2017 World Freedom Index

We set out to answer the question: “Which are the freest counties in the world?”

While freedom certainly can be subjective, the Index attempts to represent the freedom of a country by looking at economic freedom, political freedom, and freedom of the press.

The World Freedom Index attempts to provide a well rounded ranking of an individual country’s freedom relative to other countries. Below is our ranking for 2017:

CountryEconomic FreedomPolitical FreedomPress FreedomTotal Freedom ScoreRanking
New Zealand92.9298.0491.8494.261
Sweden82.62100.0099.1493.922
Norway81.52100.00100.0093.843
Switzerland90.2496.0894.2093.514
Finland81.54100.0098.3193.285
Netherlands83.6599.0295.2992.656
Australia89.7398.0489.2392.337
Denmark82.7897.0696.4792.108
Canada86.8199.0288.5791.479
Estonia87.4594.1292.3991.3210
Luxembourg83.8198.0490.8990.9111
Ireland84.7596.0891.7190.8512
Iceland82.0097.0693.0590.7113
Austria79.5395.1092.4989.0414
Germany81.3395.1090.5789.0015
Czech Republic80.7994.1288.0987.6616
Belgium74.3895.1093.4187.6317
Chile84.5294.1283.4687.3718
Uruguay76.5098.0487.4287.3219
United Kingdom84.3995.1081.2486.9120
Lithuania83.6391.1882.3885.7321
Costa Rica71.0991.1894.4685.5822
Latvia82.4387.2685.9085.2023
Portugal68.2497.0689.5584.9524
Taiwan84.4891.1878.5484.7325
Cyprus74.3894.1284.4084.3026
United States of America82.8889.2279.1783.7627
Slovakia71.9189.2289.8883.6728
Spain69.3994.1285.8183.1129
Malta74.1996.0878.0582.7730
Mauritius82.3889.2275.6082.4031
Jamaica76.2775.5093.4481.7332
Japan76.4096.0872.0681.5133
France69.0890.2081.2780.1834
Poland74.8789.2275.8679.9835
Romania76.4884.3278.4379.7436
South Korea81.8682.3674.4079.5437
Cabo Verde61.6790.2086.6779.5138
Slovenia64.2992.1681.9679.4739
Hong Kong100.0061.7772.0377.9340
Italy68.1889.2276.1377.8441
Namibia68.2077.4687.8777.8442
Samoa63.3180.4088.7377.4843
Trinidad and Tobago66.6681.3883.3477.1344
Ghana60.8283.3486.7676.9745
Belize63.6387.2679.7576.8846
South Africa67.8978.4483.9876.7747
Botswana77.0272.5577.8375.8048
Israel76.5980.4070.0575.6849
Panama72.5383.3468.6374.8350
Croatia64.5187.2671.8774.5451
Georgia83.8764.7174.2174.2652
Hungary71.9876.4872.6173.6953
Tonga68.7474.5177.7873.6854
Bulgaria74.3980.4064.9373.2455
Peru75.6072.5570.0972.7556
Suriname51.2777.4689.1672.6357
Benin64.3482.3670.9372.5458
Mongolia59.1285.3072.6872.3759
El Salvador70.0470.5974.8771.8360
Senegal60.4878.4475.5471.4861
Serbia63.9376.4873.8471.4162
Argentina54.0582.3677.6571.3563
Greece59.4084.3270.2071.3164
Guyana63.4874.5175.4471.1465
Dominican Republic68.6268.6375.4970.9166
Albania70.3068.6371.4470.1367
Seychelles67.3271.5770.2469.7168
Burkina Faso64.7763.7379.2169.2469
Tunisia60.2378.4468.5069.0670
Montenegro67.5469.6166.6767.9471
Brazil56.9079.4266.7667.6972
Fiji69.1959.8173.0867.3673
Macedonia77.7557.8564.0066.5374
Kosovo74.3952.9570.7766.0475
Colombia76.5364.7156.6765.9776
Papua New Guinea54.6264.7177.6565.6677
Paraguay68.0664.7164.1365.6378
Moldova62.8562.7570.8265.4779
Lesotho58.0964.7172.9065.2380
Bosnia and Herzegovina65.4955.8974.1265.1781
Singapore98.5551.9744.3564.9682
Comoros60.3755.8978.6064.9583
Madagascar62.1956.8775.5564.8784
Armenia77.2546.0970.8664.7385
Sierra Leone56.5666.6770.4164.5586
Tanzania63.5858.8370.5164.3187
Philippines71.7763.7357.1764.2288
Malawi56.1263.7372.6664.1789
Cote d'Ivoire68.7152.9570.8064.1690
Indonesia67.4965.6958.6463.9491
Bhutan63.4255.8970.4163.2492
India56.6577.4654.7962.9693
Bolivia50.8868.6366.3861.9694
Liberia52.5462.7569.9161.7395
Guatemala68.7354.9159.4061.0296
Timor-Leste49.2165.6967.7360.8897
Nicaragua64.2948.0570.0560.8098
Mexico69.3765.6947.0760.7199
Ukraine51.3461.7767.2660.13100
Zambia60.3356.8763.0560.08101
Nepal59.5252.9567.4859.98102
Niger54.5150.0174.9159.81103
Kenya57.6251.9769.8159.80104
Mozambique53.5153.9370.0059.14105
Ecuador52.7457.8566.6859.09106
Togo57.3449.0370.3858.92107
Malaysia81.3045.1149.7358.71108
Kuwait71.2137.2766.7258.40109
Kyrgyzstan66.5438.2570.1658.32110
Guinea-Bissau60.7141.1971.2357.71111
Sri Lanka62.1956.8752.9957.35112
Nigeria61.8050.9958.9457.24113
Mali63.6346.0960.7656.83114
Lebanon57.3745.1167.4956.66115
Haiti53.1640.2176.0056.45116
Qatar80.5127.4758.7655.58117
Uganda66.2936.2963.7455.44118
Mauritania58.7131.3975.8355.31119
United Arab Emirates84.9321.5859.3355.28120
Jordan73.0238.2554.4055.22121
Honduras63.8847.0753.7554.90122
Morocco67.0142.1755.4554.88123
Gabon63.6033.3565.1654.04124
Guinea50.7442.1767.3153.41125
Thailand72.4833.3552.5552.79126
Bangladesh59.3848.0547.8551.76127
Pakistan56.8644.1354.0151.67128
Maldives53.9141.1959.4451.51129
Cambodia64.6732.3755.9050.98130
Turkey71.3339.2341.9450.83131
Oman67.7126.4957.9650.72132
Brunei76.6230.4140.9949.34133
Myanmar56.4633.3556.2248.68134
Algeria49.5236.2954.9346.91135
Rwanda74.0325.5040.5046.68136
Kazakhstan75.7123.5440.6246.62137
Cameroon55.6825.5056.5145.90138
Afghanistan52.2725.5059.2445.67139
Zimbabwe46.6333.3556.7145.56140
Angola51.8425.5058.0145.12141
Congo, Republic of41.9428.4562.7344.37142
Chad52.4519.6258.9843.69143
Central African Republic55.6811.7863.5143.66144
Swaziland66.5519.6244.1343.43145
Russia61.8421.5846.4643.29146
Gambia57.5421.5849.9843.03147
Belarus63.5821.5842.6442.60148
Democratic Republic of the Congo61.0420.6042.3441.33149
Bahrain75.1113.7434.3941.08150
Azerbaijan69.4315.7037.5740.90151
Egypt56.5927.4738.3640.81152
Tajikistan63.0912.7645.4140.42153
Burundi57.2920.6038.3638.75154
Ethiopia56.6713.7445.3238.58155
Venezuela26.7031.3954.7937.63156
Saudi Arabia70.4111.7825.2635.82157
Iran54.1718.6426.4133.07158
Lao P.D.R.58.2413.7424.7632.25159
Djibouti49.7127.4719.4732.22160
Vietnam56.4121.5815.1031.03161
China62.2016.6810.3729.75162
Uzbekistan56.214.9225.1428.76163
Equatorial Guinea47.749.8224.6827.42164
Sudan52.147.8615.6125.20165
Cuba34.8416.6817.9323.15166
Turkmenistan50.505.902.0119.47167
Eritrea44.514.921.9517.13168
North Korea1.004.921.002.31169