe's population to limitations on their faith, new research shows.

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life based its analysis -- released on December 16, 2009 -- on 16 sources of information, including reports from the U.S. State Department and human rights groups as well as national constitutions.

"The highest overall levels of restrictions are found in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Iran, where both the government and society at large impose numerous limits on religious beliefs and practices," the Pew Forum concluded.

Three-quarters of the countries affirm religious freedom in their laws or constitutions, and an additional 20 percent protect some religious practices, according to the Religion News Service website. But researchers found that about a quarter of the governments "fully respected" the religious rights included in their views.