The ACN Report on Religious Freedom, presented today in Rome, covers the period from January 2023 to December 2024. It analyses the situation in 196 countries, documenting serious violations in 62 of them. Of these, 24 are classified as countries of “persecution” and 38 as countries of “discrimination”. The study warns of a worrying decline, with two-thirds of humanity — over 5.4 billion people — living in countries without full religious freedom. Only two countries — Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka — have shown improvement since the previous edition (persecution map – projection conference).
“The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion — protected under Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — is not only under pressure; in many countries it is disappearing,”
warned Regina Lynch, Executive President of ACN International.
Authoritarianism, a global threat. The Report identifies authoritarianism as the biggest driver of religious repression. In 19 of the 24 countries classified as countries of “persecution” and in 33 of the 38 countries classified as countries of “discrimination,” explains the Report, governments apply systematic strategies to control or silence religious life. In China, Iran, Eritrea and Nicaragua, the authorities employ mass surveillance technologies, digital censorship, restrictive legislation and arbitrary detentions to suppress independent religious communities. “The control of faith has become a tool of political power”, coupled by “an increasingly sophisticated bureaucratization of religious repression”, reads the Report.
The spread of jihadism and religious nationalism. Islamist extremism, warns the ACN Report, continues to expand and threatens Africa and Asia in particular. In 15 countries, it is the main cause of persecution, and in another 10, it contributes to discrimination. The Sahel in Africa has become the epicenter of jihadist violence with groups such as Islamic State-Sahel Province (ISSP) and JNIM causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands, the displacement of millions and the destruction of hundreds of Christian churches and schools. At the same time, ethno-religious nationalism is fueling the repression of minorities in parts of Asia. In India and Myanmar, Christian and Muslim communities suffer from aggression and legal exclusion. In India, the report defines the situation as “hybrid persecution” — a combination of discriminatory laws and violence carried out by civilians but encouraged by political rhetoric. This phenomenon breeds structural discrimination in Palestine, Israel, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.
Wars, forced migration, and organized crime. The decline in religious freedom has been further aggravated by armed conflicts in countries such as Myanmar, Ukraine, Russia, Israel, and Palestine, which triggered a “silent” displacement crisis. In Nigeria, armed attacks by groups linked to radicalized Fulani herdsmen have left thousands dead and uprooted entire communities, states the ACN report.
In the Sahel — especially in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali — whole villages have been destroyed by Islamist militias. In Sudan, civil war has wiped centuries-old Christian communities off the map. Organized crime has also emerged as a new agent of persecution, explains ACN. In Mexico and Haiti, armed groups murder or kidnap religious leaders and extort money from parishes to exert territorial control.
The West is not immune either. The erosion of religious freedom also extends to Europe and North America, the report denounces. In 2023, France recorded nearly 1,000 attacks on churches; in Greece, more than 600 acts of vandalism; and similar spikes were observed in Spain, Italy, and the United States, including desecrations of places of worship, physical assaults on clergy, and disruptions of religious services. According to ACN, these acts reflect a growing climate of ideological hostility towards religion.
The report also documents a dramatic rise in anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim acts following the October 7, 2023, attacks and the war in Gaza. In France, anti-Semitic incidents rose by 1,000 percent, while hate crimes against Muslims increased by 29 percent. In Germany, 4,369 incidents related to the conflict were recorded in 2023 — compared with only 61 the previous year.
Artificial intelligence and digital technology. AI and digital tools are being weaponised to repress religious groups. From artificial intelligence to surveillance networks, new technologies are increasingly used to monitor, profile, and penalise religious expression. In countries such as China, North Korea, and Pakistan, both governments and non-state actors deploy digital tools to censor, intimidate, and criminalise believers—transforming religious faith into a perceived threat to national security.
Conscientious objection under increased threat. ACN points out that across the OSCE region (comprising 57 countries in North America, Europe, and Asia), the right to conscientious objection is facing increasing restrictions. In countries such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Russia, individuals who have refused to perform military service on religious or ethical grounds have been imprisoned. In Western democracies such as Belgium, faith-based institutions are facing mounting legal pressure to provide services such as abortion and assisted suicide, which endangers the freedom to act according to conscience.
A global petition for religious freedom. During the presentation of the report, ACN launched a global petition for the first time in its history, entitled ‘Religious freedom is a human right, not a privilege’, calling on governments and international organisations to ensure the effective protection of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognises the right of every person to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.
Resilience and hope. Despite the bleak outlook, the ACN report also highlights the resilience of religious communities which, even under persecution, continue to provide humanitarian aid, education and hope. In Mozambique and Burkina Faso, interreligious projects have shown that faith can be a driving force for reconciliation and social cohesion. ““Religious freedom is the thermometer for all other human rights. Its decline signals a wider collapse of fundamental freedoms,” Lynch concluded.
