What religion is illegal in China?
Christopher Ramos
Updated on April 17, 2026
The state recognizes five religions: Buddhism, Catholicism, Daoism, Islam, and Protestantism. The practice of any other faith is formally prohibited, although often tolerated, especially in the case of traditional Chinese beliefs.
What religion is allowed in China?
The government recognizes five official religions – Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestantism, and Catholicism.Is it illegal to practice Christianity in China?
Chinese who are over the age of 18 are only permitted to join officially sanctioned Christian groups which are registered with the government-approved Chinese Patriotic Catholic Church, the China Christian Council and the Protestant Three-Self Church.Can you bring a Bible into China?
Under Chinese law, it is illegal to bring printed religious material into the country if it exceeds the amount for personal use. The group distributes the Bibles through a local shop owner in Kunming, according to Klein.What is not allowed in China?
Gambling, fireworks, Facebook and, yes, Justin Bieber have landed on China's banned list.Is Religion Banned in China?
Are there Christians in China?
Although most practice traditional Chinese religions such as Taoism, and longer-standing foreign imports such as Buddhism, Protestant Christianity is probably the fastest-growing faith, with at least 38m adherents today (about 3% of the population), up from 22m a decade ago, according to the government's count.Does China have freedom of religion?
As a matter of fact, the Chinese government is committed to freedom of religious belief. And the Chinese Constitution and laws provide Chinese citizens full guarantees for freedom of religious belief and legal religious activity, therefore there is no question of an issue of religious persecution.Can you be Catholic in China?
The Pew Center estimates in 2011 there are nine million Catholics on the mainland, 5.7 million of whom are affiliated with the CPA. Hebei Province has the largest Catholic Christian population in China, with 1 million Church members according to the local government.Is Christianity allowed in Japan?
Japan's Meiji government lifted the ban on Christianity in 1873. Some hidden Christians rejoined the Catholic Church. Others chose to remain in hiding — even to this day. A baptism ceremony for a child on Ikitsuki Island, Nagasaki prefecture.Is Taoism still banned in China?
Taoism is one of five religions officially recognized by the communist government, which regulates its activities through the China Taoist Association.Is Christianity allowed in Russia?
A: Russia adopted a law making it unconstitutional to be a Christian, even though the (Russian) constitution says you are free to profess any faith. (The Yarovaya law increases regulation of evangelism, including a ban on the performance of “missionary activities” in non-religious settings.)Is Christianity allowed in Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia allows Christians to enter the country as foreign workers for work or tourism, but does not allow them to practice their faith openly.Are there Christians in Turkey?
Today there are more than 200,000–320,000 people of different Christian denominations, representing roughly 0.3–0.4 percent of Turkey's population, including an estimated 80,000 Oriental Orthodox, 35,000 Catholics, 18,000 Antiochian Greeks, 5,000 Greek Orthodox, 8,000 Protestants, and 512 Mormons.Are there Christians in North Korea?
Today, the total number of Christians in North Korea is liberally estimated to be no more than somewhere between 12,000 and 15,000.When did Japan ban Christianity?
CENTURIES OF SUPPRESSIONJesuits brought Christianity to Japan in 1549, but it was banned in 1614. Missionaries were expelled and the faithful were forced to choose between martyrdom or hiding their religion.