SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT WASHINGTON - Nearly a third of the worlds people live in countries where practicing religion freely is becoming increasingly difficult, according to a new study released Tuesday. The US-based Pew Research Centers Forum on Religion and Public Life said government restrictions and religiously motivated hostility rose significantly between mid-2006 and mid-2009, when the research was conducted. Only 1% of the worlds population lives in countries where the trend was the opposite. The increasing levels of social hostilities is a definite trend that needs to be watched carefully, said Brian Grim, the primary researcher for the study. Grim said the Pew Centers report on 198 countries found those that were already restrictive or abusive in the previous report continued their decline. Those that were tolerant became more so. The study found that 101 governments used force against religious groups or individuals. He said Christians and Muslims, who make up more than half of the worlds population, were harassed in the most number of countries, though that did not reflect the intensity of the persecution. The Middle East and North Africa had the largest proportion of nations where curbs on religion went up, the study found. Nearly a third of those nations imposed greater restrictions. It was particularly bad in Egypt, the study said. The research was done before the so-called Arab Spring. Many of the nations with increasing religious restrictions have seen popular uprisings and subsequent crackdowns - among them Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Libya. Grim said Pew will be conducting another study to reflect the effects of recent events. It was noteworthy, he said, that Muslims faced the highest persecution in Islam-dominated Middle East and North Africa.