Freedom in the World

Annual survey by Freedom House From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Freedom in the World is a yearly survey and report by the U.S.-based non-governmental organization Freedom House that measures the degree of civil liberties and political rights in every nation and significant related and disputed territories around the world.[2]

2026*
2022[1]
1972
  Free   Partly free   Not free   Not covered

Critical assessments of the survey have highlighted potential biases stemming from its funding, methodology, ideological leanings and the subjective nature of the scoring. Freedom House has defended its ratings as independent and evidence-based.

Origin and use

Freedom in the World was launched in 1973 by Raymond Gastil. It produces annual scores representing the levels of political rights and civil liberties in each state and territory, on a scale from 1 (most free) to 7 (least free). Depending on the ratings, the nations are then classified as "Free", "Partly Free", or "Not Free".[3] The report is often used by researchers in order to measure democracy and correlates highly with several other measures of democracy such as the Polity data series.[4]

The Freedom House rankings are widely reported in the media and used as sources by political researchers. Their construction and use has been evaluated by critics and supporters.[5]

Country and territory assessments

   Countries designated "electoral democracies" in Freedom House's Freedom in the World 2025 survey, covering the year 2024

Methodology

Together with descriptive texts, Freedom in the World reports assign each country and territory "scores", "ratings", and a "status", as well as determining whether or not it is an "electoral democracy". Ratings are derived from scores, and status, in turn, is derived from ratings. Each report covers the year prior to its publication.[6]

Countries and territories

The 2026 edition covers 195 "countries" (the 193 UN member states, as well as Kosovo and Taiwan[6]), and 13 "territories".[7] Freedom House states that it "typically takes no position on territorial or separatist disputes as such, focusing instead on the level of political rights and civil liberties in a given geographical area". Its selection of territories for assessment is officially based on several parameters:

  • separate governance;
  • unique conditions which mean an assessment is likely to yield different ratings from "the relevant country or countries";
  • pressure for a change in political status, such as "autonomy, independence, or incorporation into another country";
  • stability that would allow assessment of a full, single year, as well as expectation of stability over future years that would allow comparisons over time;
  • size and/or political significance.[6]

Scores

Each country and territory is awarded a "score" of 0 to 4 for each of 25 indicators. 10 of the indicators are for "political rights" (PR), and 15 are for "civil liberties" (CL). Therefore, the total CL score can be between 0 and 60, while the PR score, where 1 to 4 points can be deducted on the basis of an additional discretionary question, can range from -4 and 40. This means that the lowest total score possible (meaning the least freedom) is -4, and the highest (meaning most freedom) is 100.[6]

Before the 2018 report, there was another additional discretionary question, which could be used to award 1 to 4 points to "traditional monarchies that had no political parties or significant electoral processes but provided for some form of consultation with the public". The assessment of this kind of consultation is now done elsewhere in the methodology.[6]

Ratings and status

Each country and territory also receives two "ratings" ranging from 1 to 7, one for PR and one for CL, with 1 meaning the most possible freedom, and 7 meaning the least. The ratings are derived from the scores. The average of each pair of ratings determines the overall "status" of "Free" (1.0–2.5), "Partly Free" (3.0–5.0), or "Not Free" (5.5–7.0).[8] While the formula for converting scores into status remains the same, since 2020 the reports have started to put less of an emphasis on the ratings, though they can still be accessed in the raw data.[6]

Electoral democracy

Under the reports' methodology, to qualify as an "electoral democracy" a country (territories are not included in this list) must have a score of 7 or more out of 12 in political rights subcategory A (Electoral Progress), an overall aggregate score of 20 or more in their political rights rating, and (since 2018) an overall aggregate score of 30 or more in their civil liberties rating.[6]

Freedom House's term "electoral democracy" differs from "liberal democracy" in that the latter also implies the presence of a substantial array of civil liberties and a robust observance of democratic ideals. In the survey, most Free countries could qualify as both electoral and liberal democracies. By contrast, some Partly Free countries qualify as electoral, but not liberal, democracies.[6]

Assessments

* indicates "Civil liberties in country or territory" or "Human rights in country or territory" links.

PR = political rights, CL = civil liberties

2024 countries (according to Freedom House)

More information Country (2024), Electoral democracy ...
Country (2024)
Electoral
democracy[9]
PR rating[10] CL rating[10] Total PR CL Overall
status
Afghanistan No 7 7 6 1 5 Not free
Albania Yes 3 3 68 28 40 Partly free
Algeria No 6 5 31 10 21 Not free
Andorra Yes 1 1 93 38 55 Free
Angola No 6 5 28 10 18 Not free
Antigua and Barbuda Yes 2 2 83 32 51 Free
Argentina Yes 2 2 85 35 50 Free
Armenia Yes 4 4 54 23 31 Partly free
Australia Yes 1 1 95 39 56 Free
Austria Yes 1 1 93 37 56 Free
Azerbaijan No 7 7 7 0 7 Not free
Bahamas Yes 1 2 90 38 52 Free
Bahrain No 7 6 12 2 10 Not free
Bangladesh No 5 4 45 16 29 Partly free
Barbados Yes 1 1 94 37 57 Free
Belarus No 7 7 7 1 6 Not free
Belgium Yes 1 1 96 39 57 Free
Belize Yes 2 1 88 35 53 Free
Benin No 4 3 60 18 42 Partly free
Bhutan Yes 2 3 68 32 36 Free
Bolivia Yes 3 3 65 26 39 Partly free
Bosnia and Herzegovina No 5 3 52 17 35 Partly free
Botswana Yes 2 2 75 31 44 Free
Brazil Yes 2 3 72 30 42 Free
Brunei No 6 5 27 7 20 Not free
Bulgaria Yes 2 2 77 32 45 Free
Burkina Faso No 7 5 25 3 22 Not free
Burundi No 7 6 15 4 11 Not free
Cambodia No 7 5 23 4 19 Not free
Cameroon No 6 6 15 6 9 Not free
Canada Yes 1 1 97 39 58 Free
Cape Verde Yes 1 1 92 38 54 Free
Central African Republic No 7 7 5 1 4 Not free
Chad No 7 6 15 1 14 Not free
Chile Yes 1 1 95 38 57 Free
China No 7 6 9 -2 11 Not free
Colombia Yes 2 3 70 31 39 Free
Comoros No 5 4 42 16 26 Partly free
Congo (Democratic Republic) No 7 6 18 4 14 Not free
Congo (Republic) No 7 6 17 2 15 Not free
Costa Rica Yes 1 1 91 38 53 Free
Croatia Yes 2 2 82 34 48 Free
Cuba No 7 6 10 1 9 Not free
Cyprus Yes 1 1 91 38 53 Free
Czech Republic Yes 1 1 95 37 58 Free
Denmark Yes 1 1 97 40 57 Free
Djibouti No 7 5 24 5 19 Not free
Dominica Yes 1 1 92 37 55 Free
Dominican Republic Yes 3 3 68 27 41 Partly free
Ecuador Yes 3 3 65 28 37 Partly free
Egypt No 6 6 18 6 12 Not free
El Salvador No 5 4 47 17 30 Partly free
Equatorial Guinea No 7 7 5 0 5 Not free
Eritrea No 7 7 3 1 2 Not free
Estonia Yes 1 1 96 39 57 Free
Eswatini No 7 6 17 1 16 Not free
Ethiopia No 6 6 18 8 10 Not free
Fiji Yes 3 3 69 28 41 Partly free
Finland Yes 1 1 100 40 60 Free
France Yes 1 2 89 38 51 Free
Gabon No 7 5 21 2 19 Not free
The Gambia No 4 4 50 22 28 Partly free
Georgia No 4 4 55 21 34 Partly free
Germany Yes 1 1 95 40 55 Free
Ghana Yes 2 2 80 35 45 Free
Greece Yes 2 2 85 35 50 Free
Grenada Yes 1 2 89 37 52 Free
Guatemala No 4 4 48 19 29 Partly free
Guinea No 6 5 30 7 23 Not free
Guinea-Bissau No 5 4 41 15 26 Partly free
Guyana Yes 2 2 74 30 44 Free
Haiti No 6 5 24 6 18 Not free
Honduras No 4 4 48 22 26 Partly free
Hungary Yes 3 3 65 24 41 Partly free
Iceland Yes 1 1 95 38 57 Free
India Yes 2 4 63 31 32 Partly free
Indonesia No 3 4 56 28 28 Partly free
Iran No 7 7 11 4 7 Not free
Iraq No 5 6 31 16 15 Not free
Ireland Yes 1 1 97 39 58 Free
Israel Yes 2 3 73 34 39 Free
Italy Yes 1 1 89 36 53 Free
Ivory Coast No 4 4 49 19 30 Partly free
Jamaica Yes 2 2 80 33 47 Free
Japan Yes 1 1 96 40 56 Free
Jordan No 5 5 34 12 22 Partly free
Kazakhstan No 7 5 23 5 18 Not free
Kenya No 4 4 51 22 29 Partly free
Kiribati Yes 1 1 89 36 53 Free
Kosovo Yes 3 4 60 28 32 Partly free
Kuwait No 6 5 31 7 14 Not free
Kyrgyzstan No 7 5 26 4 22 Not free
Laos No 7 6 13 2 11 Not free
Latvia Yes 1 2 89 37 52 Free
Lebanon No 5 4 39 13 26 Partly free
Lesotho Yes 2 3 66 30 36 Free
Liberia Yes 2 4 64 30 34 Partly free
Libya No 7 6 10 2 8 Not free
Liechtenstein Yes 2 1 90 33 57 Free
Lithuania Yes 1 2 89 38 51 Free
Luxembourg Yes 1 1 97 38 59 Free
Madagascar No 4 4 55 21 34 Partly free
Malawi Yes 3 3 65 28 37 Partly free
Malaysia No 4 4 53 22 31 Partly free
Maldives No 4 5 43 20 23 Partly free
Mali No 6 5 24 6 18 Not free
Malta Yes 2 2 87 35 52 Free
Marshall Islands Yes 1 1 93 38 55 Free
Mauritania No 5 5 39 15 24 Partly free
Mauritius Yes 2 2 86 35 51 Free
Mexico Yes 3 4 59 26 33 Partly free
Micronesia Yes 1 1 92 37 55 Free
Moldova Yes 3 3 60 25 35 Partly free
Monaco Yes 3 1 82 25 57 Free
Mongolia Yes 1 2 84 36 48 Free
Montenegro Yes 3 3 69 27 42 Partly free
Morocco No 5 5 37 13 24 Partly free
Mozambique No 5 4 41 12 29 Partly free
Myanmar No 7 7 7 0 7 Not free
Namibia Yes 3 2 73 28 45 Free
Nauru Yes 2 3 75 32 43 Free
Nepal Yes 3 4 62 28 34 Partly free
Netherlands Yes 1 1 97 39 58 Free
New Zealand Yes 1 1 99 40 59 Free
Nicaragua No 7 6 14 2 12 Not free
Niger No 7 5 30 5 25 Not free
Nigeria No 4 5 44 20 24 Partly free
North Korea No 7 7 3 0 3 Not free
North Macedonia Yes 3 3 67 28 39 Partly free
Norway Yes 1 1 99 39 60 Free
Oman No 6 5 24 6 18 Not free
Pakistan No 5 5 32 12 20 Partly free
Palau Yes 1 1 92 37 55 Free
Panama Yes 2 2 83 35 48 Free
Papua New Guinea No 4 3 61 22 39 Partly free
Paraguay Yes 3 3 63 26 37 Partly free
Peru Yes 3 3 67 28 39 Partly free
Philippines Yes 3 4 58 25 33 Partly free
Poland Yes 2 2 82 34 48 Free
Portugal Yes 1 1 96 39 57 Free
Qatar No 6 5 25 7 18 Not free
Romania Yes 2 2 82 34 48 Free
Russia No 7 6 12 4 8 Not free
Rwanda No 6 6 21 7 14 Not free
Samoa Yes 2 2 84 32 52 Free
San Marino Yes 1 1 97 39 58 Free
São Tomé and Príncipe Yes 2 2 84 35 49 Free
Saudi Arabia No 7 6 9 1 8 Not free
Senegal Yes 2 3 69 30 39 Free
Serbia No 4 3 56 18 38 Partly free
Seychelles Yes 2 2 80 34 46 Free
Sierra Leone Yes 4 3 59 23 36 Partly free
Singapore No 4 4 48 19 29 Partly free
Slovakia Yes 1 1 89 36 53 Free
Slovenia Yes 1 1 96 39 57 Free
Solomon Islands Yes 3 2 75 28 47 Free
Somalia No 7 7 8 2 6 Not free
South Africa Yes 2 2 81 34 47 Free
South Korea Yes 2 2 81 32 49 Free
South Sudan No 7 7 1 -3 4 Not free
Spain Yes 1 1 90 37 53 Free
Sri Lanka Yes 3 4 58 26 32 Partly free
Saint Kitts and Nevis Yes 2 1 89 35 54 Free
Saint Lucia Yes 1 1 91 38 53 Free
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Yes 1 1 90 36 54 Free
Sudan No 7 7 2 -3 5 Not free
Suriname Yes 2 2 80 34 46 Free
Sweden Yes 1 1 99 40 59 Free
Switzerland Yes 1 1 96 39 57 Free
Syria No 7 6 5 -3 8 Not free
Taiwan Yes 1 1 94 38 56 Free
Tajikistan No 7 7 5 0 5 Not free
Tanzania No 6 5 35 11 24 Not free
Thailand No 6 5 34 11 23 Not free
Timor-Leste Yes 2 3 72 33 39 Free
Togo No 5 4 41 14 27 Partly free
Tonga Yes 2 2 80 30 50 Free
Trinidad and Tobago Yes 2 2 82 33 49 Free
Tunisia No 6 4 44 11 33 Partly free
Turkey No 5 6 33 17 16 Not free
Turkmenistan No 7 7 1 0 1 Not free
Tuvalu Yes 1 1 93 37 56 Free
Uganda No 6 5 34 10 24 Not free
Ukraine No 4 4 51 23 28 Partly free
United Arab Emirates No 7 6 18 5 13 Not free
United Kingdom Yes 1 1 92 39 53 Free
United States Yes 2 2 84 34 50 Free
Uruguay Yes 1 1 96 40 56 Free
Uzbekistan No 7 6 12 2 10 Not free
Vanuatu Yes 2 2 82 32 50 Free
Venezuela No 7 6 13 0 13 Not free
Vietnam No 7 6 20 4 16 Not free
Yemen No 7 6 10 1 9 Not free
Zambia No 4 4 53 22 31 Partly free
Zimbabwe No 6 5 26 9 17 Not free
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2024 "territories" (according to Freedom House)

More information Territory (2024), Total ...
Territory (2024)
Total PR CL Overall
status
Abkhazia 39 17 22 Partly free
Gaza Strip 2 -2 4 Not free
Hong Kong 40 9 31 Partly free
Indian Kashmir 38 17 21 Partly free
Northern Cyprus 76 27 49 Free
Pakistani Kashmir 30 9 21 Not free
Russian-occupied Ukraine 2 -1 3 Not free
Somaliland 47 21 26 Partly free
South Ossetia 12 3 9 Not free
Tibet 0 -2 2 Not free
Transnistria 17 5 12 Not free
West Bank 22 4 18 Not free
Western Sahara 4 -3 7 Not free
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Before 2024

More information Country, PR ...
Country 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
PR CL Overall
status
Pts PR CL Overall
status
Pts PR CL Overall
status
Pts PR CL Overall
status
Pts PR CL Overall
status
Pts PR CL Overall
status
Pts
 Afghanistan * 56Not 27 56Not 27 56Not 27 77Not 2
 Albania * 33Partly 68 33Partly 67 33Partly 66 33Partly 67
 Algeria * 65Not 34 65Not 34 65Not 32 65Not 32
 Andorra * 11Free 94 11Free 94 11Free 93 11Free 93
 Angola * 65Not 31 65Not 32 65Not 31 65Not 30
 Antigua and Barbuda * 22Free 84 22Free 85 22Free 85 22Free 85
 Argentina * 22Free 84 22Free 85 22Free 84 22Free 84
 Armenia * 44Partly 51 44Partly 53 44Partly 55 44Partly 55
 Australia * 11Free 98 11Free 97 11Free 97 11Free 95
 Austria * 11Free 93 11Free 93 11Free 93 11Free 93
 Azerbaijan * 76Not 11 76Not 10 76Not 10 76Not 9
 Bahamas 11Free 91 11Free 91 11Free 91 11Free 91
 Bahrain * 76Not 12 76Not 11 76Not 12 76Not 12
 Bangladesh * 55Partly 41 55Partly 39 55Partly 39 55Partly 39
 Barbados 11Free 96 11Free 95 11Free 95 11Free 95
 Belarus * 76Not 19 76Not 19 76Not 11 77Not 8
 Belgium * 11Free 96 11Free 96 11Free 96 11Free 96
 Belize * 12Free 86 22Free 86 21Free 87 21Free 87
 Benin * 22Free 79 42Partly 66 42Partly 65 53Partly 59
 Bhutan * 34Partly 59 34Partly 59 24Partly 61 34Partly 61
 Bolivia * 33Partly 67 33Partly 63 33Partly 66 33Partly 66
 Bosnia and Herzegovina * 44Partly 53 44Partly 53 44Partly 53 44Partly 53
 Botswana * 32Free 72 32Free 72 32Free 72 32Free 72
 Brazil * 22Free 75 22Free 75 23Free 74 23Free 73
 Brunei * 65Not 29 65Not 28 65Not 28 65Not 28
 Bulgaria * 22Free 80 22Free 80 22Free 78 22Free 79
 Burkina Faso * 43Partly 60 44Partly 56 44Partly 54 44Partly 53
 Burundi * 76Not 14 76Not 13 76Not 14 76Not 14
 Cambodia * 65Not 26 75Not 25 75Not 24 75Not 24
 Cameroon * 66Not 19 66Not 18 66Not 16 66Not 15
 Canada * 11Free 99 11Free 98 11Free 98 11Free 98
 Cape Verde * 11Free 90 11Free 92 11Free 92 11Free 92
 Central African Republic * 77Not 9 77Not 10 77Not 9 77Not 7
 Chad * 76Not 17 76Not 17 76Not 17 76Not 15
 Chile * 11Free 94 12Free 90 11Free 93 11Free 94
 China * 76Not 11 76Not 10 76Not 9 76Not 9
 Colombia * 33Partly 66 33Partly 66 33Partly 65 33Partly 64
 Comoros * 44Partly 50 44Partly 44 54Partly 42 54Partly 42
 DR Congo * 76Not 15 76Not 18 76Not 20
 Congo * 75Not 21 75Not 20 75Not 20
 Costa Rica * 11Free 91 11Free 91 11Free 91
 Croatia * 12Free 85 12Free 85 12Free 85
 Cuba * 76Not 14 76Not 14 76Not 13
 Cyprus * 11Free 94 11Free 94 11Free 94
 Czech Republic * 11Free 91 11Free 91 11Free 91
 Denmark * 11Free 97 11Free 97 11Free 97
 Djibouti * 65Not 26 75Not 24 75Not 24
 Dominica 11Free 93 11Free 93 11Free 93
 Dominican Republic * 33Partly 67 33Partly 67 33Partly 67
 Ecuador * 33Partly 63 33Partly 65 33Partly 67
 Egypt * 66Not 22 66Not 21 66Not 18
 El Salvador * 23Free 67 24Partly 66 24Partly 63
 Equatorial Guinea * 77Not 6 77Not 6 77Not 5
 Eritrea * 77Not 2 77Not 2 77Not 2
 Estonia * 11Free 94 11Free 94 11Free 94
 Ethiopia * 66Not 19 66Not 24 66Not 22
 Eswatini * 76Not 16 75Not 19 75Not 19
 Fiji * 33Partly 61 33Partly 60 33Partly 60
 Finland * 11Free 100 11Free 100 11Free 100
 France * 12Free 90 12Free 90 12Free 90
 Gabon * 75Not 23 75Not 22 75Not 22
 Gambia 45Partly 45 44Partly 46 44Partly 46
 Georgia * 33Partly 63 33Partly 61 43Partly 60
 Germany * 11Free 94 11Free 94 11Free 94
 Ghana * 12Free 83 22Free 82 22Free 82
 Greece * 12Free 87 12Free 88 12Free 87
 Grenada * 12Free 89 12Free 89 12Free 89
 Guatemala * 44Partly 53 44Partly 52 44Partly 52
 Guinea * 54Partly 43 55Partly 40 55Partly 38
 Guinea-Bissau * 54Partly 42 54Partly 46 54Partly 44
 Guyana * 23Free 75 23Free 74 23Free 73
 Haiti * 55Partly 41 55Partly 38 55Partly 37
 Honduras * 44Partly 46 44Partly 45 45Partly 44
 Hungary * 33Partly 70 33Partly 70 33Partly 69
 Iceland * 11Free 94 11Free 94 11Free 94
 India * 23Free 75 23Free 71 24Partly 67 24Partly 66
 Indonesia * 24Partly 62 24Partly 61 24Partly 59
 Iran * 66Not 18 66Not 17 66Not 16
 Iraq * 56Not 32 56Not 31 56Not 29
 Ireland * 11Free 97 11Free 97 11Free 97
 Israel * 23Free 78 23Free 76 23Free 76
 Italy * 11Free 89 11Free 89 11Free 90
 Ivory Coast * 44Partly 51 44Partly 51 54Partly 44
 Jamaica * 22Free 78 22Free 78 22Free 80
 Japan * 11Free 96 11Free 96 11Free 96
 Jordan * 55Partly 37 55Partly 37 65Not 34
 Kazakhstan * 75Not 75Not 23 75Not 23
 Kenya * 44Partly 48 44Partly 48 44Partly 48
 Kiribati * 11Free 93 11Free 93 11Free 93
 Kosovo * 34Partly 54 34Partly 56 44Partly 54
 Kuwait * 55Partly 36 55Partly 36 55Partly 37
 Kyrgyzstan * 54Partly 38 54Partly 39 75Not 28
 Laos * 76Not 14 76Not 14 76Not 13
 Latvia * 22Free 87 12Free 89 12Free 89
 Lebanon * 54Partly 45 54Partly 44 54Partly 43
 Lesotho * 33Partly 63 33Partly 63 33Partly 63
 Liberia * 33Partly 62 34Partly 60 34Partly 60
 Libya * 76Not 9 76Not 9 76Not 9
 Liechtenstein * 21Free 90 21Free 90 21Free 90
 Lithuania * 11Free 91 11Free 91 12Free 90
 Luxembourg 11Free 98 11Free 98 11Free 97
 Madagascar * 34Partly 56 33Partly 61 34Partly 60
 Malawi * 33Partly 64 33Partly 62 33Partly 66
 Malaysia * 44Partly 52 44Partly 52 44Partly 51
 Maldives * 55Partly 35 45Partly 40 45Partly 40
 Mali * 44Partly 44 55Partly 41 65Not 33
 Malta * 21Free 91 21Free 90 21Free 90
 Marshall Islands * 11Free 93 11Free 93 11Free 93
 Mauritania * 65Not 32 55Partly 34 55Partly 35
 Mauritius * 12Free 89 12Free 89 12Free 87
 Mexico * 33Partly 63 33Partly 62 34Partly 61
 Federated States of Micronesia * 11Free 92 11Free 92 11Free 92
 Moldova * 34Partly 58 34Partly 60 33Partly 61
 Monaco * 31Free 82 31Free 83 31Free 83
 Mongolia * 12Free 85 12Free 84 12Free 84
 Montenegro 43Partly 65 43Partly 62 33Partly 63
 Morocco * 55Partly 39 55Partly 37 55Partly 37
 Mozambique * 44Partly 51 54Partly 45 54Partly 43
 Myanmar * 55Partly 30 56Not 30 56Not 28
 Namibia * 32Free 75 22Free 77 22Free 77
 Nauru * 22Free 78 23Free 77 23Free 77
 Nepal * 34Partly 54 34Partly 56 34Partly 56
 Netherlands * 11Free 99 11Free 99 11Free 98
 New Zealand * 11Free 98 11Free 97 11Free 99
 Nicaragua * 65Not 32 65Not 31 65Not 30
 Niger * 44Partly 49 44Partly 48 44Partly 48
 Nigeria * 35Partly 50 45Partly 47 45Partly 45
 North Korea * 77Not 3 77Not 3 77Not 3
 North Macedonia * 43Partly 59 33Partly 63 33Partly 66
 Norway * 11Free 100 11Free 100 11Free 100
 Oman * 65Not 23 65Not 23 65Not 23
 Pakistan * 55Partly 39 55Partly 38 55Partly 37
 Palau * 11Free 92 11Free 92 11Free 92
 Panama * 12Free 84 12Free 84 22Free 83
 Papua New Guinea * 43Partly 64 43Partly 62 43Partly 62
 Paraguay * 33Partly 65 33Partly 65 33Partly 65
 Peru * 23Free 73 23Free 72 33Partly 71
 Philippines * 33Partly 61 34Partly 59 34Partly 56
 Poland * 22Free 84 22Free 84 22Free 82
 Portugal * 11Free 96 11Free 96 11Free 96
 Qatar * 65Not 25 65Not 25 65Not 25
 Romania * 22Free 81 22Free 83 22Free 83
 Russia * 76Not 20 76Not 20 76Not 20
 Rwanda * 66Not 23 66Not 22 66Not 21
 Saint Kitts and Nevis 11Free 89 11Free 89 21Free 89
 Saint Lucia 11Free 92 11Free 92 11Free 91
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines * 11Free 91 11Free 91 11Free 91
 Samoa * 22Free 81 22Free 81 22Free 81
 San Marino 11Free 95 11Free 95 11Free 93
 São Tomé and Príncipe * 22Free 83 22Free 84 22Free 84
 Saudi Arabia * 77Not 7 77Not 7 77Not 7
 Senegal * 23Free 72 33Partly 71 33Partly 71
 Serbia * 33Partly 67 43Partly 66 43Partly 64
 Seychelles 33Partly 71 33Partly 72 23Free 77
 Sierra Leone * 33Partly 65 33Partly 65 33Partly 65
 Singapore * 44Partly 51 44Partly 50 44Partly 48
 Slovakia * 12Free 88 12Free 88 11Free 90
 Slovenia 11Free 94 11Free 94 11Free 95
 Solomon Islands * 22Free 79 22Free 79 22Free 79
 Somalia * 77Not 7 77Not 7 77Not 7
 South Africa * 22Free 79 22Free 79 22Free 79
 South Korea * 22Free 83 22Free 83 22Free 83
 South Sudan * 77Not 2 77Not 2 77Not 2
 Spain * 11Free 94 11Free 92 11Free 90
 Sri Lanka * 34Partly 56 44Partly 56 44Partly 56
 Sudan * 77Not 7 76Not 12 76Not 17
 Suriname * 23Free 77 23Free 75 22Free 79
 Sweden * 11Free 100 11Free 100 11Free 100
 Switzerland * 11Free 96 11Free 96 11Free 96
 Syria * 77Not 0 77Not 0 77Not 1 77Not 1 77Not 1
 Tajikistan * 76Not 9 76Not 9 76Not 8 76Not 8 76Not 7
 Tanzania * 45Partly 45 55Partly 40 55Partly 34 55Partly 34 55Partly 36
 Thailand * 75Not 30 64Partly 32 75Not 30 75Not 29 65Not 30
 Timor-Leste * 23Free 70 23Free 71 23Free 72
 Togo * 54Partly 43 54Partly 44 54Partly 43 54Partly 42 54Partly 42
 Tonga * 22Free 79 22Free 79 22Free 79 22Free 79 22Free 81
 Trinidad and Tobago * 22Free 82 22Free 82 22Free 82
 Tunisia * 23Free 69 23Free 70 23Free 71
 Turkey * 56Not 31 56Not 32 56Not 32
 Turkmenistan * 77Not 2 77Not 2 77Not 2
 Tuvalu * 11Free 93 11Free 93 11Free 93
 Uganda * 65Not 36 65Not 34 65Not 34
 Ukraine * 34Partly 60 33Partly 62 34Partly 60
 United Arab Emirates * 76Not 17 76Not 17 76Not 17
 United Kingdom * 11Free 93 11Free 94 11Free 93
 United States * 21Free 86 21Free 86 22Free 83 22Free 83
 Uruguay * 11Free 11Free 98 11Free 98
 Uzbekistan * 76Not 76Not 10 76Not 11
 Vanuatu * 22Free 82 22Free 82 22Free 82
 Venezuela * 76Not 19 76Not 16 76Not 14
 Vietnam * 75Not 20 75Not 20 76Not 19
 Yemen * 76Not 11 76Not 11 76Not 11
 Zambia * 44Partly 54 44Partly 54 44Partly 52
 Zimbabwe * 55Partly 31 55Partly 29 65Not 28
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More information Country, PR ...
Country 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2019 2020[11]
PR CL Overall
status
PR CL Overall
status
PR CL Overall
status
PR CL Overall
status
PR CL Overall
status
PR CL Overall
status
Pts PR CL Overall
status
Pts
 Abkhazia * 4 5 Partly 4 5 Partly 4 5 Partly 4 5 Partly 4 5 Partly 17 23 Partly 40 17 23 Partly 40
 Crimea (disputed) 7 6 Not 7 6 Not 7 6 Not 7 6 Not -2 10 Not 8 -2 9 Not 7
Donetsk PR and Luhansk PR (disputed) -1 6 Not 5 -1 5 Not 4
Gaza Strip (Palestine) 7 6 Not 7 6 Not 7 6 Not 7 6 Not 7 6 Not 3 8 Not 11 3 8 Not 11
 Hong Kong * (China) 5 2 Partly 5 2 Partly 5 2 Partly 5 2 Partly 5 2 Partly 16 39 Partly 55 15 37 Partly 52
Indian Kashmir (India) 4 4 Partly 4 4 Partly 4 4 Partly 4 4 Partly 4 4 Partly 8 20 Not 28 7 20 Not 27
Azad Kashmir (Pakistan) 6 5 Not 6 5 Not 6 5 Not 6 5 Not 6 5 Not 9 19 Not 28 9 19 Not 28
 Northern Cyprus * 2 2 Free 2 2 Free 2 2 Free 2 2 Free 2 2 Free 31 50 Free 81 28 50 Free 78
 Puerto Rico (United States)* 1 2 Free 1 2 Free 1 1 Free[12]
 Somaliland * 4 5 Partly 4 5 Partly 5 5 Partly 5 5 Partly 4 5 Partly 17 24 Partly 41 18 24 Partly 42
 South Ossetia * 7 6 Not 7 6 Not 7 6 Not 7 6 Not 7 6 Not 2 8 Not 10 2 8 Not 10
 Taiwan * 1 1 Free 93 1 1 Free 94
Tibet (China) 7 7 Not 7 7 Not 7 7 Not 7 7 Not 7 7 Not -2 3 Not 1 -2 3 Not 1
 Transnistria * 6 6 Not 6 6 Not 6 6 Not 6 6 Not 6 6 Not 9 13 Not 22 8 12 Not 20
West Bank (Palestine) 6 5 Not 6 5 Not 6 5 Not 7 5 Not 7 5 Not 4 21 Not 25 4 21 Not 25
 Western Sahara * 7 7 Not 7 7 Not 7 7 Not 7 7 Not 7 7 Not -3 7 Not 4 -3 7 Not 4
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Former entries

Former entries from Freedom in the World. Most are territories added in the 1978 report for 1977 and received their last coverage in the 2000 report of the same year. Other territories with differing dates are noted below. Their placements are based on their final rankings before ceasing coverage.

Free
Partly Free
Not Free

Evaluation

There is some debate over the neutrality of Freedom House and the methodology used for the Freedom in the World report, which has been written by Raymond Gastil and his colleagues.[3] The neutrality and biases of human-rights indices have been discussed in several publications by Kenneth A. Bollen.[13] Bollen wrote that "Considered together these criticisms suggest that some nations may have been incorrectly rated on Gastil's measures. However, none of the criticisms have demonstrated a systematic bias in all the ratings. Most of the evidence consists of anecdotal evidence of relatively few cases. Whether there is a systematic or sporadic slant in Gastil's ratings is an open question" (Bollen, 1986, p. 586).[3] The freedom index of Freedom in the World has a very strong and positive (at least an 80%) correlation with three other democracy-indices studied in Mainwaring (2001, p. 53).[14]

Ideological bias or neutrality

In his 1986 study, Bollen discussed reviews of measurements of human rights, including the index reported in Freedom in the World (Bollen, 1986, p. 585). Criticisms of Freedom in the World during the 1980s were discussed by Gastil (1990), who stated that "generally such criticism is based on opinions about Freedom House rather than detailed examination of survey ratings", a conclusion disputed by Giannone.[15] The definition of Freedom in Gastil (1982) and Freedom House (1990) emphasized liberties rather than the exercise of freedom, according to Adam Przeworski, who gave the following example: In the United States, citizens are free to form political parties and to vote, yet even in presidential elections only half of U.S. "citizens" vote; in the U.S., "the same two parties speak in a commercially sponsored unison", wrote Przeworski (2003, p. 277).[5]

More recent charges of ideological bias prompted Freedom House to issue this 2010 statement:

Freedom House does not maintain a culture-bound view of freedom. The methodology of the survey is grounded in basic standards of political rights and civil liberties, derived in large measure from relevant portions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These standards apply to all countries and territories, irrespective of geographical location, ethnic or religious composition, or level of economic development.[8]

Mainwaring et alia (2001, p. 52)[14] wrote that Freedom House's index had "two systematic biases: scores for leftist were tainted by political considerations, and changes in scores are sometimes driven by changes in their criteria rather than changes in real conditions." Nonetheless, when evaluated in Latin American countries yearly, Freedom House's index was very strongly and positively correlated with the index of Adam Przeworski and with the index of the authors themselves: They evaluated Pearson's coefficient of linear correlation between their index and Freedom House's index, which was 0.82; among these indices and the two others studied, the correlations were all between 0.80 and 0.86 (Mainwaring et alia, 2001, p. 53).[14]

As previously quoted, Bollen criticized previous studies of Freedom in the World as anecdotal and inconclusive; they raised issues needing further study by scientific methods rather than anecdotes.[3] Bollen studied the question of ideological bias using multivariate statistics. Using their factor-analytic model for human-rights measurements, Bollen and Paxton estimate that Gastil's method produces a bias of -0.38 standard deviations (s.d.) against Marxist–Leninist countries and a larger bias, +0.5 s.d., favoring Christian countries; similar results held for the methodology of Sussman (Bollen and Paxton, 2000, p. 585).[16] In contrast, another method by a critic of Freedom in the World produced a bias for Leftist countries during the 1980s of at least +0.8 s.d., a bias that is "consistent with the general finding that political scientists are more favorable to leftist politics than is the general population" (Bollen and Paxton, p. 585).[16]

Coder bias

Political scientists Andrew T. Little and Anne Meng argued that the data produced by Freedom House and the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) project relies heavily on subjective, as opposed to objective, measures and thus are tainted by coder bias.[17]

Use and conceptual analysis

Criticisms of the reception and uses of the Freedom in the World report have been noted by Diego Giannone:[18][unreliable source?]

  • "Conceptual stretching", Giovanni Sartori's critical term for a methodological shortcoming common in social studies.[19] Giannone reports as an example that, according to Landman and Hausermann (2003), "the index by FH has been used as a tool for measuring democracy, good governance, and human rights, thus producing a conceptual stretching which is a major cause of 'losses in connotative precision': in short, an instrument used to measure everything, in the end, is not able to discriminate against anything."[20]
  • Issues with aggregation. Giannone quotes Scoble and Wiseberg's conclusion (1981) that "the sum of a civil liberty score of 4 and a political liberty score of 2 is the same as the sum of a civil liberty score of 2 and a political liberty score of 4 even though the substantive interpretation of these different combinations is different."[21]
  • "Lack of specificity and rigorousness in construction" and "inadequate level of transparency and replicability of the scales", the first referencing to Scoble et alie (1981) and the latter to Hadenius and Teorell (2005).[22] In support of the latter, he also quotes the conclusion of Munck and Verkuilen (2002) that "the aggregate data offered by Freedom House has to be accepted largely on faith",[23] due to the factors that "no set of coding rules is provided, and the sources of information are not identified with enough precision, and because disaggregated data have not been made available to independent scholars".[22]

Time series

In "Political and ideological aspects in the measurement of democracy: the Freedom House case" (2010) which reviewed changes to the methodology since 1990, Diego Giannone concluded that "because of the changes in methodology over time and the strict interconnection between methodological and political aspects, the FH data do not offer an unbroken and politically neutral time series, such that they should not be used for cross-time analyses even for the development of first hypotheses. The internal consistency of the data series is open to question."[24]

On this topic, the Freedom House website replies that they have "made a number of modest methodological changes to adapt to evolving ideas about political rights and civil liberties. At the same time, the time series data are not revised retroactively, and any changes to the methodology are introduced incrementally in order to ensure the comparability of the ratings from year to year."[8]

See also

Notes

References

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