Freedom in the World
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Freedom in the World is a yearly report by predominantly US-funded[2] Freedom House that purports to measure the degree of democracy and freedom in every nation and significant disputed territories around the world, and which 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. The ratings in this table reflect findings based on global events from 1 December 2005 through 31 December 2006. It is often used by researchers in order to measure democracy and correlates highly with several other measures of democracy like the Polity data series[3].
Freedom House describes its relationship with the US government as: "Freedom House is an independent, non-governmental organization that was initially created in 1941 to urge the U.S. government to adopt policies supporting democracy and human rights at home and abroad. Its reports and analyses are independent of any governmental influence and are enriched by an intellectual atmosphere of scholarly inquiry. In recent years, Freedom House has received grants from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department for various projects, usually as a result of public competition. Freedom House has also applied for and received funds from other democratic governments and international bodies that promote democracy, including the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Norway and the European Union. Freedom House chooses to respond to specific funding opportunities, but never accepts funds from government institutions, including U.S. government agencies, in the form of contracts, and never functions as an extension of any government."[5]
An asterisk (*) indicates countries which are electoral democracies. To qualify as an "electoral democracy", a state must have satisfied the following criteria:
- A competitive, multiparty political system;
- Universal adult suffrage for all citizens (with exceptions for restrictions that states may legitimately place on citizens as sanctions for criminal offenses);
- Regularly contested elections conducted in conditions of ballot secrecy, reasonable ballot security, and in the absence of massive voter fraud that yields results that are unrepresentative of the public will;
- Significant public access of major political parties to the electorate through the media and through generally open political campaigning
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. In the survey, all Free countries qualify as both electoral and liberal democracies. By contrast, some Partly Free countries qualify as electoral, but not liberal, democracies.[4]
Survey data and introductory essay are available online. Detailed descriptions of all nations can be found online in Freedom in the World 2006. Note that this is one year earlier than the most recent descriptions which are no available online.
PR - Political Rights CL - Civil Liberties
Contents |
[edit] Sub-Saharan Africa
| Country | PR | CL | Status | Country | PR | CL | Status |
 Angola |
6 | 5 | Not Free |  Liberia* |
3 | 4 | Partly Free |
 Benin* |
2 | 2 | Free |  Madagascar* |
4 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Botswana* |
2 | 2 | Free |  Malawi* |
4 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Burkina Faso |
5 | 3 | Partly Free |  Mali* |
2 | 2 | Free |
 Burundi* |
4 | 5 | Partly Free |  Mauritania |
5 | 4 | Partly Free |
 Cameroon |
6 | 6 | Not Free |  Mauritius* |
1 | 2 | Free |
 Cape Verde* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Mozambique* |
3 | 4 | Partly Free |
 Central African Republic* |
5 | 4 | Partly Free |  Namibia* |
2 | 2 | Free |
 Chad |
6 | 6 | Not Free |  Niger* |
3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Comoros* |
3 | 4 | Partly Free |  Nigeria |
4 | 4 | Partly Free |
 Congo-Brazzaville |
6 | 5 | Not Free |  Rwanda |
6 | 5 | Not Free |
 Congo-Kinshasa |
5 | 6 | Not Free |  São Tomé and Príncipe* |
2 | 2 | Free |
 Côte d'Ivoire |
7 | 6 | Not Free |  Senegal* |
2 | 3 | Free |
 Djibouti |
5 | 5 | Partly Free |  Seychelles* |
3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Equatorial Guinea |
7 | 6 | Not Free |  Sierra Leone* |
4 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Eritrea |
7 | 6 | Not Free |  Somalia |
7 | 7 | Not Free |
 Ethiopia |
5 | 5 | Partly Free |  South Africa* |
2 | 2 | Free |
 Gabon |
6 | 4 | Partly Free |  Sudan |
7 | 7 | Not Free |
 Gambia |
5 | 4 | Partly Free |  Swaziland |
7 | 5 | Not Free |
 Ghana* |
1 | 2 | Free |  Tanzania |
4 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Guinea |
6 | 5 | Not Free |  Togo |
6 | 5 | Not Free |
 Guinea-Bissau* |
4 | 4 | Partly Free |  Uganda |
5 | 4 | Partly Free |
 Kenya* |
3 | 3 | Partly Free |  Zambia* |
3 | 4 | Partly Free |
 Lesotho* |
2 | 3 | Free |  Zimbabwe |
7 | 6 | Not Free |
[edit] Americas
| Country | PR | CL | Status | Country | PR | CL | Status |
 Antigua and Barbuda* |
2 | 2 | Free |  Guyana* |
2 | 3 | Free |
 Argentina* |
2 | 2 | Free |  Haiti* |
4 | 5 | Partly Free |
 Bahamas* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Honduras* |
3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Barbados* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Jamaica* |
2 | 3 | Free |
 Belize* |
1 | 2 | Free |  Mexico* |
2 | 3 | Free |
 Bolivia* |
3 | 3 | Partly Free |  Nicaragua* |
3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Brazil* |
2 | 2 | Free |  Panama* |
1 | 2 | Free |
 Canada* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Paraguay* |
3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Chile* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Peru* |
2 | 3 | Free |
 Colombia* |
3 | 3 | Partly Free |  Saint Kitts and Nevis* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 Costa Rica* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Saint Lucia* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 Cuba |
7 | 7 | Not Free |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines* |
2 | 1 | Free |
 Dominica* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Suriname* |
2 | 2 | Free |
 Dominican Republic* |
2 | 2 | Free |  Trinidad and Tobago* |
2 | 2 | Free |
 Ecuador* |
3 | 3 | Partly Free |  United States* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 El Salvador* |
2 | 3 | Free |  Uruguay* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 Grenada* |
1 | 2 | Free |  Venezuela* |
4 | 4 | Partly Free |
 Guatemala* |
3 | 4 | Partly Free |
[edit] Asia-Pacific
| Country | PR | CL | Status | Country | PR | CL | Status |
 Afghanistan |
5 | 5 | Partly Free |  Nauru* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 Australia* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Nepal |
5 | 4 | Partly Free |
 Bangladesh* |
4 | 4 | Partly Free |  New Zealand* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 Bhutan |
6 | 5 | Not Free |  DPR Korea |
7 | 7 | Not Free |
 Brunei Darussalam |
6 | 5 | Not Free |  Pakistan |
6 | 5 | Not Free |
 Burma |
7 | 7 | Not Free |  Palau* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 Cambodia |
6 | 5 | Not Free |  Papua New Guinea* |
3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 People's Republic of China (Mainland only) |
7 | 6 | Not Free |  Philippines* |
3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Timor-Leste* |
3 | 4 | Partly Free |  Samoa* |
2 | 2 | Free |
 Fiji |
6 | 4 | Partly Free |  Singapore |
5 | 4 | Partly Free |
 India* |
2 | 3 | Free |  Solomon Islands |
4 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Indonesia* |
2 | 3 | Free |  Republic of Korea* |
1 | 2 | Free |
 Japan* |
1 | 2 | Free |  Sri Lanka* |
4 | 4 | Partly Free |
 Kiribati* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Republic of China (Taiwan)* |
2 | 1 | Free |
 Laos |
7 | 6 | Not Free |  Thailand |
7 | 4 | Not Free |
 Malaysia |
4 | 4 | Partly Free |  Tonga |
5 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Maldives |
6 | 5 | Not Free |  Tuvalu* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 Marshall Islands* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Vanuatu* |
2 | 2 | Free |
 Micronesia* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Vietnam |
7 | 5 | Not Free |
 Mongolia* |
2 | 2 | Free |
[edit] Central & Eastern Europe & the former Soviet Union
| Country | PR | CL | Status | Country | PR | CL | Status |
 Albania* |
3 | 3 | Partly Free |  Lithuania* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 Armenia |
5 | 4 | Partly Free |  Macedonia* |
3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Azerbaijan |
6 | 5 | Not Free |  Moldova* |
3 | 4 | Partly Free |
 Belarus |
7 | 6 | Not Free |  Montenegro* |
3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina |
3 | 3 | Partly Free |  Poland* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 Bulgaria* |
1 | 2 | Free |  Romania* |
2 | 2 | Free |
 Croatia* |
2 | 2 | Free |  Russia |
6 | 5 | Not Free |
 Czech Republic* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Serbia* |
3 | 2 | Free |
 Estonia* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Slovakia* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 Georgia* |
3 | 3 | Partly Free |  Slovenia* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 Hungary* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Tajikistan |
6 | 5 | Not Free |
 Kazakhstan |
6 | 5 | Not Free |  Turkmenistan |
7 | 7 | Not Free |
 Kyrgyzstan |
5 | 4 | Partly Free |  Ukraine* |
3 | 2 | Free |
 Latvia* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Uzbekistan |
7 | 7 | Not Free |
[edit] Western Europe
| Country | PR | CL | Status | Country | PR | CL | Status |
 Andorra* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Luxembourg* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 Austria* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Malta* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 Belgium* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Monaco* |
2 | 1 | Free |
 Cyprus* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Netherlands* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 Denmark* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Norway* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 Finland* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Portugal* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 France* |
1 | 1 | Free |  San Marino* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 Germany* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Spain* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 Greece* |
1 | 2 | Free |  Sweden* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 Iceland* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Switzerland* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 Ireland* |
1 | 1 | Free |  Turkey*† |
3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Italy* |
1 | 1 | Free |  United Kingdom* |
1 | 1 | Free |
 Liechtenstein* |
1 | 1 | Free |
†Classified as Western Europe according to Freedom House.
[edit] Middle East & North Africa
| Country | PR | CL | Status | Country | PR | CL | Status |
 Algeria |
6 | 5 | Not Free |  Libya |
7 | 7 | Not Free |
 Bahrain |
5 | 5 | Partly Free |  Morocco |
5 | 4 | Partly Free |
 Egypt |
6 | 5 | Not Free |  Oman |
6 | 5 | Not Free |
 Iran |
6 | 6 | Not Free |  Qatar |
6 | 5 | Not Free |
 Iraq |
6 | 6 | Not Free |  Saudi Arabia |
7 | 6 | Not Free |
 Israel* |
1 | 2 | Free |  Syria |
7 | 6 | Not Free |
 Jordan |
5 | 4 | Partly Free |  Tunisia |
6 | 5 | Not Free |
 Kuwait |
4 | 4 | Partly Free |  United Arab Emirates |
6 | 5 | Not Free |
 Lebanon |
5 | 4 | Partly Free |  Yemen |
5 | 5 | Partly Free |
[edit] Related/Disputed Territories
| Country / Territory | PR | CL | Status | Country / Territory | PR | CL | Status |
 Abkhazia (Georgia) |
5 | 5 | Partly Free |  Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus |
2 | 2 | Free |
 Chechnya (Russia) |
7 | 7 | Not Free |  Palestinian Authority Administered Territories |
4 | 6 | Partly Free |
 Hong Kong (People's Republic of China) |
5 | 2 | Partly Free |  Puerto Rico (United States) |
1 | 1 | Free |
| Kashmir (Indian Administered) |
5 | 5 | Partly Free |  Somaliland |
5 | 4 | Partly Free |
| Kashmir (Pakistani Administered) |
7 | 5 | Not Free | Tibet (People's Republic of China) |
7 | 7 | Not Free |
 Kosovo (Serbia) |
6 | 5 | Not Free |  Transnistria (Moldova) |
6 | 6 | Not Free |
 Macao (People's Republic of China) |
6 | 4 | Partly Free | West Bank (Israeli-Occupied Territories) |
6 | 5 | Not Free |
 Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenia-Azerbaijan) |
5 | 5 | Partly Free |  Western Sahara (Morocco) |
7 | 6 | Not Free |
[edit] See Also
[edit] References
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2] 2005 Freedom House Annual Report, page 26, indicating 75% US federal funding
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]Methodology, Freedom house
