15 Most Conservative Countries in the World!

When discussing different countries, it’s hard not to talk about their politics- are they conservative or are they liberal? This got me thinking, which are the most conservative countries?

In no particular order, here are the most conservative countries in the world!

15. Israel

Many of the most conservative countries in this article are either staunchly Christian or staunchly Muslim. Israel is neither, but has a close bond with both, even if that bond hasn’t always been positive.

Similarly to most Christian and Muslim nations, Israelis are very devout. Devout Jews. This piety has allowed any Israelis to accept change, but not forget the past, proving to be the best of conservatism.

Israel has suffered under both Christian and Arab oppression- just in different ways. The result has been that many Israelis are very nationalistic, with a large majority willing to give their life for their country, unseen in most other countries.

With help from Israel’s Western allies, Israel has implemented many economic policies that has made Israel very wealthy- even if it doesn’t have any.

14. Poland

Poland is perhaps the most conservative country in the world. Even as many Poles migrate abroad in search of a better life, many still vote conservative, even when other immigrants are more liberal.

Many Poles are deeply religious, whether it is Eastern Orthodoxy, Protestantism or the more common Catholicism. Thanks to this, a lot of Poland’s population carry religiously-based conservative view.

With Poland having lived under both fascist rule and later communist rule, have developed strong nationalistic tendencies. Even when Poles are living abroad, many of them bring their nationalistic tendencies with them!

Due in part to their nationalistic fervor, many Poles also have very strong ties to their family. Although it has waned over the past 200 years, many Poles do believe that the whole family should live under one roof.

13. USA

I was hesitant to include the USA. If I was writing this in the 1980’s, the USA would’ve been the first country I came up with. Alas, this is not the 1980’s, and a lot has changed indeed.

In many places, especially in the North and West are becoming increasingly liberal, making the USA more liberal than it once was. There is also the case of the increased population, many of whom are foreigners who are statistically more liberal than conservative.

With that being said, more places in the USA, mostly in the South and Midwest, are becoming increasingly conservative. Indeed, most recent Republican wins have been down to the Southern states voting for the GOP.

In June 2010, a combined USA Today and Gallup Poll found that 42% of people in the USA identified as conservative, making it one of the largest conservative majorities of any country in the world.

12. Hungary

When it comes to the most conservative countries in Europe, Hungary is usually near the top. This is because Hungary shares a lot in common with Poland, and several other Eastern European nations too.

As with many countries, Hungary has both a left-leaning and a right-leaning party. Interestingly however, in 2014, their left-leaning party- the Democratic Party, collapsed, making the conservatives the only party in Hungary.

And this does reflect the Hungarian public. Whilst the issues surrounding the Hungarian Democratic Party’s collapse was due to financial difficulties, these financial difficulties stemmed from a lack of liberals in Hungary.

As with most other conservative nations, Hungarians value family more than anything. Despite many Hungarians living under a communist (or even Nazi) regime, many are staunch capitalists as well as staunchly nationalistic.

11. Saudi Arabia

When it comes to the most conservative countries, Saudi Arabia is usually the country that most people think of. This is mostly due to high-profile anti-equality laws, which many in the west see as “oppressing women”.

However, it’s more than that. Saudi Arabians are very family-oriented, with a larger family being seen as better than a smaller family. In fact, in many traditional households, young Saudis will live with their parents until the day they get married.

Perhaps where most of Saudi Arabia’s “oppressing women” laws come from, is their very religious societal aspects. All of Saudi Arabia’s modern day laws are derived from the Sharia Law laid out in the Quran.

Saudi work days are also stopped five times a day in order for everyone in the country to pray. It’s also quite common for an entire Saudi family (all three generations) to pray at the same time, in the same room.

10. China

China is communist- the exact opposite of what most conservatives are. However, it is generally considered to have many conservative elements. In recent years, many people have argued that China is more capitalist than communist.

China still embodies many conservative values- including private land ownership and private corporate ownership. In fact, some have argued that China is actually more fascist than communist due to the CCP’s control over the economy.

In terms of your average Chinese person, they’re pretty conservative too. Many are very religious, whether that is one of the many Chinese folk religions, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam or Hinduism.

Many average Chinese people put a lot of emphasis on traditional family values, often several generations of a Chinese family can be found in one house.

Many in China also value their children doing better in life than they themselves have done- a main tenant of conservatism.

9. Vatican City

When it comes to the most conservative countries, the Vatican City is often left off it. This is mostly because no one is a natural born citizen there, with the only people living there being monks, nuns and priests.

The Vatican city is the seat of the Catholic Church. For most conservatives in the West, religion, usually some form of Christianity, is one of the defining things about them.

As such, many in the Vatican are usually opposed to the LGBT community, citing it as unholy. Similarly to their religious stance on LGBT rights, they are similarly opposed to abortion, citing it as akin to murder.

The Vatican was founded in around the 1st century AD (although possibly before). In that time, the Vatican hasn’t really changed in terms of its atmosphere- many traditions that were practiced 2000 years ago are still practiced today!

8. Egypt

Egypt, similarly to most other Muslim countries, with a decidedly conservative nation, valuing the past, family and the economy more than change and liberalism, in most cases.

As with most other majority-Muslim nations, Egypt follows Sharia Law to the letter, with most subsequent laws being derived form those in the Sharia, or from those that other nations like Saudi Arabia has implemented.

Despite the Arab Spring leaving room for both the far left and the far right to takeover, neither really have in Egypt. In fact, almost all left-leaning parties in Egypt are frowned upon, being seen as extremely dangerous and radical.

Egyptians also value family more than almost anything else, with most Egyptians, even when living abroad, all living in one home.

7. Ukraine

Ukraine, Poland and Hungary have much in common- not only were they both apart of the Russian Empire and later the Warsaw Pact, but they are both some of the most conservative countries in the world.

Similarly to Poland and Hungary, Ukrainians are very family oriented. Although it has waned in recent years with many Ukrainians migrating abroad for a better life, it is traditional for the entire family to live in one big house together.

With that being said, it is also not uncommon to find an entire family of Ukrainians eating, drinking and dancing with one another after they have finished work. This does include young children as well as the elderly.

Ukrainians are very religious people too. Over 90% of Ukrainians believe in some form of God, with the most common denomination being Eastern Orthodoxy. As with other countries, it is common for Ukrainians to spend several hours at church together.

6. Yemen

Despite being in a seemingly unending civil war as of the time of writing, Yemen is indeed one of the most conservative countries in the world, with much of the country having not changed since the pre-colonial days.

Yemen, just as with its neighboring Saudi Arabia, is quite religious, principally Islam. Just as with Saudi Arabia as well, most of Yemen’s laws are based off the Sharia laws found in the Quran.

As with most other conservative countries, many Yemenis are very nationalistic- which is actually the cause of their civil war– different people are nationalistic about different states of the country since Yemen’s independence.

Just like their neighbors, Yemenis are also very family-oriented. Although many Yemeni families have been split by the civil war, those who haven’t, still live in their ancestral homes with all family members living there.

It may seem odd to Westerners, but to Yemenis, it is perfectly fine, but because they are so family-oriented, they like to marry their children off quite young. 52% of Yemeni women are married before the age of 18.

5. Italy

It isn’t just Eastern Europe that are some of the most conservative countries in Europe. Southern Europe too is quite conservative, just not for the same reasons that Eastern Europe is.

Southern Europe has experienced its fair share of foreign invaders- the Ottomans, the Moors and the Romans before them, being the most famous. Southern Europe has also been home to some of the best nationalistic leaders.

Thanks to both these factors, Southern Europe, with Italy in particular, is extremely nationalistic. This also tends to get worse if you factor in the region nationalism too, which often trumps nationalistic nationalism.

In recent years, Southern Europe has been hit hardest, first by the Great Recession and most recently by the Coronavirus pandemic. This has only deepened Italy’s conservative tendencies in particular.

4. Pakistan

When it comes to the most conservative countries in the world, after Saudi Arabia and the USA, Pakistan is usually one that follows suit. In many ways, Pakistan does borrow much of its conservatism from Saudi Arabia.

Most Pakistanis are devout Muslims. As per the Quran, most Pakistanis are against abortion and any people who are pro-choice, regardless of whether they identify as conservative or not.

It isn’t just due to their religion that they are pro-life. It’s also a matter of family. For many Pakistanis, regardless of how the baby was conceived, it is a human being that deserves love and attention. Who knows what it may do in the future!

Following the Quran again, Pakistan has also adopted many laissez-faire approaches to the economy, which has helped Pakistan stay in competition with local rivals, India and Bangladesh.

3. Portugal

Similarly to Italy, fellow Southern European nation, Portugal is similarly one of the most conservative countries in the world. However, it isn’t wholly because of the same reasons that Italy is conservative.

Similarly to Italy, Portugal has seen its fair share of foreign invaders and nationalistic leaders. The result, similarly to Italy, has been Portugal’s own fervent nationalism, often making Spain’s and Italy’s look insignificant.

Despite Portugal’s inherent nationalism, Portugal has seen many of its citizens migrate abroad, with not many immigrating into the country. This has led to several foreigners having issues with locals being “racist“.

Borrowing from their Spanish neighbors, Portuguese people are very family-oriented. For many Portuguese people, the idea of not being able to see their family- whether parents or children, is absolutely heartbreaking.

2. Russia

When it comes to the most conservatives countries in Europe, it’s generally considered that the further east you go, the more conservative each country gets. That is why other countries like Poland, Ukraine and Hungary are in this article.

In recent years, Russia has made headlines in the West for its high profile anti-homosexuality laws. Many gay conservatives and journalists in the country has been forced to move abroad due to these laws.

Nationalism in Russia is also quite strong. Similarly to Poland, many Russians are proud of their heritage, including being very nationalistic about the now-gone USSR – even if it was communist (technically socialist).

Similarly to most other conservative countries, Russians are also very family-oriented. If you were to ask most Russians what was most important to them, they would probably answer “Family”.

1. Spain

Spain often has a problem with keeping itself together- many in their culturally different areas, such as Catalonia and the Basque Country. However, it is actually fairly conservative.

Many Spaniards are very family-oriented, believing that family is more important than anything. Indeed, the reason why other Hispanic countries are so family-oriented is because of the now-defunct Spanish Empire.

Spain is also one of the most overwhelmingly catholic countries on the planet, with family, religion and daily life all being intertwined beyond belief. This is especially the case in most rural areas as well.

With that being said, Spain itself does like to think of itself as more liberal than conservative. This is mostly due to them trying to distance themselves from the fascist dictatorship of Francisco Franco between 1939 and 1975.

Which is the most conservative country you’d like to visit? Tell me in the comments!

Featured image courtesy of Diego Cambiaso via Flickr.