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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bangladesh | 45 (2024) | 40 (2023) | +5.00 pp |
| 2 |  Bhutan | 68 (2024) | 63 (2023) | +5.00 pp |
| 3 |  Sri Lanka | 58 (2024) | 54 (2023) | +4.00 pp |
| 4 |  Syria | 5 (2024) | 1 (2023) | +4.00 pp |
| 5 |  Botswana | 75 (2024) | 72 (2023) | +3.00 pp |
| 6 |  Fiji | 69 (2024) | 66 (2023) | +3.00 pp |
| 7 |  Germany | 95 (2024) | 93 (2023) | +2.00 pp |
| 8 |  Guatemala | 48 (2024) | 46 (2023) | +2.00 pp |
| 9 |  Poland | 82 (2024) | 80 (2023) | +2.00 pp |
| 10 |  Senegal | 69 (2024) | 67 (2023) | +2.00 pp |
| 11 |  Ukraine | 51 (2024) | 49 (2023) | +2.00 pp |
| 12 |  South Africa | 81 (2024) | 79 (2023) | +2.00 pp |
| 13 |  Burundi | 15 (2024) | 14 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 14 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 52 (2024) | 51 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 15 |  Belize | 88 (2024) | 87 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 16 |  Chile | 95 (2024) | 94 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 17 |  Czech Republic | 95 (2024) | 94 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 18 |  Estonia | 96 (2024) | 95 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 19 |  Gabon | 21 (2024) | 20 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 20 |  United Kingdom | 92 (2024) | 91 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 21 |  Guyana | 74 (2024) | 73 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 22 |  Iraq | 31 (2024) | 30 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 23 |  Iceland | 95 (2024) | 94 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 24 |  Jordan | 34 (2024) | 33 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 25 |  Libya | 10 (2024) | 9 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 26 |  Latvia | 89 (2024) | 88 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 27 |  Mauritius | 86 (2024) | 85 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 28 |  Norway | 99 (2024) | 98 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 29 |  Peru | 67 (2024) | 66 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 30 |  Saudi Arabia | 9 (2024) | 8 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 31 |  Suriname | 80 (2024) | 79 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 32 |  Seychelles | 80 (2024) | 79 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 33 |  United States | 84 (2024) | 83 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 34 |  Vietnam | 20 (2024) | 19 (2023) | +1.00 pp |
| 35 |  Afghanistan | 6 (2024) | 6 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 36 |  Angola | 28 (2024) | 28 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 37 |  Albania | 68 (2024) | 68 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 38 |  Andorra | 93 (2024) | 93 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 39 |  United Arab Emirates | 18 (2024) | 18 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 40 |  Argentina | 85 (2024) | 85 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 41 |  Armenia | 54 (2024) | 54 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 42 |  Australia | 95 (2024) | 95 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 43 |  Austria | 93 (2024) | 93 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 44 |  Azerbaijan | 7 (2024) | 7 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 45 |  Belgium | 96 (2024) | 96 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 46 |  Bahrain | 12 (2024) | 12 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 47 |  Brazil | 72 (2024) | 72 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 48 |  Barbados | 94 (2024) | 94 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 49 |  Central African Republic | 5 (2024) | 5 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 50 |  Canada | 97 (2024) | 97 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 51 |  Switzerland | 96 (2024) | 96 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 52 |  China | 9 (2024) | 9 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 53 |  Cameroon | 15 (2024) | 15 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 54 |  Colombia | 70 (2024) | 70 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 55 |  Comoros | 42 (2024) | 42 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 56 |  Cabo Verde | 92 (2024) | 92 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 57 |  Costa Rica | 91 (2024) | 91 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 58 |  Djibouti | 24 (2024) | 24 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 59 |  Denmark | 97 (2024) | 97 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 60 |  Dominican Republic | 68 (2024) | 68 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 61 |  Egypt | 18 (2024) | 18 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 62 |  Eritrea | 3 (2024) | 3 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 63 |  Spain | 90 (2024) | 90 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 64 |  Finland | 100 (2024) | 100 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 65 |  France | 89 (2024) | 89 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 66 |  Micronesia | 92 (2024) | 92 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 67 |  Ghana | 80 (2024) | 80 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 68 |  Guinea | 30 (2024) | 30 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 69 |  Equatorial Guinea | 5 (2024) | 5 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 70 |  Greece | 85 (2024) | 85 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 71 |  Grenada | 89 (2024) | 89 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 72 |  Honduras | 48 (2024) | 48 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 73 |  Hungary | 65 (2024) | 65 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 74 |  Ireland | 97 (2024) | 97 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 75 |  Iran | 11 (2024) | 11 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 76 |  Jamaica | 80 (2024) | 80 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 77 |  Japan | 96 (2024) | 96 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 78 |  Kazakhstan | 23 (2024) | 23 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 79 |  Cambodia | 23 (2024) | 23 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 80 |  Laos | 13 (2024) | 13 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 81 |  Liberia | 64 (2024) | 64 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 82 |  Liechtenstein | 90 (2024) | 90 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 83 |  Lesotho | 66 (2024) | 66 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 84 |  Lithuania | 89 (2024) | 89 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 85 |  Luxembourg | 97 (2024) | 97 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 86 |  Morocco | 37 (2024) | 37 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 87 |  Monaco | 82 (2024) | 82 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 88 |  Marshall Islands | 93 (2024) | 93 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 89 |  North Macedonia | 67 (2024) | 67 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 90 |  Malta | 87 (2024) | 87 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 91 |  Montenegro | 69 (2024) | 69 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 92 |  Mongolia | 84 (2024) | 84 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 93 |  Mauritania | 39 (2024) | 39 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 94 |  Malaysia | 53 (2024) | 53 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 95 |  Nigeria | 44 (2024) | 44 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 96 |  Netherlands | 97 (2024) | 97 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 97 |  Nepal | 62 (2024) | 62 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 98 |  New Zealand | 99 (2024) | 99 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 99 |  Oman | 24 (2024) | 24 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 100 |  Panama | 83 (2024) | 83 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 101 |  Philippines | 58 (2024) | 58 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 102 |  Palau | 92 (2024) | 92 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 103 |  Papua New Guinea | 61 (2024) | 61 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 104 |  North Korea | 3 (2024) | 3 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 105 |  Portugal | 96 (2024) | 96 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 106 |  Paraguay | 63 (2024) | 63 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 107 |  Qatar | 25 (2024) | 25 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 108 |  Singapore | 48 (2024) | 48 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 109 |  Solomon Islands | 75 (2024) | 75 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 110 |  San Marino | 97 (2024) | 97 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 111 |  Somalia | 8 (2024) | 8 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 112 |  South Sudan | 1 (2024) | 1 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 113 |  Sao Tome and Principe | 84 (2024) | 84 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 114 |  Slovenia | 96 (2024) | 96 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 115 |  Sweden | 99 (2024) | 99 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 116 |  Eswatini | 17 (2024) | 17 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 117 |  Chad | 15 (2024) | 15 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 118 |  Tajikistan | 5 (2024) | 5 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 119 |  Timor-Leste | 72 (2024) | 72 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 120 |  Trinidad and Tobago | 82 (2024) | 82 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 121 |  Tuvalu | 93 (2024) | 93 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 122 |  Uganda | 34 (2024) | 34 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 123 |  Uruguay | 96 (2024) | 96 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 124 |  Uzbekistan | 12 (2024) | 12 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 125 |  Vanuatu | 82 (2024) | 82 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 126 |  Samoa | 84 (2024) | 84 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 127 |  Yemen | 10 (2024) | 10 (2023) | +0.00 pp |
| 128 |  Benin | 60 (2024) | 61 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 129 |  Bulgaria | 77 (2024) | 78 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 130 |  Bahamas | 90 (2024) | 91 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 131 |  Belarus | 7 (2024) | 8 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 132 |  Bolivia | 65 (2024) | 66 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 133 |  Brunei | 27 (2024) | 28 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 134 |  Cyprus | 91 (2024) | 92 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 135 |  Dominica | 92 (2024) | 93 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 136 |  Algeria | 31 (2024) | 32 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 137 |  Croatia | 82 (2024) | 83 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 138 |  Indonesia | 56 (2024) | 57 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 139 |  Israel | 73 (2024) | 74 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 140 |  Italy | 89 (2024) | 90 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 141 |  Kenya | 51 (2024) | 52 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 142 |  Kyrgyzstan | 26 (2024) | 27 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 143 |  Kiribati | 89 (2024) | 90 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 144 |  Moldova | 60 (2024) | 61 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 145 |  Maldives | 43 (2024) | 44 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 146 |  Mexico | 59 (2024) | 60 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 147 |  Myanmar | 7 (2024) | 8 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 148 |  Malawi | 65 (2024) | 66 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 149 |  Romania | 82 (2024) | 83 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 150 |  Russia | 12 (2024) | 13 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 151 |  Sierra Leone | 59 (2024) | 60 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 152 |  Serbia | 56 (2024) | 57 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 153 |  Slovakia | 89 (2024) | 90 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 154 |  Togo | 41 (2024) | 42 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 155 |  Turkmenistan | 1 (2024) | 2 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 156 |  Tonga | 80 (2024) | 81 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 157 |  Tanzania | 35 (2024) | 36 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 158 |  Zambia | 53 (2024) | 54 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 159 |  Zimbabwe | 26 (2024) | 27 (2023) | -1.00 pp |
| 160 |  Antigua and Barbuda | 83 (2024) | 85 (2023) | -2.00 pp |
| 161 |  Burkina Faso | 25 (2024) | 27 (2023) | -2.00 pp |
| 162 |  Cuba | 10 (2024) | 12 (2023) | -2.00 pp |
| 163 | Ecuador | 65 (2024) | 67 (2023) | -2.00 pp |
| 164 |  Ethiopia | 18 (2024) | 20 (2023) | -2.00 pp |
| 165 |  Guinea-Bissau | 41 (2024) | 43 (2023) | -2.00 pp |
| 166 |  South Korea | 81 (2024) | 83 (2023) | -2.00 pp |
| 167 |  Mali | 24 (2024) | 26 (2023) | -2.00 pp |
| 168 |  Nicaragua | 14 (2024) | 16 (2023) | -2.00 pp |
| 169 |  Nauru | 75 (2024) | 77 (2023) | -2.00 pp |
| 170 |  Rwanda | 21 (2024) | 23 (2023) | -2.00 pp |
| 171 |  Thailand | 34 (2024) | 36 (2023) | -2.00 pp |
| 172 |  Venezuela | 13 (2024) | 15 (2023) | -2.00 pp |
| 173 |  Georgia | 55 (2024) | 58 (2023) | -3.00 pp |
| 174 |  India | 63 (2024) | 66 (2023) | -3.00 pp |
| 175 |  Lebanon | 39 (2024) | 42 (2023) | -3.00 pp |
| 176 |  Madagascar | 55 (2024) | 58 (2023) | -3.00 pp |
| 177 |  Mozambique | 41 (2024) | 44 (2023) | -3.00 pp |
| 178 |  Niger | 30 (2024) | 33 (2023) | -3.00 pp |
| 179 |  Pakistan | 32 (2024) | 35 (2023) | -3.00 pp |
| 180 |  Namibia | 73 (2024) | 77 (2023) | -4.00 pp |
| 181 |  Sudan | 2 (2024) | 6 (2023) | -4.00 pp |
| 182 |  Haiti | 24 (2024) | 30 (2023) | -6.00 pp |
| 183 |  El Salvador | 47 (2024) | 53 (2023) | -6.00 pp |
| 184 |  Kuwait | 31 (2024) | 38 (2023) | -7.00 pp |
| 185 |  Tunisia | 44 (2024) | 51 (2023) | -7.00 pp |
Source: Freedom House. Only countries with complete data (both points within the past 10 years) are shown.