Index of Economic Freedom

The 2021 Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom overall heatmap

The Index of Economic Freedom is an annual index and ranking created in 1995 by conservative think-tank The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal to measure the degree of economic freedom in the world's nations. The creators of the index claim to take an approach inspired by Adam Smith's in The Wealth of Nations, that "basic institutions that protect the liberty of individuals to pursue their own economic interests result in greater prosperity for the larger society".^[1][2]

Purpose[]

The Heritage Foundation website states that "Economic freedom is the fundamental right of every human to control his or her own labor and property. In an economically free society, individuals are free to work, produce, consume, and invest in any way they please. In economically free societies, governments allow labor, capital, and goods to move freely, and refrain from coercion or constraint of liberty beyond the extent necessary to protect and maintain liberty itself."^[3] By publishing yearly reports the foundation attempts to highlight where such freedoms do and don't exist.

The Heritage Foundation reports that the top 20% on the index have twice the per capita income of those in the second quintile, and five times that of the bottom 20%.^[4] Carl Schramm, who wrote the first chapter of the 2008 Index, states that cities of Medieval Italy and mid-19th century Midwestern American cities all flourished to the degree they possessed economic fluidity and institutional adaptiveness created by economic freedom.^[5]

According to Will Wilkinson of the libertarian think tank Cato Institute, studies show that higher economic freedom correlates strongly with higher self-reported happiness.^[6] According to economists Tomi Ovaska and Ryo Takashima, economic freedom research suggests "that people unmistakably care about the degree to which the society where they live provides them opportunities and the freedom to undertake new projects, strongly with and make choices based on one's personal preferences."^[7]

According to the Cato Institute, higher economic freedom promotes participation and collaboration.^[8] Also claimed is that higher economic freedom is extremely significant in preventing wars; according to their calculations, freedom is around 54 times more effective than democracy (as measured by Democracy Score) in diminishing violent conflict.^[9]

Ratings[]

Since the index was created in 1995, the score for world economic freedom has increased, rising 2.6 points up to 2008.^[10] In 2011 the score had decreased from the 2008 score of 60.2 to 59.7, which represents an increase of 2.2 points since 1995. The Economic Freedom score improved for 117 countries, the majority of countries included in the index, which were mainly developing and emerging market economies. With the exception of Europe and North America, there were increased levels of freedom recorded in all regions, with the greatest improvement shown in Sub-Saharan Africa. The top five "free" economies identified by the 2011 index were Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and Switzerland, each scoring over 80 on the economic freedom grading scale.^[11] Since the Index was created in 1995, Hong Kong has been the top performing economy.^[11][12]

In 2011, the United States dropped to 9th place behind such countries as Denmark, Canada, and first-place Hong Kong.^[11] The Heritage Foundation has pointed to increases in government spending as the reason for the United States' decline, and according to data from the 2011 index, the growth rates of countries with the highest levels of government spending were 4.5 points lower, on average, than countries where government spending was under control.^[13] In their "Executive Highlights" of index results, the Heritage Foundation stated that "high levels of government spending in response to the global economic turmoil have not resulted in higher economic growth".^[11]

The results from the 2012 index showed an overall decline in global economic freedom; according to The Heritage Foundation, the average score in its ranking was the second lowest of the last ten years.^[14] In particular, the U.S. dropped to 10th place in the ranking, and has now fallen three places since 2008, when it was 7th.^[15] A report issued by the Foundation stated that government spending was the cause of the decline, and had "not only failed to arrest the economic crisis, but also - in many countries - seems to be prolonging it".^[16] According to the report, activity in the private sector is threatened by the greater government spending, which has increased public debt and led to more bureaucracy.^[14]

Countries that shared the same rank received a tie score.

Reception[]

According to the Freedom House, "there is a high and statistically significant correlation between the level of political freedom as measured by Freedom House and economic freedom as measured by the Wall Street Journal/Heritage Foundation survey."^[17] The Millennium Challenge Account, a U.S. government foreign aid program, has used the Trade freedom indicator in determining which countries will receive their performance-based compacts.^[18]

Economist Jeffrey Sachs has contested the Index's assumption that economic openness necessarily leads to better growth. In his book The End of Poverty, Sachs graphed countries' ratings on the index against GDP per capita growth between 1995 and 2003, claiming to demonstrate no correlation between a country's rating and its rate of economic growth. Sachs pointed out, as examples, that countries with good freedom ratings such as Switzerland and Uruguay had sluggish economic performance; others, like China, with poor freedom rating had very strong economic growth.^[19]

The United Arab Emirates questioned the rating of their country's economic freedom in 2008, comparing its middling rating with the high rating they had received from other indicators such as Transparency International and Moody's. They also argued that the report is "unreliable", because its methodology had changed twice in the last two years.^[20]

Stefan Karlsson of the libertarian Ludwig von Mises Institute challenged the usefulness of the index, arguing of many of the categories used to determine freedom are poorly defined or difficult to measure.^[21] John Miller roundly criticizes the "Index", writing in Dollars & Sense, "In the hands of the Wall Street Journal and the Heritage Foundation, Washington's foremost right-wing think tank, however, an economic freedom index merely measures corporate and entrepreneurial freedom from accountability. Upon examination, the index turns out to be a poor barometer of either freedom more broadly construed or of prosperity."^[22] According to Left Business Observer, growth in Index accounts for 10% of the variation in the growth of GDP.^[23]

Methodology[]

The ranking scores aspects of economic freedom between 0 and 100, with 0 meaning "no economic freedom" and 100 meaning "total economic freedom". There are twelve aspects divided into four categories.^[24]

Rule of law[]

Property rights[]

Degree of a country's legal protection of private property rights and degree of enforcement of those laws. It is divided into the following sub-factors:

1. physical property rights
2. intellectual property rights
3. strength of investor protection
4. risk of expropriation
5. quality of land administration

Judicial effectiveness[]

Degree of the judiciary's efficiency and fairness, especially dealing with property laws. It is divided into the following sub-factors:

1. judicial independence
2. quality of the judicial process
3. likelihood of obtaining favorable judicial decisions

Government integrity[]

Analyzes how prevalent are forms of political corruption and practices such as bribery, extortion, nepotism, cronyism, patronage, embezzlement, and graft. It is divided into the following sub-factors:

1. public trust in politicians
2. irregular payments and bribes
3. transparency of government policymaking
4. absence of corruption
5. perceptions of corruption
6. governmental and civil service transparency

Government size[]

Tax burden[]

Analyzes marginal tax rates on personal and corporate income and the overall taxation level (including direct and indirect taxes imposed by all levels of government) as a percentage of the GDP. Its sub-factors are:

1. top marginal tax rate on individual income
2. top marginal tax rate on corporate income
3. total tax burden as a percentage of GDP

Government spending[]

Quantifies the burden of government expenditures, including consumption by the state and all transfer payments related to various entitlement programs. The ideal level varies from country to country, but zero expenditure is used as a benchmark.

Fiscal health[]

Analyzes how well a country manages its budget by quantifying the growing debt and deficit. It is divided into the following sub-factors:

1. average deficits as a percentage of GDP for the most recent three years (80 percent of score)
2. debt as a percentage of GDP (20 percent of score)

Regulatory efficiency[]

Business freedom[]

Analyzes the cost, time and freedom to open, operate and close a business, taking into consideration factors like electricity. It is divided into thirteen sub-factors:

1. starting a business - procedures (number);
2. starting a business - time (days);
3. starting a business - cost (% of income per capita);
4. starting a business - minimum capital (% of income per capita);
5. obtaining a license - procedures (number);
6. obtaining a license - time (days);
7. obtaining a license - cost (% of income per capita);
8. closing a business - time (years);
9. closing a business - cost (% of estate);
10. closing a business - recovery rate (cents on the dollar);
11. getting electricity - procedures (number);
12. getting electricity - time (days); and
13. getting electricity - cost (% of income per capita).

Labor freedom[]

Quantifies the intrusiveness of labor rights such as minimum wage, laws inhibiting layoffs, severance requirements, and measurable regulatory restraints on hiring and hours worked, plus the labor force participation rate as an indicative measure of employment opportunities in the labor market. It is divided into the following sub-factors:

1. ratio of minimum wage to the average value added per worker
2. hindrance to hiring additional workers
3. rigidity of hours
4. difficulty of firing redundant employees
5. legally mandated notice period
6. mandatory severance pay
7. labor force participation rate

Monetary freedom[]

Analyzes how stable are prices and how much microeconomy intervenes. It is divided into the following sub-factors:

1. weighted average inflation rate for the most recent three years
2. price controls

Market openness[]

Trade freedom[]

Quantifies the extent to which tariff and nontariff barriers affect imports and exports of goods and services into and out of the country. Its sub-factors are:

1. trade-weighted average tariff rate
2. nontariff barriers (NTBs)

Investment freedom[]

Analyzes how free or constrained is the flow of investment capital of individuals and firms.

Financial freedom[]

Indicates banking efficiency as well as how independent the government is from the financial sector. This aspect looks at five broad areas:

1. extent of government regulation of financial services
2. degree of state intervention in banks and other financial firms through direct and indirect ownership
3. government influence on the allocation of credit
4. extent of financial and capital market development
5. openness to foreign competition

Previous Methodology[]

The Index's 2008 definition of economic freedom is "the highest form of economic freedom provides an absolute right of property ownership, fully realized freedoms of movement for labor, capital, and goods, and an absolute absence of coercion or constraint of economic liberty beyond the extent necessary for citizens to protect and maintain liberty itself."^[25]

The index scores nations on ten factors of economic freedom, separated into four categories, using statistics from organizations like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, Economist Intelligence Unit and Transparency International. In each factor, countries are scored 0 to 100, with 0 being the least free and 100 the most free. A score of 100 signifies an economic environment or set of policies that is most conducive to economic freedom.^[25] The methodology has shifted and changed as new data and measurements have become available, especially in the area of Labor Freedom, which was given its own indicator spot in 2007.^[2] The following list explains what each factor currently assesses and groups them according to their respective category:

Rule of Law

• Property Rights: Degree of a country's legal protection of private property rights, degree of enforcement of those laws, independence of and corruption within the judiciary, and likelihood of expropriation.
• Freedom from Corruption: The non-prevalence of political corruption within a country, according to the Corruption Perceptions Index.

Limited Government

• Fiscal Freedom: How free is a country from tax burden. It comprises three quantitative measures: top marginal tax rate of both individual (1) and corporate (2) income, and total tax burden as a percentage of GDP (3).
• Government Size/Spending: Governments' expenditures as a percentage of GDP, including consumption and transfers. The higher the percentual spending, the lower the score.

Regulatory Efficiency

• Business Freedom: A country's freedom from the burden of regulations on starting, operating, and closing business, given factors such as time, cost and number of procedures, as well as the efficiency of government in the regulatory process.
• Labor Freedom: How free is a country from legal regulation on the labor market, including those relating to minimum wages, hiring and firing, hours of work and severance requirements.
• Monetary Freedom: How free from microeconomic intervention and price instability is a country, basing on an equation considering the weighted average inflation rate in the last three years and price controls.

Open Markets

• Trade Freedom: Freedom from sizeable numbers and burdens of tariffs and non-tariff barriers to imports and exports of a country.
• Investment Freedom: Freedom from restrictions on the movement and use of investment capital, regardless of activity, within and across the country's borders.
• Financial Freedom: A country's independence from government control and interference in the financial sector, including banks. It considers government ownership of financial firms, extent of financial and capital market development, government influence on the allocation of credit and openness to foreign competition.

Rankings[]

2021 Index[]

As of 2021, Singapore’s economic freedom score is 89.7, making it the world’s freest economy in the Index. Singapore is ranked 1st among 40 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, and its overall score is well above the regional and world averages.

Key: ██ Free (80–100) ██ Mostly Free (70–79.9) ██ Moderately Free (65–69.9) ██ Moderately Unfree (60–64.9) ██ Mostly Unfree (55–59.9) ██ Mostly Unfree (50–54.9) ██ Repressed (0–49.9)

Country[26]	Rank	Score	Change
Singapore	1	89.7	0.3
New Zealand	2	83.9	0.2
Australia	3	82.4	0.2
Switzerland	4	81.9	0.1
Ireland	5	81.4	0.5
Taiwan	6	78.6	1.5
United Kingdom	7	78.4	0.9
Estonia	8	78.2	0.5
Canada	9	77.9	0.3
Denmark	10	77.8	0.5
Iceland	11	77.4	0.3
Georgia	12	77.2	0.1
Mauritius	13	77.0	2.1
United Arab Emirates	14	76.9	0.7
Lithuania	15	76.9	0.2
Netherlands	16	76.8	0.2
Finland	17	76.1	0.4
Luxembourg	18	76.0	0.2
Chile	19	75.2	1.6
United States	20	74.8	1.8
Sweden	21	74.7	0.2
Malaysia	22	74.4	0.3
Japan	23	74.1	0.8
South Korea	24	74.0	0.0
Austria	25	73.9	0.6
Israel	26	73.8	0.2
Czech Republic	27	73.8	1.0
Norway	28	73.4	0.0
Germany	29	72.5	1.0
Latvia	30	72.3	0.4
Qatar	31	72.0	0.3
Armenia	32	71.9	1.3
Cyprus	33	71.4	1.3
Kazakhstan	34	71.1	1.5
Bulgaria	35	70.4	0.2
Malta	36	70.2	0.7
Belgium	37	70.1	1.2
Azerbaijan	38	70.1	0.8
Spain	39	69.9	3.0
Bahrain	40	69.9	3.6
Poland	41	69.7	0.6
Thailand	42	69.7	0.3
Romania	43	69.5	0.2
Uruguay	44	69.3	0.2
Jamaica	45	69.0	0.5
North Macedonia	46	68.6	0.9
Rwanda	47	68.3	2.6
Slovenia	48	68.3	0.5
Colombia	49	68.1	1.1
Peru	50	67.7	0.2
Botswana	51	67.6	2.0
Portugal	52	67.5	0.5
Saint Lucia	53	67.5	0.7
Serbia	54	67.2	1.2
Hungary	55	67.2	0.8
Indonesia	56	66.9	0.3
Brunei Darussalam	57	66.6	0.0
Kosovo	58	66.5	0.9
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	59	66.3	0.5
Seychelles	60	66.3	2.0
Slovakia	61	66.3	0.5
Panama	62	66.2	1.0
Saudi Arabia	63	66.0	3.6
France	64	65.7	0.3
Mexico	65	65.5	0.5
Albania	66	65.2	1.7
Barbados	67	65.0	3.6
Italy	68	64.9	1.1
Jordan	69	64.6	1.4
The Bahamas	70	64.4	0.1
Oman	71	64.6	1.0
Costa Rica	72	64.2	1.6
Philippines	73	64.1	0.4
Kuwait	74	64.1	0.9
Guatemala	75	64.0	0.0
Turkey	76	64.0	0.4
Cabo Verde	77	63.8	0.2
Kyrgyzstan	78	63.7	0.8
Croatia	79	63.6	1.4
Montenegro	80	63.4	1.9
Morocco	81	63.3	0.0
Bosnia and Herzegovina	82	62.9	0.3
Namibia	83	62.6	1.7
Paraguay	84	62.6	0.4
Moldova	85	62.5	0.5
Mongolia	86	62.4	6.5
Fiji	87	62.2	1.2
Dominican Republic	88	62.1	1.2
Samoa	89	61.9	0.2
Vietnam	90	61.7	2.9
Ivory Coast	91	61.7	2.0
Russia	92	61.5	0.5
Tanzania	93	61.3	0.4
El Salvador	94	61.0	0.6
Belarus	95	61.0	0.7
Greece	96	60.9	1.0
Vanuatu	97	60.5	0.2
Honduras	98	59.8	1.3
South Africa	99	59.7	0.9
Benin	100	59.6	4.4
Ghana	101	59.2	0.2
Trinidad and Tobago	102	59.0	0.7
Papua New Guinea	103	58.9	0.5
The Gambia	104	58.8	2.5
Nigeria	105	58.7	1.5
Uganda	106	58.6	0.9
China	107	58.4	1.1
Uzbekistan	108	58.3	1.1
Bhutan	109	58.3	3.8
Gabon	110	58.1	1.4
Senegal	111	58.0	0.0
Madagascar	112	57.7	2.8
Togo	113	57.5	3.4
Belize	114	57.5	0.1
Tonga	115	57.5	1.3
Guyana	116	57.4	1.2
Niger	117	57.3	2.6
Cambodia	118	57.3	0.0
Tunisia	119	56.6	0.8
Bangladesh	120	56.5	0.1
India	121	56.5	0.0
Solomon Islands	122	56.5	3.6
Guinea	123	56.5	0.0
Burkina Faso	124	56.5	0.2
Nicaragua	125	56.3	0.9
Djibouti	126	56.2	3.3
Ukraine	127	56.2	1.3
Mauritania	128	56.1	0.8
São Tomé and Príncipe	129	55.9	0.3
Egypt	130	55.7	1.7
Sri Lanka	131	55.7	1.7
Comoros	132	55.7	2.0
Mali	133	55.6	0.3
Tajikistan	134	55.2	3.0
Myanmar	135	55.2	1.2
Maldives	136	55.2	1.3
Eswatini	137	55.1	0.2
Kenya	138	54.9	0.4
Guinea-Bissau	139	54.9	1.6
Angola	140	54.2	2.0
Laos	141	53.9	1.6
Lesotho	142	53.5	1.0
Brazil	143	53.4	0.3
Cameroon	144	53.4	0.2
Malawi	145	53.0	0.2
Afghanistan	146	53.0	1.7
Dominica	147	53.0	7.8
Argentina	148	52.7	0.4
Ecuador	149	52.4	1.1
Sierra Leone	150	51.7	3.7
Ethiopia	151	51.7	1.9
Pakistan	152	51.7	3.1
Mozambique	153	51.6	1.1
Lebanon	154	51.4	0.3
Haiti	155	50.8	1.5
Republic of the Congo	156	50.7	8.9
Nepal	157	50.7	3.5
Chad	158	50.4	0.2
Zambia	159	50.4	3.1
Micronesia	160	50.4	1.6
Burundi	161	49.9	0.9
Algeria	162	49.7	2.8
Equatorial Guinea	163	49.2	0.9
Liberia	164	49.2	0.2
Democratic Republic of the Congo	165	49.0	0.5
Central African Republic	166	48.8	1.9
Turkmenistan	167	47.4	0.9
Iran	168	47.2	2.0
Suriname	169	46.4	3.1
Timor-Leste	170	44.7	1.2
Kiribati	171	44.4	0.8
Bolivia	172	42.7	0.1
Eritrea	173	42.3	3.8
Zimbabwe	174	39.5	3.6
Sudan	175	39.1	5.9
Cuba	176	28.1	1.2
Venezuela	177	24.7	0.5
North Korea	178	5.2	1.0

Not ranked[]

•  Andorra
•  Antigua and Barbuda
•  Grenada
•  Hong Kong (Since 2021, counted in PRC China)
•  Iraq
•  Libya
•  Liechtenstein
•  Macau (Since 2021, counted in PRC China)
•  Marshall Islands
•  Monaco
•  Nauru
•  Palau
•  Saint Kitts and Nevis
•  San Marino
•  Somalia
•  South Sudan
•  Syria
•  Tuvalu
•   Vatican City
•  Yemen

Previous Rankings[]

This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: Years 2018, 2019, and 2020 are missing. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (April 2021)

Key: ██ Free (80–100) ██ Mostly Free (70.0–79.9) ██ Moderately Free (60.0–69.9) ██ Mostly Unfree (50.0–59.9) ██ Repressed (0–49.9)

	2020[27]			2019[28]			2018[29]			2017[30]			hide2016[31]
Country	Rank	Score	Change from 2019	Rank	Score	Change from 2018	Rank	Score	Change from 2017	Rank	Score	Change from 2016	Rank	Score	Change from 2015
Hong Kong	2	89.1	-1.1	1	90.2	0.0	1	90.2	0.4	1	89.8	1.2	1	88.6	-1.0
Singapore	1	89.4	0.0	2	89.4	0.6	2	88.8	0.2	2	88.6	0.8	2	87.8	-1.6
New Zealand	3	84.1	-0.3	3	84.4	0.2	3	84.2	0.5	3	83.7	2.1	3	81.6	-0.5
Switzerland	5	82.0	0.1	4	81.9	0.2	4	81.7	0.2	4	81.5	0.5	4	81.0	0.5
Australia	4	82.6	1.7	5	80.9	0.0	5	80.9	-0.1	5	81.0	0.7	5	80.3	-1.1
Estonia	10	77.7	1.1	15	76.6	-2.2	7	78.8	-0.3	6	79.1	1.9	9	77.2	0.4
Canada	9	78.2	0.5	8	77.7	0.0	9	77.7	-0.8	7	78.5	0.5	6	78	-1.1
United Arab Emirates	18	76.2	-1.4	9	77.6	0.0	10	77.6	0.7	8	76.9	4.3	25	72.6	0.2
Ireland	6	80.9	0.4	6	80.5	0.1	6	80.4	3.7	9	76.7	-0.6	8	77.3	0.7
Chile	15	76.8	1.4	18	75.4	0.2	20	75.2	-1.3	10	76.5	-1.2	7	77.7	-0.8
Taiwan	11	77.1	-0.2	10	77.3	0.7	13	76.6	0.1	11	76.5	1.8	14	74.7	-0.4
United Kingdom	7	79.3	0.4	7	78.9	0.9	8	78.0	1.6	12	76.4	0.0	10	76.4	0.6
Georgia	12	77.1	1.2	16	75.9	-0.3	16	76.2	0.2	13	76.0	3.4	23	72.6	0.4
Luxembourg	19	75.8	-0.1	17	75.9	-0.5	14	76.4	0.5	14	75.9	2.0	19	73.9	0.7
Netherlands	14	77.0	0.2	13	76.8	0.6	17	76.2	0.4	15	75.8	1.2	16	74.6	0.9
Lithuania	16	76.7	2.5	21	74.2	-1.1	19	75.3	-0.5	16	75.8	0.6	13	75.2	0.5
United States	17	76.6	-0.2	12	76.8	1.1	18	75.7	0.6	17	75.1	-0.3	11	75.4	-0.8
Denmark	8	78.3	1.6	14	76.7	0.1	12	76.6	1.5	18	75.1	-0.2	12	75.3	-1.0
Sweden	22	74.9	-0.3	19	75.2	-1.1	15	76.3	1.4	19	74.9	2.9	26	72.0	-0.7
Latvia	32	71.9	1.5	35	70.4	-3.2	28	73.6	-1.2	20	74.8	4.4	36	70.4	0.7
Mauritius	21	74.9	1.9	25	73.0	-2.1	21	75.1	0.4	21	74.7	0.0	15	74.7	-1.7
Iceland	13	77.1	0.0	11	77.1	0.1	11	77.0	2.6	22	74.4	1.1	20	73.3	1.3
South Korea	25	74.0	1.7	29	72.3	-1.5	27	73.8	-0.5	23	74.3	2.6	27	71.7	0.2
Finland	20	75.7	0.8	20	74.9	0.8	26	74.1	0.1	24	74.0	1.4	24	72.6	-0.8
Norway	28	73.4	0.4	26	73.0	-1.3	23	74.3	0.3	25	74.0	3.2	32	70.8	-1.0
Germany	27	73.5	0.0	24	73.5	-0.7	25	74.2	0.4	26	73.8	-0.6	17	74.4	0.6
Malaysia	24	74.7	0.7	22	74.0	-0.5	22	74.5	0.7	27	73.8	2.3	29	71.5	0.7
Czech Republic	23	74.8	1.1	23	73.7	-0.5	24	74.2	0.9	28	73.3	0.1	21	73.2	0.7
Qatar	31	72.3	-0.3	28	72.6	0.0	29	72.6	-0.5	29	73.1	2.4	34	70.7	-0.1
Austria	29	73.3	1.3	31	72.0	0.2	32	71.8	-0.5	30	72.3	0.6	28	71.7	0.5
North Macedonia	41	69.5	-1.6	33	71.1	-0.2	33	71.3	0.6	31	70.7	3.2	47	67.5	0.4
Macau	35	70.3	-0.7	34	71.0	0.1	34	70.9	0.2	32	70.7	0.6	37	70.1	-0.2
Armenia	34	70.6	2.9	47	67.7	-1.0	44	68.7	-1.6	33	70.3	3.3	54	67.0	-0.1
Botswana	40	69.6	0.1	36	69.5	-0.4	35	69.9	-0.2	34	71.1	-1.0	30	71.1	1.3
Brunei	61	66.6	1.5	63	65.1	0.9	70	64.2	-5.6	35	69.8	2.5	51	67.3	-1.6
Israel	26	74.0	1.2	27	72.8	0.6	31	72.2	2.5	36	69.7	-1.0	35	70.7	0.2
Colombia	45	69.2	1.9	49	67.3	-1.6	42	68.9	-0.8	37	69.7	-1.1	33	70.8	-0.9
Uruguay	47	69.1	0.5	40	68.6	-0.6	38	69.2	-0.5	38	69.7	0.9	41	68.8	0.2
Romania	38	69.7	1.1	42	68.6	-0.8	37	69.4	-0.3	39	69.7	4.1	61	65.6	-1.0
Japan	30	73.3	1.2	30	72.1	-0.2	30	72.3	2.7	40	69.6	-3.5	22	73.1	-0.2
Jamaica	49	68.5	-0.1	39	68.6	-0.5	40	69.1	-0.4	41	69.5	2.0	48	67.5	-0.2
Kazakhstan	39	69.6	4.2	59	65.4	-3.7	41	69.1	0.1	42	69.0	5.4	68	63.6	0.3
Peru	51	67.9	0.1	45	67.8	-0.9	43	68.7	-0.2	43	68.9	1.5	49	67.4	-0.3
Bahrain	63	66.3	-0.1	54	66.4	-1.3	50	67.7	-0.8	44	68.5	-5.8	18	74.3	0.9
Poland	46	69.1	1.3	46	67.8	-0.7	45	68.5	0.2	45	68.3	-1.0	39	69.3	0.7
Kosovo	53	67.4	0.4	51	67.0	0.4	56	66.6	-1.3	46	67.9	6.5	84	61.4	-
Bulgaria	36	70.2	1.2	37	69.0	0.7	47	68.3	0.4	47	67.9	2.0	60	65.9	-0.9
Cyprus	37	70.1	2.0	44	68.1	0.3	48	67.8	-0.1	48	67.9	-0.8	42	68.7	0.8
Belgium	48	68.9	1.6	48	67.3	-0.2	52	67.5	-0.3	49	67.8	-0.6	44	68.4	-0.4
Malta	42	69.5	0.9	41	68.6	0.1	46	68.5	0.8	50	67.7	1.0	55	66.7	0.2
Rwanda	33	70.9	-0.2	32	71.1	2.0	39	69.1	1.5	51	67.6	4.5	71	63.1	-1.7
Vanuatu	98	60.7	4.3	116	56.4	-13.1	36	69.5	2.1	52	67.4	6.6	89	60.8	-0.3
Jordan	66	66.0	-0.5	53	66.5	1.6	62	64.9	-1.8	53	66.7	-1.6	46	68.3	-1.0
Panama	55	67.2	0.0	50	67.2	0.2	54	67.0	0.7	54	66.3	1.5	66	64.8	0.7
Thailand	43	69.4	1.1	43	68.3	1.2	53	67.1	0.9	55	66.2	2.3	67	63.9	1.5
Hungary	62	66.4	1.4	64	65.0	-1.7	55	66.7	0.9	56	65.8	-0.2	58	66.0	-0.8
Slovakia	60	66.8	1.8	65	65.0	-0.3	59	65.3	-0.4	57	65.7	-0.9	56	66.6	-0.6
Philippines	70	64.5	0.7	70	63.8	-1.2	61	65.0	-0.6	58	65.6	2.5	70	63.1	0.9
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	59	66.8	1.0	55	65.8	-1.9	49	67.7	2.5	59	65.2	-3.6	40	68.8	0.8
Turkey	71	64.4	-0.2	68	64.6	-0.8	58	65.4	0.2	60	65.2	3.1	79	62.1	-1.1
Kuwait	79	63.2	2.4	90	60.8	-1.4	81	62.2	-2.9	61	65.1	2.4	74	62.7	0.2
Saint Lucia	50	68.2	-0.5	38	68.7	1.1	51	67.6	2.6	62	65.0	-5.0	38	70.0	-0.2
Costa Rica	68	65.8	0.5	61	65.3	-0.3	57	65.6	0.6	63	65.0	-2.4	50	67.4	0.2
Saudi Arabia	83	62.4	1.7	91	60.7	1.1	98	59.6	-4.8	64	64.4	2.3	78	62.1	0.0
Albania	57	66.9	0.4	52	66.5	2.0	65	64.5	0.1	65	64.4	-1.5	59	65.9	0.2
El Salvador	90	61.6	-0.2	84	61.8	-1.4	75	63.2	-0.9	66	64.1	-1.0	63	65.1	-0.6
Dominica	97	60.8	-2.8	72	63.6	-0.9	66	64.5	0.8	67	63.7	-3.3	53	67.0	0.9
Azerbaijan	44	69.3	3.9	60	65.4	1.1	67	64.3	0.7	68	63.6	3.4	91	60.2	-0.8
Spain	58	66.9	1.2	57	65.7	0.6	60	65.1	1.5	69	63.6	-4.9	43	68.5	0.9
Mexico	67	66.0	1.3	66	64.7	-0.1	63	64.8	1.2	70	63.6	-1.6	62	65.2	-1.2
Fiji	77	63.4	1.2	81	62.2	0.2	84	62.0	-1.4	71	63.4	4.6	107	58.8	-0.2
France	64	66.0	2.2	71	63.8	-0.1	71	63.9	0.6	72	63.3	1.0	75	62.3	-0.2
Tonga	107	58.8	1.1	108	57.7	-5.4	76	63.1	0.1	73	63.0	3.4	95	59.6	0.3
Guatemala	73	64.0	1.4	77	62.6	-0.8	73	63.4	0.4	74	63.0	1.2	82	61.8	1.4
Ivory Coast	101	59.7	-2.7	78	62.4	0.4	85	62.0	-1.0	75	63.0	3.0	92	60.0	1.5
Dominican Republic	95	60.9	-0.1	89	61.0	-0.6	89	61.6	-1.3	76	62.9	1.9	88	61.0	0.0
Portugal	56	67.0	1.7	62	65.3	1.9	72	63.4	0.8	77	62.6	-2.5	64	65.1	-0.2
Namibia	96	60.9	2.2	99	58.7	0.2	103	58.5	-4.0	78	62.5	0.6	81	61.9	2.3
Italy	74	63.8	1.6	80	62.2	-0.3	79	62.5	0.0	79	62.5	1.3	86	61.2	-0.5
Paraguay	80	63.0	1.2	85	61.8	-0.3	82	62.1	-0.3	80	62.4	0.9	83	61.5	0.4
South Africa	106	58.8	0.5	102	58.3	-4.7	77	63.0	0.7	81	62.3	0.4	80	61.9	-0.7
Oman	75	63.6	2.6	88	61.0	0.0	93	61.0	-1.1	82	62.1	-5.0	52	67.1	0.4
Montenegro	91	61.5	1.0	92	60.5	-3.8	68	64.3	2.3	83	62.0	-2.9	65	64.9	0.2
Indonesia	54	67.2	1.4	56	65.8	1.6	69	64.2	2.3	84	61.9	2.5	99	59.4	1.3
Seychelles	72	64.3	2.9	87	61.4	-0.2	88	61.6	-0.2	85	61.8	-0.4	76	62.2	4.7
Morocco	78	63.3	0.4	75	62.9	1.0	86	61.9	0.4	86	61.5	0.2	85	61.3	1.2
Trinidad and Tobago	109	58.3	1.3	112	57.0	-0.7	112	57.7	-3.5	87	61.2	-1.7	73	62.9	-1.2
Eswatini	131	55.3	0.6	132	54.7	-1.2	123	55.9	-5.2	88	61.1	1.4	94	59.7	-0.2
Kyrgyzstan	81	62.9	0.6	79	62.3	-0.5	78	62.8	1.7	89	61.1	1.5	96	59.6	-1.7
Bahamas	69	64.5	1.6	76	62.9	-0.4	74	63.3	2.2	90	61.1	-9.8	31	70.9	2.2
Uganda	102	59.5	-0.2	95	59.7	-2.3	83	62.0	1.1	91	60.9	1.6	102	59.3	-0.4
Bosnia and Herzegovina	82	62.6	0.7	83	61.9	0.5	91	61.4	1.2	92	60.2	1.6	108	58.6	-0.4
Burkina Faso	117	56.7	-2.7	96	59.4	-0.6	95	60.0	0.4	93	59.6	0.5	104	59.1	0.5
Cambodia	113	57.3	-0.5	105	57.8	-0.9	101	58.7	-0.8	94	59.5	1.6	112	57.9	0.4
Croatia	84	62.2	0.8	86	61.4	0.4	92	61.0	1.6	95	59.4	0.3	103	59.1	-2.4
Benin	133	55.2	-0.1	127	55.3	-1.4	120	56.7	-2.5	96	59.2	-0.1	101	59.3	0.5
Slovenia	52	67.8	2.3	58	65.5	0.7	64	64.8	5.6	97	59.2	-1.4	90	60.6	0.3
Nicaragua	115	57.2	-0.5	107	57.7	-1.2	100	58.9	-0.3	98	59.2	0.6	109	58.6	1.0
Serbia	65	66.0	2.1	69	63.9	1.4	80	62.5	3.6	99	58.9	-3.2	77	62.1	2.1
Honduras	93	61.1	0.9	93	60.2	-0.4	94	60.6	1.8	100	58.8	1.1	113	57.7	0.3
Belize	111	57.4	2.0	123	55.4	-1.7	116	57.1	-1.5	101	58.6	1.2	118	57.4	0.6
Mali	126	55.9	-2.2	103	58.1	0.5	113	57.6	-1.0	102	58.6	2.1	121	56.5	0.1
Gabon	118	56.7	0.4	118	56.3	-1.7	109	58.0	-0.6	103	58.6	-0.4	105	59.0	0.7
Belarus	88	61.7	3.8	104	57.9	-0.2	108	58.1	-0.5	104	58.6	9.8	157	48.8	-1.0
Tanzania	89	61.7	1.5	94	60.2	0.3	97	59.9	1.3	105	58.6	0.1	110	58.5	1.0
Guyana	124	56.2	-0.6	113	56.8	-1.9	102	58.7	0.2	106	58.5	3.1	127	55.4	-0.1
Bhutan	85	62.1	-0.8	74	62.9	1.1	87	61.8	3.4	107	58.4	-1.1	97	59.5	2.1
Samoa	86	62.1	-0.1	82	62.2	0.7	90	61.5	3.1	108	58.4	-5.1	69	63.5	1.6
Tajikistan	155	52.2	-3.4	122	55.6	-2.7	106	58.3	0.1	109	58.2	6.9	149	51.3	-1.4
Moldova	87	62.0	2.9	97	59.1	0.7	105	58.4	0.4	110	58.0	0.6	117	57.4	-0.1
China	103	59.5	1.1	100	58.4	0.6	110	57.8	0.4	111	57.4	5.4	144	52.0	-0.7
Sri Lanka	112	57.4	1.0	115	56.4	-1.4	111	57.8	0.4	112	57.4	-2.5	93	59.9	1.3
Madagascar	99	60.5	3.9	114	56.6	-0.2	119	56.8	-0.6	113	57.4	-3.7	87	61.1	-0.6
Russia	94	61.0	2.1	98	58.9	0.7	107	58.2	1.1	114	57.1	6.5	153	50.6	-1.5
Nigeria	116	57.2	-0.1	111	57.3	-1.2	104	58.5	1.4	115	57.1	-0.4	116	57.5	1.9
Cape Verde	76	63.6	0.5	73	63.1	3.1	96	60.0	3.1	116	56.9	-9.6	57	66.5	0.1
Democratic Republic of the Congo	162	49.5	-0.8	157	50.3	-1.8	147	52.1	-4.3	117	56.4	10.0	163	46.4	1.4
Ghana	104	59.4	1.9	109	57.5	1.5	122	56.0	-0.2	118	56.2	-6.8	72	63.0	0.0
Guinea-Bissau	148	53.3	-0.7	135	54.0	-2.9	118	56.9	0.8	119	56.1	4.3	145	51.8	-0.2
Senegal	110	58.0	1.7	117	56.3	0.6	126	55.7	-0.2	120	55.9	-2.2	111	58.1	0.3
Comoros	143	53.7	-1.7	124	55.4	-0.8	121	56.2	0.4	121	55.8	3.4	141	52.4	0.3
Zambia	147	53.5	-0.1	138	53.6	-0.7	132	54.3	-1.5	122	55.8	-3.0	106	58.8	0.1
Tunisia	128	55.8	0.4	125	55.4	-3.5	99	58.9	3.2	123	55.7	-1.9	114	57.6	-0.1
São Tomé and Príncipe	125	56.2	2.2	134	54.0	0.4	137	53.6	-1.8	124	55.4	-1.3	120	56.7	3.4
Nepal	139	54.2	0.4	136	53.8	-0.3	133	54.1	-1.0	125	55.1	4.2	151	50.9	-0.4
Solomon Islands	150	52.9	-1.7	133	54.6	-2.9	114	57.5	2.5	126	55.0	8.0	161	47.0	0.0
Greece	100	59.9	2.2	106	57.7	0.4	115	57.3	2.3	127	55.0	1.8	138	53.2	-0.8
Bangladesh	122	56.4	0.8	121	55.6	0.5	128	55.1	0.1	128	55.0	1.7	137	53.3	-0.6
Mongolia	127	55.9	0.5	126	55.4	-0.3	125	55.7	0.9	129	54.8	-4.6	100	59.4	0.2
Barbados	92	61.4	-3.3	67	64.7	7.7	117	57.0	2.5	130	54.5	-13.8	45	68.3	0.4
Mauritania	130	55.3	-0.4	119	55.7	1.7	134	54.0	-0.4	131	54.4	-0.4	128	54.8	1.5
Federated States of Micronesia	156	52.0	0.1	149	51.9	-0.4	143	52.3	-1.8	132	54.1	2.3	147	51.8	2.2
Laos	129	55.5	-1.9	110	57.4	3.8	138	53.6	-0.4	133	54.0	4.2	155	49.8	-1.6
Lesotho	138	54.5	1.4	142	53.1	-0.8	136	53.9	0.0	134	53.9	3.3	152	50.6	1.0
Kenya	132	55.3	0.2	130	55.1	0.4	129	54.7	1.2	135	53.5	-4.0	115	57.5	1.9
Gambia	123	56.3	3.9	146	52.4	0.1	145	52.3	-1.1	136	53.4	-3.7	119	57.1	-0.4
Lebanon	157	51.7	0.6	154	51.1	-2.1	140	53.2	-0.1	137	53.3	-6.2	98	59.5	0.2
Togo	140	54.1	3.8	158	50.3	2.5	168	47.8	-5.4	138	53.2	-0.4	135	53.6	0.1
Burundi	166	49.0	0.1	162	48.9	-2.0	157	50.9	-2.3	139	53.2	-0.7	133	53.9	0.2
Brazil	144	53.7	1.8	150	51.9	0.5	153	51.4	-1.5	140	52.9	-3.6	122	56.5	-0.1
Pakistan	135	54.8	-0.2	131	55.0	0.6	131	54.4	1.6	141	52.8	-3.1	126	55.9	0.3
Ethiopia	146	53.6	0.0	137	53.6	0.8	142	52.8	0.1	142	52.7	1.2	148	51.5	0.0
India	120	56.5	1.3	129	55.2	0.7	130	54.5	1.9	143	52.6	-3.6	123	56.2	1.6
Egypt	142	54.0	1.5	144	52.5	-0.9	139	53.4	0.8	144	52.6	-3.4	125	56.0	0.8
Sierra Leone	168	48.0	0.5	167	47.5	-4.3	151	51.8	-0.8	145	52.6	0.3	142	52.3	0.6
Myanmar	141	54.0	0.4	139	53.6	-0.3	135	53.9	1.4	146	52.5	3.8	158	48.7	1.8
Vietnam	105	58.8	3.5	128	55.3	2.2	141	53.1	0.7	147	52.4	-1.6	131	54.0	2.3
Uzbekistan	114	57.2	3.9	140	53.3	1.8	152	51.5	-0.8	148	52.3	6.3	166	46.0	-1.0
Malawi	152	52.8	1.4	153	51.4	-0.6	148	52.0	-0.2	149	52.2	0.4	146	51.8	-3.0
Cameroon	145	53.6	1.2	145	52.4	0.5	149	51.9	0.1	150	51.8	-2.4	130	54.2	2.3
Central African Republic	159	50.7	1.6	161	49.1	-0.1	163	49.2	-2.6	151	51.8	6.6	168	45.2	-0.7
Papua New Guinea	108	58.4	0.0	101	58.4	2.7	127	55.7	4.8	152	50.9	-2.3	140	53.2	0.1
Kiribati	172	45.2	-2.1	168	47.3	-3.5	159	50.8	-0.1	153	50.9	4.7	165	46.2	-0.2
Niger	137	54.7	3.1	151	51.6	2.1	160	49.5	-1.3	154	50.8	-3.5	129	54.3	-0.3
Iran	164	49.2	-1.9	155	51.1	0.2	156	50.9	0.4	155	50.5	7.0	171	43.5	1.7
Argentina	149	53.1	0.9	148	52.2	-0.1	144	52.3	1.9	156	50.4	6.6	169	43.8	-0.3
Maldives	119	56.5	3.3	141	53.2	2.1	155	51.1	0.8	157	50.3	-3.6	132	53.9	0.5
Mozambique	160	50.5	1.9	163	48.6	2.3	170	46.3	-3.6	158	49.9	-3.3	139	53.2	-1.6
Haiti	153	52.3	-0.4	143	52.7	-3.1	124	55.8	6.2	159	49.6	-1.7	150	51.3	0.0
Ecuador	158	51.3	4.4	170	46.9	-1.6	165	48.5	-0.8	160	49.3	0.7	159	48.6	-0.6
Liberia	165	49.0	-0.7	160	49.7	-1.2	158	50.9	1.8	161	49.1	-3.1	143	52.2	-0.5
Chad	161	50.2	0.3	159	49.9	0.6	162	49.3	0.3	162	49.0	2.7	164	46.3	0.4
Afghanistan	136	54.7	3.2	152	51.5	0.2	154	51.3	2.4	163	48.9	-	-	-	-
Sudan	173	45.0	-2.7	166	47.7	-1.7	161	49.4	0.6	164	48.8	-	-	-	-
Angola	154	52.2	1.6	156	50.6	2.0	164	48.6	0.1	165	48.5	-0.4	156	48.9	1.0
Ukraine	134	54.9	2.6	147	52.3	0.4	150	51.9	3.8	166	48.1	1.3	162	46.8	-0.1
Suriname	163	49.5	1.4	165	48.1	0.0	166	48.1	0.1	167	48.0	-5.8	134	53.8	-0.4
Bolivia	175	42.8	0.5	173	42.3	-1.8	173	44.1	-3.6	168	47.7	0.3	160	47.4	0.6
Guinea	121	56.5	0.8	120	55.7	3.5	146	52.2	4.6	169	47.6	-5.7	136	53.3	1.2
Turkmenistan	170	46.5	-1.9	164	48.4	1.3	169	47.1	-0.3	170	47.4	5.5	174	41.9	0.5
Djibouti	151	52.9	5.8	169	47.1	2.0	171	45.1	-1.6	171	46.7	-9.3	124	56.0	-1.5
Algeria	169	46.9	0.7	171	46.2	1.5	172	44.7	-1.8	172	46.5	-3.6	154	50.1	1.2
Timor-Leste	171	45.9	1.7	172	44.2	-3.9	167	48.1	1.8	173	46.3	0.5	167	45.8	0.3
Equatorial Guinea	167	48.3	7.3	174	41.0	-1.0	175	42.0	-3.0	174	45.0	1.3	170	43.7	3.3
Zimbabwe	174	43.1	2.7	175	40.4	-3.6	174	44.0	0.0	175	44.0	5.8	175	38.2	0.6
Eritrea	177	38.5	-0.4	177	38.9	-2.8	176	41.7	-0.5	176	42.2	-0.5	173	42.7	3.8
Republic of the Congo	176	41.8	2.1	176	39.7	0.8	177	38.9	-1.1	177	40.0	-2.8	172	42.8	0.1
Cuba	178	26.9	-0.9	178	27.8	-4.1	178	31.9	-2.0	178	33.9	4.1	177	29.8	0.2
Venezuela	179	25.2	-0.7	179	25.9	0.7	179	25.2	-1.8	179	27.0	-6.7	176	33.7	-0.6
North Korea	180	4.2	-1.7	180	5.9	0.1	180	5.8	0.9	180	4.9	2.6	178	2.3	1.0
Yemen	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Historical Index[]

Country/Region	2008	2007	2006	2005	2004	2003	2002	2001	2000	1999	1998	1997	1996	1995
Hong Kong[a]	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Ireland	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	3	10	11	11	13	27	20
Australia	4	4	7	9	8	10	11	8	5	5	7	9	10	8
United States	5	6	5	5	7	7	8	6	8	7	8	8	5	4
New Zealand	6	5	4	3	3	3	3	4	3	3	3	3	3
Canada	7	10	10	12	12	13	14	21	20	25	27	26	20	18
Chile	8	8	8	8	11	12	9	12	12	12	9	7	13	14
Switzerland	9	9	9	6	5	6	6	10	6	4	4	4	4
United Kingdom	10	7	6	7	9	9	7	7	4	6	5	5	7	3
Denmark	11	12	13	13	17	20	23	33	33	32	34	30	31
Estonia	12	11	15	14	10	8	10	9	24	13	15	24	38	26
Netherlands	13	15	16	18	14	14	14	16	21	57	24	20	23
Iceland	14	13	11	10	19	16	19	15	15	19	18	19
Luxembourg	15	14	12	11	6	5	5	5	7	15	13	12	15
Finland	16	16	17	21	16	15	16	27	50	54	55	39	47
Japan	17	18	18	36	50	34	39	23	19	27	21	21	14	6
Mauritius	18	32	35	35	51	52	33	45	36	20
Bahrain	19	24	23	22	13	11	12	11	11	8	6	6	6	5
Belgium	20	17	24	30	30	33	34	57	55	60	48	44	36
Barbados	21	27	20	24	28	23	17	20	27	37	33	46	53
Cyprus	22	20	21	20	15	19	20	22	35	33	29	27	30
Germany	23	22	25	28	27	26	25	29	43	40	52	29	25	17
The Bahamas	24	19	19	15	20	17	15	14	16	10	10	10	11	11
Taiwan	25	25	29	19	26	21	22	18	17	18	20	22	9	7
Lithuania	26	21	22	23	18	27	43	53	67	67	74	78	104
Sweden	27	33	27	27	24	24	24	43	47	51	53	53	55	41
Armenia	28	30	14	25	23	37	32	46	62	96	117	123	125
Trinidad and Tobago	29	23	26	17	21	29	26	19	13	16	17	16	24
Austria	30	26	30	34	32	35	36	37	31	53	43	40	26	16
Spain	31	28	32	31	29	28	29	36	41	45	62	68	65	34
Georgia	32	31	54	93	78	84	104	87	107	114	122	125	123
El Salvador	33	29	28	16	22	22	21	17	9	9	22	18	21	19
Norway	34	37	34	45	42	39	37	41	22	29	31	41	39
Slovakia	35	36	33	42	48	77	76	85	108	105	85	85	75	46
Botswana	36	35	31	26	25	30	42	42	42	59	60	72	56	57
Czech Republic	37	39	40	47	35	36	40	26	30	23	28	54	29	23
Latvia	38	38	37	39	33	44	52	44	57	50	56	57	86
Kuwait	39	41	41	48	55	43	46	35	25	24	38	42	35
Uruguay	40	34	43	33	37	25	30	24	28	30	26	31	46	37