The Association of Religion Data Archives | National Profiles

National Profiles

Data for the national profiles are collected from approximately seven reliable and widely-used resources and are assembled by the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) under the supervision of Roger Finke, Brian Grim and Jaime Harris with financial support of the Lilly Endowment, the Templeton Foundation and Penn State University. Listed below are brief descriptions of each source and the variables utilized in our presentation of the data.

1)	U.S. State Department’s International Religious Freedom (IRF) Reports –The 1998 International Religious Freedom Act requires every U.S. Embassy to prepare an annual report on religious freedom in its host country. These reports include information from government officials, media sources, country experts and personal accounts for 196 countries and territories. The completed reports are then submitted to Congress and can be freely downloaded from the State Department website. The IRF Reports serve as the primary source for the International Religious Freedom Indexes. Developed by Brian Grim and Roger Finke, each of these indexes examines a different dimension of religious regulation and favoritism and provides objective measures of government policy and social practice regarding religious expression. Religious freedom data for 2001, 2003, 2005, and an aggregate file can be downloaded at the ARDA.

	Variables: GRI, SRI, GFI, land area.

2)	U.S. Census Bureau’s International Database (IDB) – The U.S. Census Bureau’s International Database is a computerized databank containing statistical tables of demographic data for 224 countries and areas around the world. It is composed of estimates and projections developed by Census Bureau demographers for over 30 years, and is an open data source that can be downloaded from the Census Bureau website. A file utilizing these data can be downloaded at the ARDA.

	Variables: Population

3)	United Nation’s Human Development Report – Published annually for the United Nations’ Development Program, the Human Development Report presents information on the life choices and freedoms available to individuals around the world. Each report is developed by a team of scholars collecting data from numerous sources to ensure data quality. The reports focus primarily on socio-economic factors that limit or enable people to live full, productive lives and are used to assess general well-being within a country. This is an open source, and both the report and data can be freely downloaded from the United Nations’ website. A file highlighting these variables is available at the ARDA.

	Variables: Human Development Index (HDI), GINI Index of Income Inequality, Gender-related development Index, Life expectancy, per capita income

4)	World Christian Database (WCD) – Updated and maintained by the Center for the Study of Global Christianity, the World Christian Database is based on information provided by the World Christian Encyclopedia and World Christian Trends. Both of these books serve as standards for international religious statistics, and provide comprehensive estimates of religious affiliation around the world. Access to the complete WCD is available for purchase at their website, and select variables are available for download at the ARDA.

	Variables: Adherents estimates

5)	Freedom House – Freedom House is an independent non-governmental organization that supports the expansion of freedom in the world. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded at the ARDA.

	Variables: Political Typology, Political Rights Scale, Civil Liberties Scale

6)	Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal Index of Economic Freedom - The Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal Index of Economic Freedom is an annual, empirical measurement of economic freedom in countries throughout the world. Based on ten concepts believed to be indicative of economic freedom, the authors rank 161 countries on a scale of 1-5 with more free countries having a lower score.

	Variables: Index of Economic Freedom

7)	CIA World Factbook – The CIA World Factbook is an annual publication of information about all countries in the world produced by the Central Intelligence Agency. The Factbook uses numerous sources to compile demographic, political and geographic information for use by researchers, and is open to the public at the CIA website.

	Variables: Country history, flag

Selected Definitions

Civil Liberties Scale – The Civil Liberties scale is a comparative measure of individual liberties and rights. A higher civil liberties score indicates greater restrictions on liberty and rights. Range: 1 - 7.

Gini Index – The Gini index is a national measure of income inequality. A higher index score indicates a greater degree of income inequality. Range: 0 – 1.

Government Favoritism Index (GFI) – The government favoritism index is a comparative measure of the actions of the state that provide one religion or a small group of religions special privileges, support, or favorable sanctions. A higher GFI score indicates greater religious favoritism. Range: 0 – 10.*

Government Regulation Index (GRI) – The government regulation index is a comparative measure of the actions of the state that deny religious freedoms including any actions that impinge on the practice, profession, or selection of religion. A higher GRI score indicates greater religious regulation. Range: 0 – 10.*

Human Development Index (HDI) – The human development index is a comprehensive measure longevity, education, and well-being developed by the United Nations. It is calculated using life expectancy, primary, secondary and tertiary school enrollment, literacy rates, and per capita GDP.

Political Rights Scale – The political rights is a comparative measure that indicates the degree of restriction placed upon individual rights to participate in the political process (e.g., voting, party affiliation). A higher political rights score indicates greater rights restrictions.

Political Typology – Political typology is a descriptive measure of government type ranging from democracy to empire.

Social Regulation Index (SRI) – The social regulation index is a comparative measure of the restrictions placed on practice, profession, or selection of religion by other religious groups or associations or the culture at large. A higher SRI score indicates greater social regulation. Range: 0 – 10.*

*For a complete overview of the GFI, GRI, SRI see the 2006 article by Brian Grim and Roger Finke