Freedom in the World by Country

What Is Freedom in the World?

Freedom in the World is an annual report by Freedom House that assesses political rights and civil liberties in every country. Each nation receives a status of “Free,” “Partly Free,” or “Not Free” based on numeric scores. The index combines expert evaluations and survey data to gauge how well governments respect individual liberties.

Why Freedom in the World Matters to a Country’s Progress

  • Reflects democratic health, since higher freedom scores correlate with transparent governance and rule of law.
  • Indicates civil liberties, as declines often signal censorship, repression, or human rights abuses.
  • Informs international relations, because donors and investors use it to evaluate political stability and risk.

Implications for Policy & Society

  • Improving freedom status can attract foreign investment and strengthen diplomatic ties by showcasing political stability.
  • Low freedom scores prompt governments to reform electoral laws, ensure press independence, or expand civil society space.
  • Civil society organizations and activists use rankings to advocate for human rights and press for legal reforms.
  • Monitoring trends helps international bodies identify emerging authoritarian threats and coordinate support for democratic movements.

How to Read the Rankings

  • “Free” countries have high scores in both political rights and civil liberties; “Not Free” have low scores.
  • Each country’s numeric score ranges from 0 to 100, with higher values indicating greater freedoms.
  • Year-over-year changes often reflect policy reforms, election outcomes, or emerging security crises.

Ranking Highlights

  • Bangladesh tops the progress rankings in Freedom in the World, recording an increase from $40 to $45. Bhutan follows with a gain from $63 to $68, while Sri Lanka rounds out the top three, rising from $54 to $58.
  • Across all 185 countries, the average year-over-year change was $0 percentage points with a median change of $+0 percentage points.
  • Overall, 34 countries improved in this area while 58 worsened. Click on a country to open the full country scorecard and see how it performs across a range of key indicators.
Rank Country Most Recent Year Previous Year Change
1Bangladesh flag Bangladesh45 (2024)40 (2023)+5.00 pp
2Bhutan flag Bhutan68 (2024)63 (2023)+5.00 pp
3Sri Lanka flag Sri Lanka58 (2024)54 (2023)+4.00 pp
4Syria flag Syria5 (2024)1 (2023)+4.00 pp
5Botswana flag Botswana75 (2024)72 (2023)+3.00 pp
6Fiji flag Fiji69 (2024)66 (2023)+3.00 pp
7Germany flag Germany95 (2024)93 (2023)+2.00 pp
8Guatemala flag Guatemala48 (2024)46 (2023)+2.00 pp
9Poland flag Poland82 (2024)80 (2023)+2.00 pp
10Senegal flag Senegal69 (2024)67 (2023)+2.00 pp
11Ukraine flag Ukraine51 (2024)49 (2023)+2.00 pp
12South Africa flag South Africa81 (2024)79 (2023)+2.00 pp
13Burundi flag Burundi15 (2024)14 (2023)+1.00 pp
14Bosnia and Herzegovina flag Bosnia and Herzegovina52 (2024)51 (2023)+1.00 pp
15Belize flag Belize88 (2024)87 (2023)+1.00 pp
16Chile flag Chile95 (2024)94 (2023)+1.00 pp
17Czech Republic flag Czech Republic95 (2024)94 (2023)+1.00 pp
18Estonia flag Estonia96 (2024)95 (2023)+1.00 pp
19Gabon flag Gabon21 (2024)20 (2023)+1.00 pp
20United Kingdom flag United Kingdom92 (2024)91 (2023)+1.00 pp
21Guyana flag Guyana74 (2024)73 (2023)+1.00 pp
22Iraq flag Iraq31 (2024)30 (2023)+1.00 pp
23Iceland flag Iceland95 (2024)94 (2023)+1.00 pp
24Jordan flag Jordan34 (2024)33 (2023)+1.00 pp
25Libya flag Libya10 (2024)9 (2023)+1.00 pp
26Latvia flag Latvia89 (2024)88 (2023)+1.00 pp
27Mauritius flag Mauritius86 (2024)85 (2023)+1.00 pp
28Norway flag Norway99 (2024)98 (2023)+1.00 pp
29Peru flag Peru67 (2024)66 (2023)+1.00 pp
30Saudi Arabia flag Saudi Arabia9 (2024)8 (2023)+1.00 pp
31Suriname flag Suriname80 (2024)79 (2023)+1.00 pp
32Seychelles flag Seychelles80 (2024)79 (2023)+1.00 pp
33United States flag United States84 (2024)83 (2023)+1.00 pp
34Vietnam flag Vietnam20 (2024)19 (2023)+1.00 pp
35Afghanistan flag Afghanistan6 (2024)6 (2023)+0.00 pp
36Angola flag Angola28 (2024)28 (2023)+0.00 pp
37Albania flag Albania68 (2024)68 (2023)+0.00 pp
38Andorra flag Andorra93 (2024)93 (2023)+0.00 pp
39United Arab Emirates flag United Arab Emirates18 (2024)18 (2023)+0.00 pp
40Argentina flag Argentina85 (2024)85 (2023)+0.00 pp
41Armenia flag Armenia54 (2024)54 (2023)+0.00 pp
42Australia flag Australia95 (2024)95 (2023)+0.00 pp
43Austria flag Austria93 (2024)93 (2023)+0.00 pp
44Azerbaijan flag Azerbaijan7 (2024)7 (2023)+0.00 pp
45Belgium flag Belgium96 (2024)96 (2023)+0.00 pp
46Bahrain flag Bahrain12 (2024)12 (2023)+0.00 pp
47Brazil flag Brazil72 (2024)72 (2023)+0.00 pp
48Barbados flag Barbados94 (2024)94 (2023)+0.00 pp
49Central African Republic flag Central African Republic5 (2024)5 (2023)+0.00 pp
50Canada flag Canada97 (2024)97 (2023)+0.00 pp
51Switzerland flag Switzerland96 (2024)96 (2023)+0.00 pp
52China flag China9 (2024)9 (2023)+0.00 pp
53Cameroon flag Cameroon15 (2024)15 (2023)+0.00 pp
54Colombia flag Colombia70 (2024)70 (2023)+0.00 pp
55Comoros flag Comoros42 (2024)42 (2023)+0.00 pp
56Cabo Verde flag Cabo Verde92 (2024)92 (2023)+0.00 pp
57Costa Rica flag Costa Rica91 (2024)91 (2023)+0.00 pp
58Djibouti flag Djibouti24 (2024)24 (2023)+0.00 pp
59Denmark flag Denmark97 (2024)97 (2023)+0.00 pp
60Dominican Republic flag Dominican Republic68 (2024)68 (2023)+0.00 pp
61Egypt flag Egypt18 (2024)18 (2023)+0.00 pp
62Eritrea flag Eritrea3 (2024)3 (2023)+0.00 pp
63Spain flag Spain90 (2024)90 (2023)+0.00 pp
64Finland flag Finland100 (2024)100 (2023)+0.00 pp
65France flag France89 (2024)89 (2023)+0.00 pp
66Micronesia flag Micronesia92 (2024)92 (2023)+0.00 pp
67Ghana flag Ghana80 (2024)80 (2023)+0.00 pp
68Guinea flag Guinea30 (2024)30 (2023)+0.00 pp
69Equatorial Guinea flag Equatorial Guinea5 (2024)5 (2023)+0.00 pp
70Greece flag Greece85 (2024)85 (2023)+0.00 pp
71Grenada flag Grenada89 (2024)89 (2023)+0.00 pp
72Honduras flag Honduras48 (2024)48 (2023)+0.00 pp
73Hungary flag Hungary65 (2024)65 (2023)+0.00 pp
74Ireland flag Ireland97 (2024)97 (2023)+0.00 pp
75Iran flag Iran11 (2024)11 (2023)+0.00 pp
76Jamaica flag Jamaica80 (2024)80 (2023)+0.00 pp
77Japan flag Japan96 (2024)96 (2023)+0.00 pp
78Kazakhstan flag Kazakhstan23 (2024)23 (2023)+0.00 pp
79Cambodia flag Cambodia23 (2024)23 (2023)+0.00 pp
80Laos flag Laos13 (2024)13 (2023)+0.00 pp
81Liberia flag Liberia64 (2024)64 (2023)+0.00 pp
82Liechtenstein flag Liechtenstein90 (2024)90 (2023)+0.00 pp
83Lesotho flag Lesotho66 (2024)66 (2023)+0.00 pp
84Lithuania flag Lithuania89 (2024)89 (2023)+0.00 pp
85Luxembourg flag Luxembourg97 (2024)97 (2023)+0.00 pp
86Morocco flag Morocco37 (2024)37 (2023)+0.00 pp
87Monaco flag Monaco82 (2024)82 (2023)+0.00 pp
88Marshall Islands flag Marshall Islands93 (2024)93 (2023)+0.00 pp
89North Macedonia flag North Macedonia67 (2024)67 (2023)+0.00 pp
90Malta flag Malta87 (2024)87 (2023)+0.00 pp
91Montenegro flag Montenegro69 (2024)69 (2023)+0.00 pp
92Mongolia flag Mongolia84 (2024)84 (2023)+0.00 pp
93Mauritania flag Mauritania39 (2024)39 (2023)+0.00 pp
94Malaysia flag Malaysia53 (2024)53 (2023)+0.00 pp
95Nigeria flag Nigeria44 (2024)44 (2023)+0.00 pp
96Netherlands flag Netherlands97 (2024)97 (2023)+0.00 pp
97Nepal flag Nepal62 (2024)62 (2023)+0.00 pp
98New Zealand flag New Zealand99 (2024)99 (2023)+0.00 pp
99Oman flag Oman24 (2024)24 (2023)+0.00 pp
100Panama flag Panama83 (2024)83 (2023)+0.00 pp
101Philippines flag Philippines58 (2024)58 (2023)+0.00 pp
102Palau flag Palau92 (2024)92 (2023)+0.00 pp
103Papua New Guinea flag Papua New Guinea61 (2024)61 (2023)+0.00 pp
104North Korea flag North Korea3 (2024)3 (2023)+0.00 pp
105Portugal flag Portugal96 (2024)96 (2023)+0.00 pp
106Paraguay flag Paraguay63 (2024)63 (2023)+0.00 pp
107Qatar flag Qatar25 (2024)25 (2023)+0.00 pp
108Singapore flag Singapore48 (2024)48 (2023)+0.00 pp
109Solomon Islands flag Solomon Islands75 (2024)75 (2023)+0.00 pp
110San Marino flag San Marino97 (2024)97 (2023)+0.00 pp
111Somalia flag Somalia8 (2024)8 (2023)+0.00 pp
112South Sudan flag South Sudan1 (2024)1 (2023)+0.00 pp
113Sao Tome and Principe flag Sao Tome and Principe84 (2024)84 (2023)+0.00 pp
114Slovenia flag Slovenia96 (2024)96 (2023)+0.00 pp
115Sweden flag Sweden99 (2024)99 (2023)+0.00 pp
116Eswatini flag Eswatini17 (2024)17 (2023)+0.00 pp
117Chad flag Chad15 (2024)15 (2023)+0.00 pp
118Tajikistan flag Tajikistan5 (2024)5 (2023)+0.00 pp
119Timor-Leste flag Timor-Leste72 (2024)72 (2023)+0.00 pp
120Trinidad and Tobago flag Trinidad and Tobago82 (2024)82 (2023)+0.00 pp
121Tuvalu flag Tuvalu93 (2024)93 (2023)+0.00 pp
122Uganda flag Uganda34 (2024)34 (2023)+0.00 pp
123Uruguay flag Uruguay96 (2024)96 (2023)+0.00 pp
124Uzbekistan flag Uzbekistan12 (2024)12 (2023)+0.00 pp
125Vanuatu flag Vanuatu82 (2024)82 (2023)+0.00 pp
126Samoa flag Samoa84 (2024)84 (2023)+0.00 pp
127Yemen flag Yemen10 (2024)10 (2023)+0.00 pp
128Benin flag Benin60 (2024)61 (2023)-1.00 pp
129Bulgaria flag Bulgaria77 (2024)78 (2023)-1.00 pp
130Bahamas flag Bahamas90 (2024)91 (2023)-1.00 pp
131Belarus flag Belarus7 (2024)8 (2023)-1.00 pp
132Bolivia flag Bolivia65 (2024)66 (2023)-1.00 pp
133Brunei flag Brunei27 (2024)28 (2023)-1.00 pp
134Cyprus flag Cyprus91 (2024)92 (2023)-1.00 pp
135Dominica flag Dominica92 (2024)93 (2023)-1.00 pp
136Algeria flag Algeria31 (2024)32 (2023)-1.00 pp
137Croatia flag Croatia82 (2024)83 (2023)-1.00 pp
138Indonesia flag Indonesia56 (2024)57 (2023)-1.00 pp
139Israel flag Israel73 (2024)74 (2023)-1.00 pp
140Italy flag Italy89 (2024)90 (2023)-1.00 pp
141Kenya flag Kenya51 (2024)52 (2023)-1.00 pp
142Kyrgyzstan flag Kyrgyzstan26 (2024)27 (2023)-1.00 pp
143Kiribati flag Kiribati89 (2024)90 (2023)-1.00 pp
144Moldova flag Moldova60 (2024)61 (2023)-1.00 pp
145Maldives flag Maldives43 (2024)44 (2023)-1.00 pp
146Mexico flag Mexico59 (2024)60 (2023)-1.00 pp
147Myanmar flag Myanmar7 (2024)8 (2023)-1.00 pp
148Malawi flag Malawi65 (2024)66 (2023)-1.00 pp
149Romania flag Romania82 (2024)83 (2023)-1.00 pp
150Russia flag Russia12 (2024)13 (2023)-1.00 pp
151Sierra Leone flag Sierra Leone59 (2024)60 (2023)-1.00 pp
152Serbia flag Serbia56 (2024)57 (2023)-1.00 pp
153Slovakia flag Slovakia89 (2024)90 (2023)-1.00 pp
154Togo flag Togo41 (2024)42 (2023)-1.00 pp
155Turkmenistan flag Turkmenistan1 (2024)2 (2023)-1.00 pp
156Tonga flag Tonga80 (2024)81 (2023)-1.00 pp
157Tanzania flag Tanzania35 (2024)36 (2023)-1.00 pp
158Zambia flag Zambia53 (2024)54 (2023)-1.00 pp
159Zimbabwe flag Zimbabwe26 (2024)27 (2023)-1.00 pp
160Antigua and Barbuda flag Antigua and Barbuda83 (2024)85 (2023)-2.00 pp
161Burkina Faso flag Burkina Faso25 (2024)27 (2023)-2.00 pp
162Cuba flag Cuba10 (2024)12 (2023)-2.00 pp
163Ecuador flag Ecuador65 (2024)67 (2023)-2.00 pp
164Ethiopia flag Ethiopia18 (2024)20 (2023)-2.00 pp
165Guinea-Bissau flag Guinea-Bissau41 (2024)43 (2023)-2.00 pp
166South Korea flag South Korea81 (2024)83 (2023)-2.00 pp
167Mali flag Mali24 (2024)26 (2023)-2.00 pp
168Nicaragua flag Nicaragua14 (2024)16 (2023)-2.00 pp
169Nauru flag Nauru75 (2024)77 (2023)-2.00 pp
170Rwanda flag Rwanda21 (2024)23 (2023)-2.00 pp
171Thailand flag Thailand34 (2024)36 (2023)-2.00 pp
172Venezuela flag Venezuela13 (2024)15 (2023)-2.00 pp
173Georgia flag Georgia55 (2024)58 (2023)-3.00 pp
174India flag India63 (2024)66 (2023)-3.00 pp
175Lebanon flag Lebanon39 (2024)42 (2023)-3.00 pp
176Madagascar flag Madagascar55 (2024)58 (2023)-3.00 pp
177Mozambique flag Mozambique41 (2024)44 (2023)-3.00 pp
178Niger flag Niger30 (2024)33 (2023)-3.00 pp
179Pakistan flag Pakistan32 (2024)35 (2023)-3.00 pp
180Namibia flag Namibia73 (2024)77 (2023)-4.00 pp
181Sudan flag Sudan2 (2024)6 (2023)-4.00 pp
182Haiti flag Haiti24 (2024)30 (2023)-6.00 pp
183El Salvador flag El Salvador47 (2024)53 (2023)-6.00 pp
184Kuwait flag Kuwait31 (2024)38 (2023)-7.00 pp
185Tunisia flag Tunisia44 (2024)51 (2023)-7.00 pp

Source: Freedom House. Only countries with complete data (both points within the past 10 years) are shown.