Government Religion Policy and Religious Freedom in Post-Communist Eastern Europe and Central Asia 1990 to 2023

This study uses the Religion and State round 4 (RAS4) dataset to provide an overview of government religion policy, including freedom of religion and belief, as well as government support for religion in Post-Communist Eastern Europe and Central Asia (PCEECA) between 1990 and 2023. We find that during this period, there has been a rise in government support for religion, government regulation of the majority religion, and restrictions on religious minorities by both society and government. We also find distinct patterns when controlling for whether a country has a Muslim, Orthodox, or other Christian majority. Muslim-majority countries engaged in particularly high levels of regulation of Islam. Discrimination by both governments and society against religious minorities is highest in Orthodox majority countries. Finally, non-Orthodox Christian-majority countries are more supportive of religion in the PCEECA.