Are Christian or Muslim countries more likely to have Blasphemy Laws?

Blasphemy laws are the offence of 'insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God or a sacred entity'.

US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), 2017

A USCIRF report in 2017 found 71 countries to have blasphemy laws which criminalised views deemed to be blasphemous, across all religions. The punishments for these transgressions varied from fines, to prison sentences, to the death penalty.

USCIRF: Respecting Rights? Measuring The World's Blasphemy Laws. 2017

In an era where religious freedom and freedom of speech often find themselves coming into conflict, it's no surprise that blasphemy is back as a point of debate.

The table below lists the 71 countries who have blasphemy laws. The state religion, or the religion observed by the majority of the country's population is also displayed.

Europe BLASPHEMY LAWS (22.5%)
1. Andorra - Christianity
2. Austria - Christianity W Blasphemy_law#Austria
3. Denmark - Christianity. Abolished in June 2017 W Blasphemy_law#Denmark
4. Finland - Christianity W Blasphemy_law#Finland
5. Germany - Christianity W Blasphemy_law#Germany
6. Greece - Christianity W Blasphemy_law#Greece
7. Ireland - Christianity W Blasphemy_law_in_the_Republic_of_Ireland
8. Italy - Christianity W Blasphemy_law#Italy
9. Liechtenstein - Christianity
10. Malta - Christianity. Abolished in July 2016 W Blasphemy_law#Malta
11. Montenegro - Christianity
12. Poland - Christianity W Blasphemy_law#Poland
13. Russia - Christianity W Blasphemy_law#Russia
14. San Marino - Christianity
15. Spain - Christianity W Blasphemy_law#Spain
16. Switzerland - Christianity W Blasphemy_law#Switzerland
17. United Kingdom - Christianity. Abolished in 2008 W Blasphemy_law_in_the_United_Kingdom
Americas BLASPHEMY LAWS (11.2%)
1. Antigua and Barbuda - Christianity
2. Brazil - Christianity W Blasphemy_law#Brazil
3. Canada - Christianity W Blasphemy_law#Canada
4. Grenada - Christianity
5. Guyana - Christianity
6. St Lucia - Christianity
7. St Vincent and Grenadines - Christianity
8. Suriname - Christianity
Middle East & North Africa BLASPHEMY LAWS (25.4%)
1. Algeria - Islam W Blasphemy_law_in_Algeria
2. Bahrain - Islam W Freedom_of_religion_in_Bahrain
3. Egypt - Islam W Blasphemy_law_in_Egypt
4. Iraq - Islam
5. Israel - Judaism W Blasphemy_law#Israel
6. Jordan - Islam W Blasphemy_law#Jordan
7. Kuwait - Islam W Legal_system_of_Kuwait
8. Lebanon - Islam W Freedom_of_religion_in_Lebanon
9. Libya - Islam W Law_of_Libya
10. Morocco - Islam W Irreligion_in_Morocco
11. Oman - Islam W Freedom_of_religion_in_Oman
12. Qatar - Islam W Blasphemy_law#Qatar
13. Saudi Arabia - Islam W Blasphemy_law_in_Saudi_Arabia
14. Sudan - Islam W Blasphemy_law#Sudan
15. Syria - Islam W Freedom_of_religion_in_Syria
16. Tunisia - Islam
17. United Arab Emirates - Islam W Blasphemy_law_in_the_United_Arab_Emirates
18. Yemen - Islam W Blasphemy_law_in_Yemen
Asia-Pacific BLASPHEMY LAWS (25.4%)
1. Afghanistan - Islam W Blasphemy_law_in_Afghanistan
2. Bangladesh - Islam W Blasphemy_law_in_Bangladesh
3. Brunei - Islam W Capital_punishment_in_Brunei
4. Cyprus - Christianity
5. India - Hinduism W Blasphemy_law#India
6. Indonesia - Islam W Blasphemy_law_in_Indonesia
7. Iran - Islam W Blasphemy_law_in_Iran
8. Kazakhstan - Islam
9. Malaysia - Islam W Blasphemy_law_in_Malaysia
10. New Zealand - Christianity W Blasphemy_law_in_New_Zealand
11. Pakistan - Islam W Blasphemy_law_in_Pakistan
12. Papua New Guinea - Christianity
13. Philippines - Christianity W Blasphemy_law#Philippines
14. Singapore - Buddhism W Sedition_Act_(Singapore)
15. Sri Lanka - Buddhism
16. Thailand - Buddhism W Lèse_majesté_in_Thailand
17. Turkey - Islam W Blasphemy_law#Turkey
18. Vanuatu - Christianity
Sub-Saharan Africa BLASPHEMY LAWS (15.5%)
1. Comoros - Islam
2. Eritrea - Christianity/Islam
3. Ethiopia - Christianity
4. Mauritius - Hinduism
5. Nigeria - Christianity/Islam W Blasphemy_law_in_Nigeria
6. Rwanda - Christianity
7. Somalia - Islam
8. South Sudan - Christianity
9. Tanzania - Christianity
10. Zambia - Christianity
11. Zimbabwe - Christianity
Countries by Religion RANK ORDER
1st Christianity (50%) 35 Christian countries (from a total of 71) had Blasphemy Laws
2nd Islam (42%) 30 Muslim countries (from a total of 71) had Blasphemy Laws
3rd Buddhism (4%) 3 Buddhist countries (from a total of 71) had Blasphemy Laws
4th Hinduism (3%) 2 Hindu countries (from a total of 71) had Blasphemy Laws
5th Judaism (1%) 1 Jewish country (from a total of 71) had Blasphemy Laws

Summary

71 countries, or 37% (71 of 193) of all countries in the world have blasphemy laws ₂

50% (35 of 71) are Christian majority countries

42% (30 of 71) are Muslim majority countries

If the three countries that recently abolished blasphemy laws are included, the figure for Christianity increases to 51% (38 of 74) and Islam decreases to 41% (30 of 74)

Therefore, Blasphemy laws effect more Christian majority countries, than Muslim countries.

₁ These world regional groupings are derived from the regional groupings used in Pew Research Center's Trends in Global Restrictions on Religion
http://www.pewforum.org/2016/06/23/trends-in-global-restrictions-on-religion
₂ There are 193 member states of the United Nations

CREDIT
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blasphemy_law
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-46046074
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ireland-blasphemy-referendum-irish-religion-illegal-remove-ban-countries-world-laws-a8597391.html
Respecting Rights? Measuring The World's Blasphemy Laws. USCIRF 2017
https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Blasphemy%20Laws%20Report.pdf

20867 views · 1 day ago | Author: Guest • Updated: 07 Jul 2025

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