WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Does legislation explicitly prohibit discrimination in hiring or recruitment on the basis of religion?

The term “religion” includes references to ‘creed’, ‘religious belief’, ‘religious opinion’, ‘religious adherence’, ‘religious community’ or ‘confession’. For the purposes of this variable, the term “religion” captures all of these definitions.

Hiring or recruitment includes explicit legislative prohibitions against discrimination during pre-employment, or the hiring or recruitment process.

No prohibition means that legislation does not take an explicit approach to prohibiting discrimination in hiring or recruitment on the basis of religion. This does not mean that legislation denies this guarantee.

General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment means that legislation prohibits discrimination in hiring or recruitment generally— for example, by prohibiting discrimination based on “any status” or stating no worker may be discriminated against. This general prohibition is not specifically extended on the basis of religion.

Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion means that legislation extends a prohibition of discrimination at the workplace on the basis of religion, but does not explicitly address discrimination in hiring nor recruitment on this basis. These broad prohibitions use language that could extend prohibition of discrimination across any aspect of work.

Yes, religion-based prohibition means that legislation either: a) extends an explicit religion-based prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment, or b) extends a broad prohibition of religion-based workplace discrimination alongside a general prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment to all workers.

Countries

Bangladesh - No prohibition

Brunei - No prohibition

Botswana - No prohibition

Democratic Republic of the Congo - No prohibition

Republic of the Congo - No prohibition

Switzerland - No prohibition

Dominica - No prohibition

Algeria - No prohibition

Egypt - No prohibition

Micronesia, Federated States of - No prohibition

Greenland - No prohibition

The Gambia - No prohibition

Haiti - No prohibition

India - No prohibition

Iran - No prohibition

Jamaica - No prohibition

Jordan - No prohibition

Japan - No prohibition

St. Kitts and Nevis - No prohibition

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No prohibition

Kuwait - No prohibition

Lebanon - No prohibition

Liechtenstein - No prohibition

Sri Lanka - No prohibition

Monaco - No prohibition

Marshall Islands - No prohibition

Myanmar - No prohibition

Malaysia - No prohibition

Nigeria - No prohibition

Nauru - No prohibition

Oman - No prohibition

Papua New Guinea - No prohibition

The Philippines - No prohibition

Pakistan - No prohibition

Palau - No prohibition

Qatar - No prohibition

Solomon Islands - No prohibition

Sudan - No prohibition

Singapore - No prohibition

San Marino - No prohibition

Thailand - No prohibition

Tunisia - No prohibition

Tonga - No prohibition

Uruguay - No prohibition

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No prohibition

Ecuador - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Libya - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Saudi Arabia - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Argentina - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Azerbaijan - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Bahrain - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Belize - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Canada - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Central African Republic - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Chile - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Colombia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Eritrea - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Ethiopia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Honduras - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Kyrgyzstan - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Laos - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Mongolia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Mozambique - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Nicaragua - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Panama - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Paraguay - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Rwanda - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Sierra Leone - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Somalia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

El Salvador - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Eswatini - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Uganda - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Yemen - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on religion

Andorra - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

United Arab Emirates - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Antigua and Barbuda - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Albania - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Armenia - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Angola - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Austria - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Australia - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Barbados - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Belgium - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Burkina Faso - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Bulgaria - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Burundi - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Benin - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Bolivia - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Brazil - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Bahamas - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Bhutan - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Belarus - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Cote d'Ivoire - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Cameroon - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

China - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Costa Rica - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Cuba - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Cabo Verde - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Cyprus - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Czech Republic - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Germany - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Djibouti - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Denmark - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Dominican Republic - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Estonia - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Spain - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Finland - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Fiji - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

France - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Gabon - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

United Kingdom - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Grenada - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Georgia - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Ghana - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Guinea - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Equatorial Guinea - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Greece - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Guatemala - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Guinea-Bissau - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Guyana - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Croatia - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Hungary - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Indonesia - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Ireland - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Israel - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Iraq - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Iceland - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Italy - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Kenya - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Cambodia - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Kiribati - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Comoros - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Republic of Korea - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Kazakhstan - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

St. Lucia - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Liberia - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Lesotho - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Lithuania - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Luxembourg - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Latvia - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Morocco - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Moldova - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Montenegro - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Madagascar - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

North Macedonia - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Mali - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Mauritania - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Malta - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Mauritius - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Maldives - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Malawi - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Mexico - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Namibia - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Niger - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

The Netherlands - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Norway - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Nepal - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

New Zealand - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Peru - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Poland - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Portugal - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Romania - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Serbia - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Russian Federation - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Seychelles - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Sweden - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Slovenia - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Slovakia - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Senegal - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Suriname - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

South Sudan - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Sao Tome and Principe - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Syria - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Chad - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Togo - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Tajikistan - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Timor-Leste - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Turkmenistan - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Türkiye - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Trinidad and Tobago - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Tuvalu - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Tanzania - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Ukraine - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

United States of America - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Uzbekistan - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Venezuela - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Vietnam - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Vanuatu - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Samoa - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

South Africa - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Zambia - Yes, religion-specific prohibition

Zimbabwe - Yes, religion-specific prohibition