List of indices of freedom

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There are several non-governmental organizations that publish and maintain assessments of the state of freedom in the world, according to their own various definitions of the term, and rank countries as being free, partly free, or unfree using various measures of freedom, including political rights, economic rights, and civil liberties.

  • Freedom in the World published by Freedom House ranks countries by political rights and civil liberties that are derived in large measure from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Countries are assessed as free, partly free, or unfree.
  • The Index of Economic Freedom is an annual report published by The Wall Street Journal and the Heritage Foundation. Countries are assessed as free, mostly free, mostly unfree, and unfree.
  • Worldwide Press Freedom Index is published by Reporters Without Borders. Countries are assessed as having a good situation, a satisfactory situation, noticeable problems, a difficult situation, or a very serious situation.
  • The Economic Freedom of the World Index is a report published by the Fraser Institute. It is a numeric index and its results are not (yet) included in the table below.
  • The Economist Intelligence Unit's Index of Democracy is an assesment of countries' democracy. Countries are rated to be either Full Democracies, Flawed Democracies, Hybrid Regimes, or Authoritarian. Full democracies, flawed democracies, and hybrid regimes are considered to be democracies , and the authoritarian nations are considered to be dictatorial. The Economist bases its ratings based on: civil liberties, conduct of elections, media freedom, participation, public opinion, functioning government, corruption, and stability. [1]

Contents

[edit] Current assessments

Here is a table of the assessments in each index for most countries of the world. For exact rankings rather than assessments, refer to the individual index articles.

State of world freedom in 2006 according to Freedom House's 2007 survey      Free (92)      Partly Free (65)      Not Free (52)
State of world freedom in 2006 according to Freedom House's 2007 survey [1]     Free (92)      Partly Free (65)      Not Free (52)
Map of countries by 2006 Economic Freedom of the World, published by the Fraser Institute
Map of countries by 2006 Economic Freedom of the World, published by the Fraser Institute
2007 press freedom rankings according to Reporters Without Borders
2007 press freedom rankings according to Reporters Without Borders
The Economist's 2006 Democracy Index map: lighter colours represent more democracy
The Economist's 2006 Democracy Index map: lighter colours represent more democracy
Index Scale
Freedom in the World free partly free not free
Index of Economic Freedom free mostly free mostly unfree unfree
Worldwide Press Freedom Index good situation satisfactory situation noticeable problems difficult situation very serious situation
Democracy Rating full democracy flawed democracy hybrid regime authoritarian
Country Freedom House Economic Freedom Press Freedom Democracy Rating
Afghanistan partly free n/a noticeable problems authoritarian
Albania partly free mostly free satisfactory situation hybrid regime
Algeria not free mostly unfree difficult situation authoritarian
Andorra free n/a n/a n/a
Angola not free mostly unfree noticeable problems authoritarian
Antigua and Barbuda free n/a n/a n/a
Argentina free mostly unfree noticeable problems flawed democracy
Armenia partly free mostly free noticeable problems hybrid regime
Australia free free satisfactory situation full democracy
Austria free free good situation full democracy
Azerbaijan not free mostly unfree difficult situation authoritarian
Bahamas free mostly free good situation n/a
Bahrain partly free mostly free difficult situation authoritarian
Bangladesh partly free mostly unfree difficult situation flawed democracy
Barbados free mostly free free n/a
Belarus not free mostly unfree difficult situation authoritarian
Belgium free mostly free satisfactory situation full democracy
Belize free mostly free n/a n/a
Benin free mostly unfree satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Bhutan not free n/a difficult situation authoritarian
Bolivia partly free mostly free noticeable problems flawed democracy
Bosnia and Herzegovina partly free mostly unfree satisfactory situation hybrid regime
Botswana free mostly free satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Brazil free mostly unfree satisfactory situation full democracy
Brunei not free n/a n/a n/a
Bulgaria free mostly free satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Burkina Faso partly free mostly unfree satisfactory situation authoritarian
Burundi partly free mostly free noticeable problems hybrid regime
Cambodia not free mostly free difficult situation hybrid regime
Cameroon not free mostly unfree noticeable problems authoritarian
Canada free free good situation full democracy
Cape Verde free mostly free satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Central African Republic partly free mostly unfree difficult situation authoritarian
Chad not free mostly unfree difficult situation authoritarian
Chile free free satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Colombia partly free mostly unfree difficult situation flawed democracy
Comoros partly free n/a noticeable problems authoritarian
Costa Rica free mostly free satisfactory situation full democracy
Côte d'Ivoire not free mostly unfree difficult situation authoritarian
Congo-Brazzaville not free mostly unfree satisfactory situation authoritarian
Congo-Kinshasa not free n/a difficult situation authoritarian
Croatia free mostly free satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Cuba not free unfree very serious situation authoritarian
Cyprus free free satisfactory situation full democracy
Czech Republic free mostly free satisfactory situation full democracy
Denmark free free good situation full democracy
Djibouti partly free mostly unfree difficult situation n/a
Dominica free n/a good situation n/a
Dominican Republic free mostly unfree satisfactory situation flawed democracy
East Timor partly free n/a satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Ecuador partly free mostly unfree satisfactory situation hybrid regime
Egypt partly free mostly unfree difficult situation authoritarian
El Salvador free mostly free satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Equatorial Guinea not free mostly unfree difficult situation authoritarian
Eritrea not free n/a very serious situation authoritarian
Estonia free free good situation full democracy
Ethiopia partly free mostly unfree difficult situation hybrid regime
Fiji partly free mostly unfree satisfactory situation hybrid regime
Finland free free good situation full democracy
France free free satisfactory situation full democracy
Gabon partly free mostly unfree difficult situation authoritarian
Gambia partly free mostly unfree noticeable problems n/a
Georgia partly free mostly free noticeable problems hybrid regime
Germany free free good situation full democracy
Ghana free mostly unfree satisfactory situation hybrid regime
Greece free mostly free satisfactory situation full democracy
Grenada free n/a satisfactory situation n/a
Guatemala partly free mostly unfree satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Guinea not free mostly unfree noticeable problems authoritarian
Guinea-Bissau partly free mostly unfree noticeable problems authoritarian
Guyana free mostly unfree n/a flawed democracy
Haiti partly free unfree difficult situation hybrid regime
Honduras partly free mostly unfree satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Hong Kong partly free free satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Hungary free mostly free satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Iceland free free good situation full democracy
India free mostly unfree some problems flawed democracy
Indonesia free mostly unfree difficult situation flawed democracy
Iran not free unfree very serious situation authoritarian
Iraq not free n/a unique situation hybrid regime
Ireland free free good situation full democracy
Israel free mostly free satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Italy free mostly free satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Jamaica free mostly free satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Japan free mostly free satisfactory situation full democracy
Jordan partly free mostly free difficult situation authoritarian
Kazakhstan not free mostly unfree difficult situation authoritarian
Kenya partly free mostly unfree noticeable problems hybrid regime
Kiribati free n/a n/a n/a
Korea, North not free unfree very serious situation authoritarian
Korea, South free mostly free satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Kuwait partly free mostly free noticeable problems authoritarian
Kyrgyzstan partly free mostly free difficult situation hybrid regime
Laos not free unfree very serious situation authoritarian
Latvia free mostly free good situation flawed democracy
Lebanon partly free mostly unfree noticeable problems hybrid regime
Lesotho free mostly unfree noticeable problems n/a
Liberia partly free n/a difficult situation hybrid regime
Libya not free unfree very serious situation authoritarian
Liechtenstein free n/a n/a n/a
Lithuania free mostly free good situation flawed democracy
Luxembourg free free n/a full democracy
Macedonia partly free mostly free satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Madagascar partly free mostly free satisfactory situation hybrid regime
Malawi partly free mostly unfree noticeable problems hybrid regime
Malaysia partly free mostly free difficult situation flawed democracy
Maldives not free n/a very serious situation n/a
Mali free mostly unfree satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Malta free mostly free n/a full democracy
Marshall Islands free n/a n/a n/a
Mauritania partly free mostly unfree difficult situation authoritarian
Mauritius free free good situation full democracy
Myanmar (Burma) not free unfree very serious situation authoritarian
Mexico free mostly free noticeable problems full democracy
Federated States of Micronesia free n/a n/a n/a
Moldova partly free mostly unfree noticeable problems flawed democracy
Monaco free n/a n/a n/a
Mongolia free mostly free noticeable problems flawed democracy
Montenegro partly free n/a n/a flawed democracy
Morocco partly free mostly unfree difficult situation authoritarian
Mozambique partly free mostly unfree satisfactory situation hybrid regime
Namibia free mostly unfree good situation flawed democracy
Nauru free n/a n/a n/a
Nepal partly free mostly unfree very serious situation authoritarian
Netherlands free free good situation full democracy
New Zealand free free good situation full democracy
Nicaragua partly free mostly unfree satisfactory situation hybrid regime
Niger partly free mostly unfree satisfactory situation authoritarian
Nigeria partly free unfree difficult situation authoritarian
North Cyprus free mostly free satisfactory situation hybrid regime
Norway free mostly free good situation full democracy
Oman not free mostly free n/a authoritarian
Pakistan not free mostly unfree difficult situation authoritarian
Palau free n/a n/a n/a
Palestinian territories partly free n/a difficult situation flawed democracy
Panama free mostly free satisfactory situation n/a
Papua New Guinea partly free mostly unfree n/a flawed democracy
Paraguay partly free mostly free satisfactory situation flawed democracy
People's Republic of China not free mostly unfree very serious situation authoritarian
Peru free mostly free difficult situation flawed democracy
Philippines partly free mostly unfree noticeable problems flawed democracy
Poland free mostly free satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Portugal free mostly free good situation full democracy
Qatar not free mostly unfree difficult situation authoritarian
Romania free mostly unfree satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Russia not free mostly unfree difficult situation hybrid regime
Rwanda not free mostly unfree difficult situation authoritarian
Saint Kitts and Nevis free n/a n/a n/a
Saint Lucia free n/a n/a n/a
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines free n/a n/a n/a
Samoa free n/a n/a n/a
San Marino free n/a n/a n/a
São Tomé and Príncipe free n/a n/a n/a
Saudi Arabia not free mostly free very serious situation authoritarian
Senegal free mostly free noticeable problems hybrid regime
Serbia free mostly free noticeable problems flawed democracy
Seychelles partly free n/a noticeable problems flawed democracy
Sierra Leone partly free mostly unfree noticeable problems authoritarian
Singapore partly free free difficult situation hybrid regime
Slovakia free mostly free good situation flawed democracy
Slovenia free mostly free good situation full democracy
Solomon Islands partly free n/a n/a n/a
Somalia not free n/a difficult situation n/a
South Africa free mostly free satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Spain free mostly free satisfactory situation full democracy
Sri Lanka partly free mostly unfree difficult situation hybrid regime
Sudan not free n/a difficult situation flawed democracy
Suriname free mostly unfree good situation n/a
Swaziland not free mostly unfree noticeable problems authoritarian
Sweden free free good situation full democracy
Switzerland free free good situation full democracy
Syria not free mostly unfree very serious situation authoritarian
Taiwan (Republic of China) free free good situation full democracy
Tajikistan not free unfree noticeable problems authoritarian
Tanzania partly free mostly unfree satisfactory situation hybrid regime
Thailand not free mostly free satisfactory situation hybrid regime
Togo not free mostly unfree noticeable problems authoritarian
Tonga partly free n/a difficult situation n/a
Trinidad & Tobago free mostly free good situation flawed democracy
Tunisia not free mostly unfree very serious situation authoritarian
Turkey partly free mostly unfree difficult situation hybrid regime
Turkmenistan not free unfree very serious situation authoritarian
Tuvalu free n/a n/a n/a
Uganda partly free mostly free noticeable problems hybrid regime
Ukraine free mostly unfree difficult situation flawed democracy
United Arab Emirates not free mostly free difficult situation authoritarian
United Kingdom free free good situation full democracy
United States of America free free satisfactory situation full democracy
Uruguay free mostly free satisfactory situation flawed democracy
Uzbekistan not free mostly unfree difficult situation authoritarian
Vanuatu free n/a n/a n/a
Venezuela partly free unfree difficult situation hybrid regime
Vietnam not free mostly unfree very serious situation authoritarian
Yemen partly free mostly unfree difficult situation authoritarian
Zambia partly free mostly unfree noticeable problems hybrid regime
Zimbabwe not free unfree very serious situation authoritarian

[edit] Summary

According to the rankings of the table above, the most free (the "all-blue") countries are (in alphabetical order):

And the least free (the "all-red") are:

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bollen, K.A. (1992) Political Rights and Political Liberties in Nations: An Evaluation of Human Rights Measures, 1950 to 1984. In: Jabine, T.B. and Pierre Claude, R. "Human Rights and Statistics". University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812231082

[edit] External links

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