WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Two-thirds of the world's population live in countries with tight restrictions on religious beliefs and practices, a new report says.
The Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, in a report covering a two-year period from mid-2006 through mid-2008, says its survey sampled restrictions on religions in 198 countries and territories, representing more than 99.5 percent of the world's population.
Sixty-four nations, about one-third of the countries in the world, are listed with high or very high restrictions on religion.
The Middle East and North Africa have the highest level of restrictions, with the most intense in such nations as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iran, while the Americas have the least, the survey found.
In the United States, the report says, government restrictions are relatively few. But the level of religious hostilities is said to exceed those reported in other large democracies, including Brazil and Japan.
The report covers infringements on religious activities due both to government actions and private and organized acts of violence and intimidation, Pew said.
Findings are based on information from 16 governmental and non-governmental organizations, including the U.S. State Department and the United Nations.
