Relocate IndexBest Countries for Religious Freedom 2026
For people of faith, the ability to practise openly without government restrictions or social hostility is fundamental. This dimension measures both state-level restrictions (laws, regulations) and social-level hostility (harassment, discrimination by neighbours or communities).
Scored using data from Pew Government Restrictions Index, Pew Social Hostilities Index. 60 countries ranked.
Data last updated:
Top 15 countries for religious freedom
Portugal
Southern Europe · Overall: 74.6
Taiwan
East Asia · Overall: 80.0
Estonia
Northern Europe · Overall: 66.9
Ireland
Western Europe · Overall: 69.2
Peru
Latin America · Overall: 53.6
Croatia
Southern Europe · Overall: 69.9
Panama
Latin America · Overall: 53.2
Luxembourg
Western Europe · Overall: 65.6
Slovenia
Southern Europe · Overall: 71.6
Costa Rica
Latin America · Overall: 59.6
Uruguay
Latin America · Overall: 62.7
South Africa
Africa · Overall: 62.0
United States
North America · Overall: 68.5
Chile
Latin America · Overall: 59.3
Colombia
Latin America · Overall: 54.2
Lowest-scoring countries
How religious freedom is calculated
How much the state restricts religious practice and how much hostility religious groups face from society. It does not measure how secular or how religious a country is.
religious_freedom = (100 − pew_govt_normalised) × 0.50 + (100 − pew_social_normalised) × 0.50
Limitation: Coded by Pew researchers from published reports, not a survey of residents. A high score means few restrictions and little hostility; it says nothing about whether daily life is secular or devout. Captures state and society level, not neighbourhood level.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has the best religious freedom?
Portugal ranks 1st for religious freedom with a score of 96 out of 100, based on data from Pew Government Restrictions Index, Pew Social Hostilities Index.
How is the religious freedom score calculated?
For people of faith, the ability to practise openly without government restrictions or social hostility is fundamental. This dimension measures both state-level restrictions (laws, regulations) and social-level hostility (harassment, discrimination by neighbours or communities). Formula: religious_freedom = (100 − pew_govt_normalised) × 0.50 + (100 − pew_social_normalised) × 0.50
How many countries are ranked for religious freedom?
60 countries have religious freedom scores in the Relocate Index.