Human Freedom Index, Top 10 and Bottom 10 Countries: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” the United Nations Charter Principle 1 asserted, emphasizing the critical need to acknowledge and uphold each individual’s autonomy.
Human freedom is essential for societal progress and overall development. It significantly impacts human well-being and opens avenues for exploring how it interacts with political systems, economic growth, and various indicators of well-being.
However, earlier this year, the Cato Institute report highlighted a global decline in freedom, with the average human freedom rating decreasing from 6.79 in 2020 to 6.75 in 2021.
The Global Outlook of Human Freedom (Source: The Cato Institute)
Globally, there’s a significant disparity in freedom worldwide, with only 13.8% of the global population living in the top quartile of jurisdictions, while 37.6% reside in the bottom quartile.
Assessing 98.8% of the world’s population’s personal, civil, and economic freedoms in 165 countries, here are the top 10 countries with the highest and lowest Human Freedom Index scores.
Top 10 countries with the highest Human Freedom Index Score (2023-24)
As per the report, the highest levels of freedom were found in the regions of Western Europe, with countries such as Switzerland and Ireland consistently ranking high in the human freedom subindices, as well as in personal and financial freedom.
It also suggests that jurisdictions in the highest quartile of freedom have a much greater average per capita income than those in the other quarters, along with showcasing a strong link between human freedom and democracy.
| Rank | Country/Territory | Personal Freedom | Economic Freedom | Human Freedom |
| 1 | Switzerland | 9.39 | 8.47 | 9.01 |
| 2 | New Zealand | 9.2 | 8.43 | 8.88 |
| 3 | Denmark | 9.35 | 8.1 | 8.83 |
| 4 | Ireland | 9.27 | 8.11 | 8.79 |
| 5 | Estonia | 9.32 | 7.95 | 8.75 |
| 5 | Sweden | 9.43 | 7.81 | 8.75 |
| 7 | Iceland | 9.31 | 7.93 | 8.73 |
| 8 | Luxembourg | 9.29 | 7.91 | 8.71 |
| 9 | Finland | 9.33 | 7.81 | 8.7 |
| 10 | Norway | 9.23 | 7.67 | 8.58 |
Source: The Cato Institute
Please note: As the concept of liberty has witnessed several debates, the notion of freedom according to the report is “a social concept that recognizes the dignity of individuals and is defined by the absence of coercive constraint.”
Bottom 10 countries with the lowest Human Freedom Index Score (2023-24)
Over the past two decades, global freedom has decreased significantly, with many jurisdictions experiencing declines, resulting in the world’s freedom distribution being unequal, with only 13.8% of the population in the top quartile and 37.6% in the bottom half.
China, with its large population, contributes to this disparity, ranking in the lowest freedom quartile of the index, while countries like Nicaragua, Syria, Hong Kong, Egypt, Turkey, and Hungary have seen the most significant declines.
Rebel fighters sit on a vehicle, after seizing Damascus and ousting Bashar al-Assad. (Reuters)
On the contrary, the lowest levels of human freedom were in the Middle Eastern and North African, sub-Saharan African, and South Asian countries, largely owing to the ongoing wars or political unrest, leading to humanitarian crises and severe limitations on personal and political freedoms, with widespread human rights violations.