Freedom Index by Country 2022

People’s dignity is recognized when they are given the freedom to pursue their interests.

As long as it does not restrict or penalize the freedom of others, human freedom allows and empowers people to do anything they choose. Human development depends heavily on individual liberty.

Indexing human freedom: what is it for?

In its 2021 edition, the Human Freedom Index will assess human liberties in 165 nations and territories, or 98.1% of the world’s population. As an all-encompassing metric, the HFI considers not just individual liberties but also social and economic opportunities.

All three Cato Institute, Fraser Institute, and Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom are involved in producing the Human Freedom Index. According to the Human Freedom Index, the freest nations on the planet (are the freest countries in the world).

For the first time, a full empirical assessment of freedom will be released in 2021 with the Human Freedom Index.

Using data from 2019, the most recent year for which there is adequate information, the index examines and combines 82 different measures to determine the level of freedom in 165 nations and territories worldwide. There are 12 meta-categories for the 82 indicators analyzed.

The following are the Human Freedom Index’s 12 subcategories:

1. Rule of Law
2. Security and Safety
3. Movement
4. Religion
5. Association, Assembly, and Civil Society
6. Expression and Information
7. Identity and Relationships
8. Size of Government
9. Legal System and Property Rights
10. Access to Sound Money
11. Freedom to Trade Internationally
12. Regulation

A country’s Human Freedom Index score ranges from 0 to 10, with 10 representing the maximum freedom and 0 representing the complete lack of freedom. There are 82 different indicators included in the Human Freedom Index.

As a result of these scores, each country’s human freedom index score is calculated by averaging the country’s ratings for personal freedom and economic freedom.

A comparison between individual liberties with economic opportunity

Economic and personal freedom is measured by two different yet interwoven sets of variables.

Freedom of movement, assembly, religion, freedom to run for political office, freedom of speech and expression, and freedom to pursue same-sex partnerships or get a divorce are all markers of personal freedom.

A country’s level of economic freedom can be measured by looking at things like how big the government is and how overbearing it is; tax and interest rates; court impartiality; legal system integrity; free trade; minimum wage; the cost of starting a business; whether or not conscription (obligatory government work) exists; and general freedom to prosper financially.

List of the Top 10 Most Human Freedom-Friendly Countries in the World for 2021:

1. Switzerland — 9.11
2. New Zealand — 9.01
3. Denmark — 8.98
4. Estonia — 8.91
5. Ireland — 8.90
6. Canada — 8.85
7. Finland — 8.85
8. Australia — 8.84
9. Sweden — 8.83
10. Luxembourg — 8.80

The average human freedom score in the 2021 Human Freedom Index was 7.12. The aggregate freedom of the nations covered has fallen by 0.01 percent since 2008. People’s liberties and democracy are strongly linked, according to the study.

North America, Western Europe, and East Asia are the freest areas. North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia have the lowest degrees of freedom. This is an especially dangerous place for women since there is a higher likelihood of repressing their unique liberties.

The 10 countries with the lowest Human Freedom Indexes in the world in 2021

1. Syria — 3.66
2. Venezuela — 4.03
3. Yemen — 4.08
4. Sudan — 4.48
5. Egypt — 4.49
6. Iran — 4.53
7. Somalia — 4.93
8. Burundi — 5.02 (tie)
9. Iraq — 5.02 (tie)
10. Libya — 5.05

Quartiles of human liberties

The Human Freedom Index further divides countries into four quartiles, with the first quartile being the freest and the fourth quartile being the least.

Only 14.6 percent of individuals are in the top quartile, which provides the most personal, economic, and human freedom, according to the statistics studied for the 2021 study. 40% of people live in the fourth quarter of society, which has the least freedom in terms of personal, economic, or even human freedom. Per capita income for persons in the first quartile was $48,748.

This was a considerable improvement above the fourth quartile’s substantially lower average income of $11,259 per year.

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