Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government in which countries people are discriminated against or suffer persecution because of their religion or belief; and what is their estimate of the total number of people affected.

Many people are frequently discriminated against on the basis of religion or belief in many countries. The latest Pew Research Center study reports that in 2021, government restrictions on religion reached a new peak globally. Religious or belief groups faced harassment by governments in 183 countries, and governments interfered in worship in 163 countries. The UK government seeks to address the severity and scale of violations and abuses of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), all over the world. We do this multilaterally, by coordinating with partners at fora such as the UN to promote FoRB, and bilaterally through our diplomatic network.