Pew report: More than 20% of countries have official state religions
Islam is the official religion in 27 countries of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa as well North Africa and the Middle East. Photo: Shutterstock
(Web Desk) – While one out of every five countries has an official state religion, of which Muslim states hold a majority, 20% of countries have a preferred or favoured religion.
A report by the Washington-based Pew Research Center says that almost 53% countries have no official or favoured religion and 5% are hostile to religion.
The 43 countries committed to state religion are in Middle East and North Africa, with a cluster in Northern Europe.
Islam is the official religion in 27 countries of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa as well North Africa and the Middle East, reported the Guardian.
The Pew Research Center states that Islam is the official faith in 27 countries. Photo: AFP
Thirteen countries, out of which 9 are in Europe, have Christianity as their official religion, while Buddhism is the state religion of two countries, namely Bhutan and Cambodia. Furthermore, there is no single country having Hinduism as their official state religion.
“In some cases, state religions have roles that are largely ceremonial. But often the distinction comes with tangible advantages in terms of legal or tax status, ownership of real estate or other property, and access to financial support from the state.
In addition, countries with state-endorsed (or ‘established’) faiths tend to more severely regulate religious practice, including placing restrictions or bans on minority religious groups,” the Pew report reveals.
“In a few cases, a country’s official religion is primarily a legacy of its history and now involves few, if any, privileges conferred by the state. And a few other countries fall at the other end of the spectrum, making their official religion mandatory for all citizens,” the report adds.
In 28 out of 40 countries with a preferred faith, Christianity is the favoured religion. In ten countries including China, Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam and several former Soviet republics – there is a tight regulation of religious institutions by the state or active hostility towards religion.
According to Pew, these are “places where government officials seek to control worship practices, public expressions of religion and political activity by religious groups”.
