Human Freedom Index

According to this year’s Human Freedom Index, Hong Kong—which in 2010 was the third-freest jurisdiction on earth—now ranks 46th as a result of mainland China’s increasing restrictions on liberties in the territory. China is among the least-free, ranking 149th out of 165 jurisdictions this year.

According to this year’s Human Freedom Index, for the first time since 2012, Canada does not rank among the top 10 freest countries worldwide.

This year’s Human Freedom Index finds that, even before COVID and the response from governments worldwide, global freedom was on the wane.

This year’s Human Freedom Index, which spotlights 162 countries, measures personal freedom—which includes freedom of movement, speech, assembly and religion—alongside economic freedom, the ability of individuals to make their own economic decisions without government or crony interference. New Zealand tops this year’s freedom index followed by Switzerland, Hong Kong, Denmark and Australia. The five least-free countries are (in descending order) Iran, Yemen, Venezuela, Sudan and Syria. Rankings for other significant countries include Canada (6th), Germany (9th), the United Kingdom and the United States (tied for 17th).