Freedom in the World (report)
Freedom in the World is a yearly report by US-based Freedom House that attempts to measure the degree of democracy and political 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". 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. There is some debate over the neutrality of Freedom House and the methodology used for the FITW report.
Freedom in the World 2008
Detailed descriptions of all nations from the previous year's edition can be found online in Freedom in the World 2007 Please note that while the rankings below are from the current year's edition of Freedom in the World (2008), detailed reports for 2008 will not be available online until late spring/early summer.Each pair of political rights and civil liberties ratings is averaged to determine an overall status of "Free," "Partly Free," or "Not Free." Those whose ratings average 1.0 to 2.5 are considered Free, 3.0 to 5.0 Partly Free, and 5.5 to 7.0 Not Free. The methodology is explained here: Methodology, Freedom house
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.
PR - Political Rights
CL - Civil Liberties
* - Electoral democracies per definition stated above
Sub-Saharan Africa
| Country | PR | CL | Status | Country | PR | CL | Status |
| 6 | 5 | Not Free | * | 3 | 4 | Partly Free | |
| * | 2 | 2 | Free | * | 4 | 3 | Partly Free |
| * | 2 | 2 | Free | * | 4 | 4 | Partly Free |
| 5 | 3 | Partly Free | * | 2 | 3 | Free | |
| * | 4 | 5 | Partly Free | * | 4 | 4 | Partly Free |
| 6 | 6 | Not Free | * | 1 | 2 | Free | |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 3 | 3 | Partly Free |
| * | 5 | 5 | Partly Free | * | 2 | 2 | Free |
| 7 | 6 | Not Free | * | 3 | 4 | Partly Free | |
| * | 4 | 4 | Partly Free | 4 | 4 | Partly Free | |
| 6 | 5 | Not Free | 6 | 5 | Not Free | ||
| 5 | 6 | Not Free | * | 2 | 2 | Free | |
| 7 | 5 | Not Free | * | 2 | 3 | Free | |
| 5 | 5 | Partly Free | * | 3 | 3 | Partly Free | |
| 7 | 6 | Not Free | * | 3 | 3 | Partly Free | |
| 7 | 6 | Not Free | 7 | 7 | Not Free | ||
| 5 | 5 | Partly Free | * | 2 | 2 | Free | |
| 6 | 4 | Partly Free | 7 | 7 | Not Free | ||
| 5 | 4 | Partly Free | 7 | 5 | Not Free | ||
| * | 1 | 2 | Free | 4 | 3 | Partly Free | |
| 6 | 5 | Not Free | 5 | 5 | Partly Free | ||
| * | 4 | 4 | Partly Free | 5 | 4 | Partly Free | |
| 4 | 3 | Partly Free | * | 3 | 4 | Partly Free | |
| * | 2 | 3 | Free | 7 | 6 | Not Free |
Americas
| Country | PR | CL | Status | Country | PR | CL | Status |
| * | 2 | 2 | Free | * | 2 | 3 | Free |
| * | 2 | 2 | Free | * | 4 | 5 | Partly Free |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 3 | 3 | Partly Free |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 2 | 3 | Free |
| * | 1 | 2 | Free | * | 2 | 3 | Free |
| * | 3 | 3 | Partly Free | * | 3 | 3 | Partly Free |
| * | 2 | 2 | Free | * | 1 | 2 | Free |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 3 | 3 | Partly Free |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 2 | 3 | Free |
| * | 3 | 3 | Partly Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free |
| 7 | 7 | Not Free | * | 2 | 1 | Free | |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 2 | 2 | Free |
| * | 2 | 2 | Free | * | 2 | 2 | Free |
| * | 3 | 3 | Partly Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free |
| * | 2 | 3 | Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free |
| * | 1 | 2 | Free | * | 4 | 4 | Partly Free |
| * | 3 | 4 | Partly Free |
Asia-Pacific
| Country | PR | CL | Status | Country | PR | CL | Status |
| 5 | 5 | Partly Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free | |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | 5 | 4 | Partly Free | |
| 5 | 4 | Partly Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free | |
| 6 | 5 | Not Free | 7 | 7 | Not Free | ||
| 6 | 5 | Not Free | 6 | 5 | Not Free | ||
| 7 | 7 | Not Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free | |
| 6 | 5 | Not Free | * | 3 | 3 | Partly Free | |
| 7 | 6 | Not Free | 4 | 3 | Partly Free | ||
| * | 3 | 4 | Partly Free | * | 2 | 2 | Free |
| 6 | 4 | Partly Free | 5 | 4 | Partly Free | ||
| * | 2 | 3 | Free | 4 | 3 | Partly Free | |
| * | 2 | 3 | Free | * | 1 | 2 | Free |
| * | 1 | 2 | Free | * | 4 | 4 | Partly Free |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 2 | 1 | Free |
| 7 | 6 | Not Free | 6 | 4 | Partly Free | ||
| 4 | 4 | Partly Free | 5 | 3 | Partly Free | ||
| 6 | 5 | Not Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free | |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 2 | 2 | Free |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | 7 | 5 | Not Free | |
| * | 2 | 2 | Free |
Central & Eastern Europe & the former Soviet Union
| Country | PR | CL | Status | Country | PR | CL | Status |
| * | 3 | 3 | Partly Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free |
| 5 | 4 | Partly Free | * | 3 | 3 | Partly Free | |
| 6 | 5 | Not Free | * | 3 | 4 | Partly Free | |
| 7 | 6 | Not Free | * | 3 | 3 | Partly Free | |
| 4 | 3 | Partly Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free | |
| * | 1 | 2 | Free | * | 2 | 2 | Free |
| * | 2 | 2 | Free | 6 | 5 | Not Free | |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 3 | 2 | Free |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free |
| * | 4 | 4 | Partly Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | 6 | 5 | Not Free | |
| 6 | 5 | Not Free | 7 | 7 | Not Free | ||
| 5 | 4 | Partly Free | * | 3 | 2 | Free | |
| * | 2 | 1 | Free | 7 | 7 | Not Free |
Western & Southern Europe
| Country | PR | CL | Status | Country | PR | CL | Status |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 2 | 1 | Free |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free |
| * | 1 | 2 | Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 3 | 3 | Partly Free |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free | * | 1 | 1 | Free |
| * | 1 | 1 | Free |
Middle East & North Africa
| Country | PR | CL | Status | Country | PR | CL | Status |
| 6 | 5 | Not Free | 7 | 7 | Not Free | ||
| 5 | 5 | Partly Free | 5 | 4 | Partly Free | ||
| 6 | 5 | Not Free | 6 | 5 | Not Free | ||
| 6 | 6 | Not Free | 6 | 5 | Not Free | ||
| 6 | 6 | Not Free | 7 | 6 | Not Free | ||
| * | 1 | 2 | Free | 7 | 6 | Not Free | |
| 5 | 4 | Partly Free | 7 | 5 | Not Free | ||
| 4 | 4 | Partly Free | 6 | 5 | Not Free | ||
| 5 | 4 | Partly Free | 5 | 5 | Partly Free |
Related/Disputed Territories
| Country / Territory | PR | CL | Status | Country / Territory | PR | CL | Status |
| (Georgia) | 5 | 5 | Partly Free | 2 | 2 | Free | |
| Chechnya (Russia) | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Palestinian Authority Administered Territories | 5 | 6 | Not Free |
| Hong Kong (People's Republic of China) | 5 | 2 | Partly Free | (United States) | 1 | 1 | Free |
| Kashmir (Indian Administered) | 5 | 4 | Partly Free | 5 | 4 | Partly Free | |
| Kashmir (Pakistani Administered) | 7 | 5 | Not Free | Tibet (People's Republic of China) | 7 | 7 | Not Free |
| (Serbia) | 6 | 5 | Not Free | (Moldova) | 6 | 6 | Not Free |
| Macau (People's Republic of China) | 6 | 4 | Partly Free | West Bank (Israeli-Occupied Territories) | 6 | 6 | Not Free |
| (Armenia-Azerbaijan) | 5 | 5 | Partly Free | (Morocco) | 7 | 6 | Not Free |
Global trends in Freedom
Note: Does not include Related/Disputed Territories.| Year Under Review | Free | Partly Free | Not Free |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 43 (28%) | 48 (31%) | 64 (41%) |
| 1987 | 58 (35%) | 58 (34%) | 51 (30%) |
| 1997 | 81 (42%) | 57 (30%) | 53 (28%) |
| 2007 | 90 (47%) | 60 (31%) | 43 (22%) |
See also
Notes
References
- (2007). Freedom in the World 2006. Freedom House//Rowman & Littlefield.
External links
- Freedom in the World - online at Freedom House
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Wednesday September 24, 2008 at 04:01:00 PDT (GMT -0700)
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