Index of Economic Freedom

This article is about the index published by the Wall Street Journal and the Heritage Foundation. For other indices, see Indices of economic freedom.
The 2016 Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom overall heatmap

The Index of Economic Freedom is an annual index and ranking created by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal in 1995 to measure the degree of economic freedom in the world's nations. The creators of the index took an approach similar to 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]

2016

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)

  2016 [3] 2015 [4] 2014 [5] 2013 [6]
Country Rank Score Change in Yearly Score from 2015 Rank Score Change in Yearly Score from 2014 Rank Score Change in Yearly Score from 2013 Rank Score Change in Yearly Score from 2012
 Hong Kong 1 88.6 Decrease -1.0 1 89.6 Decrease -0.5 1 90.1 Increase 0.8 1 89.3 Decrease -0.6
 Singapore 2 87.8 Decrease -1.6 2 89.4 Steady 0 2 89.4 Increase 1.4 2 88 Increase 0.5
 New Zealand 3 81.6 Decrease -0.5 3 82.1 Increase 0.9 5 81.2 Decrease -0.2 4 81.4 Decrease -0.7
  Switzerland 4 81 Increase 0.5 5 80.5 Decrease -1.1 4 81.6 Increase 0.6 5 81 Decrease -0.1
 Australia 5 80.3 Decrease -1.1 4 81.4 Decrease -0.6 3 82 Decrease -0.6 3 82.6 Decrease -0.5
 Canada 6 78 Decrease -1.1 6 79.1 Decrease -1.1 6 80.2 Increase 0.8 6 79.4 Decrease -0.5
 Chile 7 77.7 Decrease -0.8 7 78.5 Decrease -0.2 7 78.7 Decrease -0.3 7 79 Increase 0.7
 Ireland 8 77.3 Increase 0.7 9 76.6 Increase 0.4 9 76.2 Increase 0.5 11 75.7 Decrease -1.2
 Estonia 9 77.2 Increase 0.4 8 76.8 Increase 0.9 11 75.9 Increase 0.6 13 75.3 Increase 2.1
 United Kingdom 10 76.4 Increase 0.6 13 75.8 Increase 0.9 14 74.9 Increase 0.1 14 74.8 Increase 0.7
 United States 11 75.4 Decrease -0.8 12 76.2 Increase 0.7 12 75.5 Decrease -0.5 10 76 Decrease -0.3
 Denmark 12 75.3 Decrease -1.0 11 76.3 Increase 0.2 10 76.1 Steady 0 9 76.1 Decrease -0.1
 Lithuania 13 75.2 Increase 0.5 15 74.7 Increase 1.7 21 73 Increase 0.9 22 72.1 Increase 0.6
 Taiwan 14 74.7 Decrease -0.4 14 75.1 Increase 1.2 17 73.9 Increase 1.2 20 72.7 Increase 0.8
 Mauritius 15 74.7 Decrease -1.7 10 76.4 Decrease -0.1 8 76.5 Decrease -0.4 8 76.9 Decrease -0.1
 Germany 16 73.8 Increase 0.4 18 73.4 Increase 0.6 19 72.8 Increase 1.8
 Netherlands 17 73.7 Decrease -0.5 15 74.2 Increase 0.7 17 73.5 Increase 0.2
 Bahrain 18 73.4 Decrease -1.7 13 75.1 Decrease -0.4 12 75.5 Increase 0.3
 Finland 19 73.4 Steady 0 19 73.4 Decrease -0.6 16 74 Increase 1.7
 Japan 20 73.3 Increase 0.9 25 72.4 Increase 0.6 24 71.8 Increase 0.2
 Luxembourg 21 73.2 Decrease -1 16 74.2 Steady 0 15 74.2 Decrease -0.3
 Georgia 22 73 Increase 0.4 22 72.6 Increase 0.4 21 72.2 Increase 2.8
 Sweden 23 72.7 Decrease -0.4 20 73.1 Increase 0.2 18 72.9 Increase 1.2
 Czech Republic 24 72.5 Increase 0.3 26 72.2 Increase 1.3 29 70.9 Increase 1
 United Arab Emirates 25 72.4 Increase 1 28 71.4 Increase 0.3 28 71.1 Increase 1.8
 Iceland 26 72 Decrease -0.4 23 72.4 Increase 0.3 23 72.1 Increase 1.2
 Norway 27 71.8 Increase 0.9 32 70.9 Increase 0.4 31 70.5 Increase 1.7
 Colombia 28 71.7 Increase 1 34 70.7 Increase 1.1 37 69.6 Increase 1.6
 South Korea 29 71.5 Increase 0.3 31 71.2 Increase 0.9 34 70.3 Increase 0.4
 Austria 30 71.2 Decrease -1.2 24 72.4 Increase 0.6 25 71.8 Increase 1.5
 Malaysia 31 70.8 Increase 1.2 37 69.6 Increase 3.5 56 66.1 Decrease -0.3
 Qatar 32 70.8 Decrease -0.4 30 71.2 Decrease -0.1 27 71.3 Steady 0
 Israel 33 70.5 Increase 2.1 44 68.4 Increase 1.5 51 66.9 Decrease -0.9
 Macau 34 70.3 Decrease -1 29 71.3 Decrease -0.4 26 71.7 Decrease -0.1
 Saint Lucia 35 70.2 Decrease -0.5 33 70.7 Increase 0.3 32 70.4 Decrease -0.9
 Botswana 36 69.8 Decrease -2.2 27 72 Increase 1.4 30 70.6 Increase 1
 Latvia 37 69.7 Increase 1 42 68.7 Increase 2.2 55 66.5 Increase 1.3
 Jordan 38 69.3 Increase 0.1 39 69.2 Decrease -1.2 33 70.4 Increase 0.5
 Brunei 39 68.9 Decrease -0.1 40 69 -
 Belgium 40 68.8 Decrease -1.1 35 69.9 Increase 0.7 40 69.2 Increase 0.2
 Bahamas 41 68.7 Decrease -1.1 36 69.8 Decrease -0.3 35 70.1 Increase 2.1
 Poland 42 68.6 Increase 1.6 50 67 Increase 1 57 66 Increase 1.8
 Uruguay 43 68.6 Decrease -0.7 38 69.3 Decrease -0.4 36 69.7 Decrease -0.2
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 44 68 Increase 1 52 67 Increase 0.3 54 66.7 Increase 0.2
 Cyprus 45 67.9 Increase 0.3 46 67.6 Decrease -1.4 41 69 Decrease -2.8
 Barbados 46 67.9 Decrease -0.4 45 68.3 Decrease -1 39 69.3 Increase 0.3
 Peru 47 67.7 Increase 0.3 47 67.4 Decrease -0.8 44 68.2 Decrease -0.5
 Jamaica 48 67.7 Increase 1 56 66.7 Decrease -0.1 52 66.8 Increase 1.7
 Spain 49 67.6 Increase 0.4 49 67.2 Decrease -0.8 46 68 Decrease -1.1
 Slovakia 50 67.2 Increase 0.8 57 66.4 Decrease -2.3 42 68.7 Increase 1.7
 Costa Rica 51 67.2 Increase 0.3 53 66.9 Decrease -0.1 49 67 Decrease -1
 Armenia 52 67.1 Decrease -1.8 41 68.9 Decrease -0.5 38 69.4 Increase 0.6
 Macedonia 53 67.1 Decrease -1.5 43 68.6 Increase 0.4 43 68.2 Decrease -0.3
 Hungary 54 66.8 Decrease -0.2 51 67 Decrease -0.3 48 67.3 Increase 0.2
 Bulgaria 55 66.8 Increase 1.1 61 65.7 Increase 0.7 60 65 Increase 0.3
 Oman 56 66.7 Decrease -0.7 48 67.4 Decrease -0.7 45 68.1 Increase 0.2
 Romania 57 66.6 Increase 1.1 62 65.5 Increase 0.4 59 65.1 Increase 0.7
 Malta 58 66.5 Increase 0.1 58 66.4 Decrease -1.1 47 67.5 Increase 0.5
 Mexico 59 66.4 Decrease -0.4 55 66.8 Decrease -0.2 50 67 Increase 1.7
 Cape Verde 60 66.4 Increase 0.3 60 66.1 Increase 2.4 65 63.7 Increase 0.2
 Dominica 61 66.1 Increase 0.9 63 65.2 Increase 1.3 64 63.9 Increase 2.3
 El Salvador 62 65.7 Decrease -0.5 59 66.2 Decrease -0.5 53 66.7 Decrease -2
 Albania 63 65.7 Decrease -1.2 54 66.9 Increase 1.7 58 65.2 Increase 0.1
 Portugal 64 65.3 Increase 1.8 69 63.5 Increase 0.4 67 63.1 Increase 0.1
 Rwanda 65 64.8 Increase 0.1 65 64.7 Increase 0.6 63 64.1 Decrease -0.8
 Montenegro 66 64.7 Increase 1.1 68 63.6 Increase 1 70 62.6 Increase 0.1
 Trinidad and Tobago 67 64.1 Increase 1.4 73 62.7 Increase 0.4 72 62.3 Decrease -2.1
 Panama 68 64.1 Increase 0.7 71 63.4 Increase 0.9 71 62.5 Decrease -2.7
 Kazakhstan 69 63.3 Decrease -0.4 67 63.7 Increase 0.7 68 63 Decrease -0.6
 Turkey 70 63.2 Decrease -1.7 64 64.9 Increase 2 69 62.9 Increase 0.4
 Ghana 71 63 Decrease -1.2 66 64.2 Increase 2.9 77 61.3 Increase 0.6
 South Africa 72 62.6 Increase 0.1 75 62.5 Increase 0.7 74 61.8 Decrease -0.9
 France 73 62.5 Decrease -1 70 63.5 Decrease -0.6 62 64.1 Increase 0.9
 Kuwait 74 62.5 Increase 0.2 76 62.3 Decrease -0.8 66 63.1 Increase 0.6
 Thailand 75 62.4 Decrease -0.9 72 63.3 Decrease -0.8 61 64.1 Decrease -0.8
 Philippines 76 62.2 Increase 2.1 89 60.1 Increase 1.9 97 58.2 Increase 1.1
 Saudi Arabia 77 62.1 Decrease -0.1 77 62.2 Increase 1.6 82 60.6 Decrease -1.9
 Samoa 78 61.9 Increase 0.8 84 61.1 Increase 4 106 57.1 Decrease -3.4
 Madagascar 79 61.7 Steady 0 79 61.7 Decrease -0.3 73 62 Decrease -0.4
 Italy 80 61.7 Increase 0.8 86 60.9 Increase 0.3 83 60.6 Increase 1.8
 Croatia 81 61.5 Increase 1.1 87 60.4 Decrease -0.9 78 61.3 Increase 0.4
 Kyrgyzstan 82 61.3 Increase 0.2 85 61.1 Increase 1.5 89 59.6 Decrease -0.6
 Paraguay 83 61.1 Decrease -0.9 78 62 Increase 0.9 80 61.1 Decrease -0.7
 Vanuatu 84 61.1 Increase 1.6 93 59.5 Increase 2.9 109 56.6 Steady 0
 Azerbaijan 85 61 Decrease -0.3 81 61.3 Increase 1.6 88 59.7 Increase 0.8
 Dominican Republic 86 61 Decrease -0.3 80 61.3 Increase 1.6 87 59.7 Decrease -0.5
 Guatemala 87 60.4 Decrease -0.8 83 61.2 Increase 1.2 85 60 Decrease -0.9
 Slovenia 88 60.3 Decrease -2.4 74 62.7 Increase 1 76 61.7 Decrease -1.2
 Morocco 89 60.1 Increase 1.8 103 58.3 Decrease -1.3 90 59.6 Decrease -0.6
 Serbia 90 60 Increase 0.6 95 59.4 Increase 0.8 94 58.6 Increase 0.6
 Swaziland 91 59.9 Decrease -1.3 82 61.2 Increase 4 104 57.2 Steady 0
 Uganda 92 59.7 Decrease -0.2 91 59.9 Decrease -1.2 79 61.1 Decrease -0.8
 Namibia 93 59.6 Increase 0.2 94 59.4 Decrease -0.9 84 60.3 Decrease -1.6
 Lebanon 94 59.3 Decrease -0.1 96 59.4 Decrease -0.1 91 59.5 Decrease -0.6
 Tonga 95 59.3 Increase 1.1 104 58.2 Increase 2.2 112 56 Decrease -1
 Mongolia 96 59.2 Increase 0.3 97 58.9 Decrease -2.8 75 61.7 Increase 0.2
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 97 59 Increase 0.6 101 58.4 Increase 1.1 103 57.3 Steady 0
 Fiji 98 59 Increase 0.3 99 58.7 Increase 1.5 105 57.2 Decrease -0.1
 Benin 99 58.8 Increase 1.7 113 57.1 Decrease -0.5 101 57.6 Increase 1.9
 Zambia 100 58.7 Decrease -1.7 88 60.4 Increase 1.7 93 58.7 Increase 0.4
 Sri Lanka 101 58.6 Decrease -1.4 90 60 Decrease -0.7 81 60.7 Increase 2.4
 Burkina Faso 102 58.6 Decrease -0.3 98 58.9 Decrease -1 86 59.9 Decrease -0.7
 Ivory Coast 103 58.5 Increase 0.8 107 57.7 Increase 3.6 126 54.1 Decrease -0.2
 Gabon 104 58.3 Increase 0.5 105 57.8 Steady 0 99 57.8 Increase 1.4
 Indonesia 105 58.1 Decrease -0.4 100 58.5 Increase 1.6 108 56.9 Increase 0.5
 Senegal 106 57.8 Increase 2.4 125 55.4 Decrease -0.1 116 55.5 Increase 0.1
 Tunisia 107 57.7 Increase 0.4 109 57.3 Increase 0.3 107 57 Decrease -1.6
 Nicaragua 108 57.6 Decrease -0.8 102 58.4 Increase 1.8 110 56.6 Decrease -1.3
 Tanzania 109 57.5 Decrease -0.3 106 57.8 Decrease -0.1 98 57.9 Increase 0.9
 Cambodia 110 57.5 Increase 0.1 108 57.4 Decrease -1.1 95 58.5 Increase 0.9
 Moldova 111 57.5 Increase 0.2 110 57.3 Increase 1.8 115 55.5 Increase 1.1
 Djibouti 112 57.5 Increase 1.6 118 55.9 Increase 2 127 53.9 Steady 0
 Gambia 113 57.5 Decrease -2 92 59.5 Increase 0.7 92 58.8 Steady 0
 Seychelles 114 57.5 Increase 1.3 117 56.2 Increase 1.3 124 54.9 Increase 1.9
 Bhutan 115 57.4 Increase 0.7 116 56.7 Increase 1.7 122 55 Decrease -1.6
 Honduras 116 57.4 Increase 0.3 112 57.1 Decrease -1.3 96 58.4 Decrease -0.4
 Belize 117 56.8 Increase 0.1 115 56.7 Decrease -0.6 102 57.3 Decrease -4.6
 Brazil 118 56.6 Decrease -0.3 114 56.9 Decrease -0.8 100 57.7 Decrease -0.2
 Mali 119 56.4 Increase 0.9 122 55.5 Decrease -0.9 111 56.4 Increase 0.6
 Nigeria 120 55.6 Increase 1.3 129 54.3 Decrease -0.8 120 55.1 Decrease -1.2
 Pakistan 121 55.6 Increase 0.4 126 55.2 Increase 0.1 121 55.1 Increase 0.4
 Kenya 122 55.6 Decrease -1.5 111 57.1 Increase 1.2 114 55.9 Decrease -1.6
 Guyana 123 55.5 Decrease -0.2 121 55.7 Increase 1.9 129 53.8 Increase 2.5
 Egypt 124 55.2 Increase 2.3 135 52.9 Decrease -1.9 125 54.8 Decrease -3.1
 Mozambique 125 54.8 Decrease -0.2 128 55 Steady 0 123 55 Decrease -2.1
 Malawi 126 54.8 Decrease -0.6 124 55.4 Increase 0.1 118 55.3 Decrease -1.1
 Niger 127 54.6 Decrease -0.5 127 55.1 Increase 1.2 128 53.9 Decrease -0.4
 India 128 54.6 Decrease -1.1 120 55.7 Increase 0.5 119 55.2 Increase 0.6
 Suriname 129 54.2 Steady 0 130 54.2 Increase 2.2 135 52 Decrease -0.6
 Greece 130 54 Decrease -1.7 119 55.7 Increase 0.3 117 55.4 Steady 0
 Bangladesh 131 53.9 Decrease -0.2 131 54.1 Increase 1.5 132 52.6 Decrease -0.6
 Burundi 132 53.7 Increase 2.3 141 51.4 Increase 2.4 148 49 Increase 0.9
 Yemen 133 53.7 Decrease -1.8 123 55.5 Decrease -0.4 113 55.9 Increase 0.6
 Maldives 134 53.4 Increase 2.4 145 51 Increase 2 149 49 Decrease -0.2
 Mauritania 135 53.3 Increase 0.1 134 53.2 Increase 0.9 134 52.3 Decrease -0.7
 São Tomé and Príncipe 136 53.3 Increase 4.5 157 48.8 Increase 0.8 153 48 Decrease -2.2
 Papua New Guinea 137 53.1 Decrease -0.8 132 53.9 Increase 0.3 130 53.6 Decrease -0.2
 Togo 138 53 Increase 3.1 152 49.9 Increase 1.1 150 48.8 Increase 0.5
 China 139 52.7 Increase 0.2 137 52.5 Increase 0.6 136 51.9 Increase 0.7
 Tajikistan 140 52.7 Increase 0.7 139 52 Decrease -1.4 131 53.4 Steady 0
 Liberia 141 52.7 Increase 0.3 138 52.4 Increase 3.1 147 49.3 Increase 0.7
 Comoros 142 52.1 Increase 0.7 142 51.4 Increase 3.9 157 47.5 Increase 1.8
 Russia 143 52.1 Increase 0.2 140 51.9 Increase 0.8 139 51.1 Increase 0.6
 Guinea 144 52.1 Decrease -1.4 133 53.5 Increase 2.3 137 51.2 Increase 0.4
 Guinea-Bissau 145 52 Increase 0.7 143 51.3 Increase 0.2 138 51.1 Increase 1
 Cameroon 146 51.9 Decrease -0.7 136 52.6 Increase 0.3 133 52.3 Increase 0.5
 Sierra Leone 147 51.7 Increase 1.2 148 50.5 Increase 2.2 151 48.3 Decrease -0.8
 Vietnam 148 51.7 Increase 0.9 147 50.8 Decrease -0.2 140 51 Decrease -0.3
 Ethiopia 149 51.5 Increase 1.5 151 50 Increase 0.6 146 49.4 Decrease -2.6
 Laos 150 51.4 Increase 0.2 144 51.2 Increase 1.1 144 50.1 Increase 0.1
 Haiti 151 51.3 Increase 2.4 156 48.9 Increase 0.8 152 48.1 Decrease -2.6
   Nepal 152 51.3 Increase 1.2 149 50.1 Decrease -0.3 141 50.4 Increase 0.2
 Belarus 153 49.8 Decrease -0.3 150 50.1 Increase 2.1 154 48 Decrease -1
 Federated States of Micronesia 154 49.6 Decrease -0.2 153 49.8 Decrease -0.3 143 50.1 Decrease -0.6
 Lesotho 155 49.6 Increase 0.1 154 49.5 Increase 1.6 155 47.9 Increase 1.3
 Ecuador 156 49.2 Increase 1.2 159 48 Increase 1.1 159 46.9 Decrease -1.4
 Algeria 157 48.9 Decrease -1.9 146 50.8 Increase 1.2 145 49.6 Decrease -1.4
 Angola 158 47.9 Increase 0.2 160 47.7 Increase 0.4 158 47.3 Increase 0.6
 Solomon Islands 159 47 Increase 0.8 165 46.2 Increase 1.2 165 45 Decrease -1.2
 Uzbekistan 160 47 Increase 0.5 163 46.5 Increase 0.5 162 46 Increase 0.2
 Myanmar 161 46.9 Increase 0.4 162 46.5 Increase 7.3 172 39.2 Increase 0.5
 Ukraine 162 46.9 Decrease -2.4 155 49.3 Increase 3 161 46.3 Increase 0.2
 Bolivia 163 46.8 Decrease -1.6 158 48.4 Increase 0.5 156 47.9 Decrease -2.3
 Kiribati 164 46.4 Increase 0.1 164 46.3 Increase 0.4 163 45.9 Decrease -1
 Chad 165 45.9 Increase 1.4 167 44.5 Decrease -0.7 164 45.2 Increase 0.4
 Central African Republic 166 45.9 Decrease -0.8 161 46.7 Decrease -3.7 142 50.4 Increase 0.1
 Timor-Leste 167 45.5 Increase 2.3 170 43.2 Decrease -0.5 166 43.7 Increase 0.4
 Republic of the Congo 168 45 Increase 4.4 172 40.6 Increase 1 171 39.6 Decrease -1.5
 Argentina 169 44.1 Decrease -0.5 166 44.6 Decrease -2.1 160 46.7 Decrease -1.3
 Democratic Republic of the Congo 170 42.7 Decrease -1 169 43.7 Increase 0.2 167 43.5 Decrease -0.3
 Iran 171 41.8 Increase 1.5 173 40.3 Decrease -2.9 168 43.2 Increase 0.9
 Turkmenistan 172 41.4 Decrease -0.8 171 42.2 Decrease -0.4 169 42.6 Decrease -1.2
 Equatorial Guinea 173 40.4 Decrease -4 168 44.4 Increase 2.1 170 42.3 Decrease -0.5
 Eritrea 174 38.9 Increase 0.4 174 38.5 Increase 2.2 173 36.3 Increase 0.1
 Zimbabwe 175 37.6 Increase 2.1 176 35.5 Increase 6.9 175 28.6 Increase 2.3
 Venezuela 176 34.3 Decrease -2 175 36.3 Increase 0.2 174 36.1 Decrease -2
 Cuba 177 29.6 Increase 0.9 177 28.7 Increase 0.2 176 28.5 Increase 0.2
 North Korea 178 1.3 Increase 0.3 178 1 Decrease -0.5 177 1.5 Increase 0.5

2014

The 2014 Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom

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)

Country Rank Score Change
 Hong Kong[lower-alpha 1] 1 90.1 Increase 0.8
 Singapore 2 89.4 Increase 1.4
 Australia 3 82.0 Decrease 0.6
  Switzerland 4 81.6 Increase 0.6
 New Zealand 5 81.2 Decrease 0.2
 Canada 6 80.2 Increase 0.8
 Chile 7 78.7 Decrease 0.3
 Mauritius 8 76.5 Decrease 0.4
 Ireland 9 76.2 Increase 0.5
 Denmark 10 76.1 Steady 0.0
 Estonia 11 75.9 Increase 0.6
 United States 12 75.5 Decrease 0.5
 Bahrain 13 75.1 Decrease 0.4
 United Kingdom 14 74.9 Increase 0.1
 Netherlands 15 74.2 Increase 0.7
 Luxembourg 16 74.2 Steady 0.0
 Taiwan 17 73.9 Increase 1.2
 Germany 18 73.4 Increase 0.6
 Finland 19 73.4 Increase 1.7
 Sweden 20 73.1 Increase 0.2
 Lithuania 21 73.0 Increase 0.9
 Georgia 22 72.6 Increase 0.4
 Iceland 23 72.4 Increase 0.3
 Austria 24 72.4 Increase 0.6
 Japan 25 72.4 Increase 0.6
 Czech Republic 26 72.2 Increase 1.3
 Botswana 27 72.0 Increase 1.4
 United Arab Emirates 28 71.4 Increase 0.3
 Macau 29 71.3 Decrease 0.4
 Qatar 30 71.2 Decrease 0.1
 South Korea 31 71.2 Increase 0.9
 Norway 32 70.9 Increase 0.4
 Saint Lucia 33 70.7 Increase 0.3
 Colombia 34 70.7 Increase 1.1
 Belgium 35 69.9 Increase 0.7
 The Bahamas 36 69.8 Decrease 0.3
 Malaysia 37 69.6 Increase 3.5
 Uruguay 38 69.3 Decrease 0.4
 Jordan 39 69.2 Decrease 1.2
 Brunei 40 69.0
 Armenia 41 68.9 Increase 0.5
 Latvia 42 68.7 Increase 2.2
 Macedonia 43 68.6 Increase 0.4
 Israel 44 68.4 Increase 1.5
 Barbados 45 68.3 Decrease 0.1
 Cyprus 46 67.6 Decrease 1.4
 Peru 47 67.4 Decrease 0.4
 Oman 48 67.4 Decrease 0.7
 Spain 49 67.2 Decrease 0.8
 Poland 50 67.0 Increase 1.0
 Hungary 51 67.0 Decrease 0.3
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 52 67.0 Increase 0.3
 Costa Rica 53 66.9 Increase 0.1
 Albania 54 66.9 Increase 1.7
 Mexico 55 66.8 Decrease 0.2
 Jamaica 56 66.7 Decrease 0.1
 Slovakia 57 66.4 Decrease 2.3
 Malta 58 66.4 Decrease 1.1
 El Salvador 59 66.2 Decrease 0.5
 Cape Verde 60 66.1 Increase 2.4
 Bulgaria 61 65.7 Increase 0.7
 Romania 62 65.5 Increase 0.4
 Dominica 63 65.2 Increase 1.3
 Turkey 64 64.9 Increase 2.0
 Rwanda 65 64.7 Increase 0.6
 Ghana 66 64.2 Increase 2.9
 Kazakhstan 67 63.7 Increase 0.7
 Montenegro 68 63.6 Decrease 1.0
 Portugal 69 63.5 Increase 0.4
 France 70 63.5 Decrease 0.6
 Panama 71 63.4 Increase 0.9
 Thailand 72 63.3 Decrease 0.8
 Trinidad and Tobago 73 62.7 Increase 0.4
 Slovenia 74 62.7 Increase 0.1
 South Africa 75 62.5 Increase 0.7
 Kuwait 76 62.3 Decrease 0.8
 Saudi Arabia 77 62.2 Increase 1.6
 Paraguay 78 62.0 Increase 0.9
 Madagascar 79 61.7 Decrease 0.3
 Dominican Republic 80 61.3 Increase 1.6
 Azerbaijan 81 61.3 Decrease 1.6
 Swaziland 82 61.2 Increase 4.0
 Guatemala 83 61.2 Increase 1.2
 Samoa 84 61.1 Increase 4.0
 Kyrgyzstan 85 61.1 Increase 1.5
 Italy 86 60.9 Decrease 0.3
 Croatia 87 60.4 Decrease 0.9
 Zambia 88 60.4 Increase 1.7
 Philippines 89 60.1 Increase 1.9
 Sri Lanka 90 60.0 Decrease 0.7
 Uganda 91 59.9 Decrease 1.2
 Gambia 92 59.5 Increase 0.7
 Vanuatu 93 59.5 Increase 2.9
 Namibia 94 59.4 Decrease 0.9
 Serbia 95 59.4 Increase 0.8
 Lebanon 96 59.4 Decrease 0.1
 Mongolia 97 58.9 Decrease 2.8
 Burkina Faso 98 58.9 Decrease 1.0
 Fiji 99 58.7 Increase 1.5
 Indonesia 100 58.5 Increase 1.6
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 101 58.4 Increase 1.1
 Nicaragua 102 58.4 Increase 1.8
 Morocco 103 58.3 Decrease 1.3
 Tonga 104 58.2 Increase 2.2
 Gabon 105 57.8 Steady 0.0
 Tanzania 106 57.8 Decrease 0.1
 Ivory Coast 107 57.7 Increase 3.6
 Cambodia 108 57.4 Decrease 1.1
 Tunisia 109 57.3 Increase 0.3
 Moldova 110 57.3 Increase 1.8
 Kenya 111 57.1 Increase 1.2
 Honduras 112 57.1 Decrease 1.3
 Benin 113 57.1 Decrease 0.5
 Brazil 114 56.9 Decrease 0.8
 Belize 115 56.7 Decrease 0.6
 Bhutan 116 56.7 Increase 1.7
 Seychelles 117 56.2 Increase 1.3
 Djibouti 118 55.9 Increase 2.0
 Greece 119 55.9 Increase 0.3
 India 120 55.7 Increase 0.5
 Guyana 121 55.7 Increase 1.9
 Mali 122 55.5 Decrease 0.9
 Yemen 123 55.5 Decrease 0.4
 Malawi 124 55.4 Increase 0.1
 Senegal 125 55.4 Decrease 0.1
 Pakistan 126 55.2 Increase 0.1
 Niger 127 55.1 Increase 1.2
 Mozambique 128 55.0 Steady 0.0
 Nigeria 129 54.3 Decrease 0.8
 Suriname 130 54.2 Increase 2.2
 Bangladesh 131 54.1 Increase 1.5
 Papua New Guinea 132 53.9 Increase 0.3
 Guinea 133 53.5 Increase 2.3
 Mauritania 134 53.2 Increase 0.9
 Egypt 135 52.9 Decrease 1.9
 Cameroon 136 52.6 Increase 0.3
 China 137 52.5 Increase 0.6
 Liberia 138 52.4 Increase 3.1
 Tajikistan 139 52.0 Decrease 1.4
 Russia 140 51.9 Increase 0.8
 Burundi 141 51.4 Increase 2.4
 Comoros 142 51.4 Increase 3.9
 Guinea-Bissau 143 51.3 Increase 0.2
 Laos 144 51.2 Increase 1.1
 Maldives 145 51.0 Increase 2.0
 Algeria 146 50.8 Increase 1.2
 Vietnam 147 50.8 Decrease 0.2
 Sierra Leone 148 50.5 Increase 2.2
   Nepal 149 50.1 Decrease 0.3
 Belarus 150 50.1 Increase 2.1
 Ethiopia 151 50.0 Increase 0.6
 Togo 152 49.9 Increase 1.1
 Micronesia 153 49.8 Decrease 0.3
 Lesotho 154 49.5 Increase 1.6
 Ukraine 155 49.3 Increase 3.0
 Haiti 156 48.9 Increase 0.8
 São Tomé and Príncipe 157 48.8 Increase 0.8
 Bolivia 158 48.4 Increase 0.5
 Ecuador 159 48.0 Increase 1.1
 Angola 160 47.7 Increase 0.4
 Central African Republic 161 46.7 Decrease 3.7
 Burma 162 46.5 Increase 7.3
 Uzbekistan 163 46.5 Increase 0.5
 Kiribati 164 46.3 Increase 0.4
 Solomon Islands 165 46.2 Increase 1.2
 Argentina 166 46.6 Decrease 2.1
 Chad 167 44.5 Decrease 0.7
 Equatorial Guinea 168 44.4 Increase 2.1
 Republic of Congo 169 43.7 Increase 0.2
 East Timor 170 43.2 Decrease 0.5
 Turkmenistan 171 42.2 Decrease 1.1
 Democratic Republic of Congo 172 40.6 Increase 1.0
 Iran 173 40.3 Decrease 2.9
 Eritrea 174 38.5 Increase 2.2
 Venezuela 175 36.3 Increase 0.2
 Zimbabwe 176 35.5 Increase 6.9
 Cuba 177 28.7 Increase 0.2
 North Korea 178 1.0 Decrease 0.5

2014 ranking with more attributes

The following table contains more attributes. The whole table is available in XLS format at the Heritage Foundation web site.[7]

Country NameWorld Rank2014 ScoreProperty RightsFreedom from CorruptionFiscal Freedom Gov't SpendingBusiness FreedomLabor FreedomMonetary FreedomTrade FreedomInvestment Freedom Financial FreedomGov't Expenditure % of GDP
 Albania5466.93030.492.775.678.149.780.087.5757028.5
 Algeria14650.83028.780.551.066.348.367.860.8453040.4
 Angola16047.71517.787.755.347.540.163.670.1404038.6
 Argentina16644.61529.563.549.953.944.960.068.9303040.9
 Armenia4168.93026.786.581.383.178.577.085.5707025.0
 Australia382.09087.764.262.694.679.280.586.4859035.3
 Austria2472.49075.551.023.576.380.579.587.8907050.5
 Azerbaijan8161.32022.788.164.873.577.978.877.2605034.2
 Bahamas3669.87066.697.384.170.781.575.152.2307023.0
 Bahrain1375.16049.499.971.476.382.078.478.6758030.9
 Bangladesh13154.12023.372.592.370.851.965.959.0553016.0
 Barbados4568.38077.974.049.872.878.474.660.6556040.9
 Belarus15050.12024.689.261.273.477.733.981.4301036.0
 Belgium3569.98074.244.814.889.972.779.587.8857053.3
 Belize11556.7306.782.174.271.667.277.667.8405029.3
 Benin11357.13029.568.386.151.050.575.460.0705021.5
 Bhutan11656.76058.882.957.259.483.665.849.4203037.8
 Bolivia15848.41028.187.162.553.429.970.077.6155035.4
 Bosnia and Herzegovina10158.42033.982.927.455.562.480.186.9756049.2
 Botswana2772.07061.281.069.868.569.772.482.7757031.8
 Brazil11456.95037.968.854.153.849.869.969.3556039.1
 Bulgaria6165.73035.291.264.573.580.279.687.8556034.4
 Burkina Faso9858.93031.383.082.360.755.078.867.8604024.3
 Burma16246.51011.686.989.228.375.764.873.6151019.0
 Burundi14151.42015.973.551.959.863.168.271.8603040.0
 Cambodia10857.43018.790.888.436.650.277.971.0605019.6
 Cameroon13652.63021.971.786.045.056.169.461.2355021.6
 Canada680.29087.779.747.389.383.176.388.3808041.9
 Cape Verde6066.17054.977.468.663.848.079.169.6706032.3
 Central African Republic16146.71020.665.192.633.940.472.551.8503015.7
 Chad16744.52015.946.280.024.943.369.855.2504025.8
 Chile778.79072.376.583.869.369.384.182.0907023.2
 China13752.52035.069.982.949.761.973.371.8303023.9
 Colombia3470.75033.280.674.985.280.578.878.8757028.9
 Comoros14251.43022.164.585.349.450.174.572.7353022.1
 Democratic Republic of the Congo17240.61017.669.474.630.038.563.063.0202029.1
 Republic of the Congo16943.71020.667.579.635.147.072.055.6203026.1
 Costa Rica5366.95050.980.090.064.953.376.383.8705018.2
 Côte d'Ivoire10757.73022.179.179.855.159.080.671.4505025.9
 Croatia8760.44041.169.445.861.439.479.287.4806042.5
 Cuba17728.71041.260.00.020.020.065.860.001066.7
 Cyprus4667.67064.079.736.279.770.278.882.8655046.1
 Czech Republic2672.27045.381.743.870.184.079.487.8808043.3
 Denmark1076.19093.739.30.598.191.280.087.8909057.6
 Djibouti11855.93030.980.662.842.765.177.254.8655035.2
 Dominica6365.26053.572.961.775.070.785.872.7703035.7
 Dominican Republic8061.33027.383.792.356.155.275.777.8754016.1
 Ecuador15948.02026.079.841.852.852.066.171.8304044.0
 Egypt13552.92028.685.669.662.745.760.571.4454031.8
 El Salvador5966.24034.379.685.859.663.380.079.0707021.7
 Equatorial Guinea16844.41016.675.562.643.441.575.453.8353035.3
 Eritrea17438.51022.957.066.118.663.657.669.102033.6
 Estonia1175.99064.280.456.077.655.976.987.8908038.3
 Ethiopia15150.03027.077.589.957.854.759.064.2202018.4
 Fiji9958.72520.082.376.264.973.175.270.2505028.2
 Finland1973.49093.465.18.993.646.578.987.8908055.1
 France7063.58069.948.45.679.951.876.182.8707056.1
 Gabon10557.84029.174.581.758.963.075.161.0554024.7
 Gambia9259.53031.779.079.857.465.871.365.0655026.0
 Georgia2272.64042.887.369.787.891.278.488.6806031.8
 Germany1873.49080.161.238.289.946.480.887.8907045.4
 Ghana6664.25040.485.483.362.660.265.864.8706023.6
 Greece11955.74033.265.919.275.853.976.382.8605051.9
 Guatemala8361.22528.779.693.658.449.376.785.4655014.6
 Guinea13353.52019.269.386.251.873.464.161.2504021.5
 Guinea-Bissau14351.32020.289.086.640.561.474.461.4303021.2
 Guyana12155.73024.468.471.864.372.678.172.0453030.6
 Haiti15648.91016.980.366.333.368.573.670.4403033.5
 Honduras11257.13023.784.979.855.426.575.175.4606025.9
 Hong Kong190.19082.393.089.798.995.582.090.0909018.5
 Hungary5167.06048.681.126.879.365.775.687.8757049.4
 Iceland2372.49084.272.932.991.259.176.087.9706047.3
 India12055.75031.579.477.837.774.065.565.6354027.2
 Indonesia10058.53028.083.489.854.847.876.474.8406018.5
 Iran17340.31023.480.685.962.341.747.341.401021.7
 Ireland976.29074.874.030.683.479.581.787.8907048.1
 Israel4468.47559.360.140.373.263.080.682.9807044.6
 Italy8660.95038.555.525.675.552.578.987.8856049.8
 Jamaica5666.74033.077.269.484.675.677.375.1855031.9
 Japan2572.48077.869.247.180.079.887.582.4705042.0
 Jordan3969.26045.694.066.962.072.981.379.6706033.2
 Kazakhstan6763.73025.792.985.074.486.774.478.2405022.3
 Kenya11157.13021.078.074.655.864.074.972.8505029.1
 Kiribati16446.33029.271.40.057.083.681.355.4253091.8
 Korea, North1781.055.00.00.00.00.00.00.000N/A
 Korea, South3171.27054.072.672.692.847.879.672.6708030.2
 Kuwait7662.35043.797.755.657.763.673.276.7555038.5
 Kyrgyzstan8561.12019.294.660.274.283.873.775.2605036.4
 Laos14451.21518.686.686.760.754.975.558.6352021.0
 Latvia4268.75043.684.654.982.568.579.787.8855038.8
 Lebanon9659.42024.590.973.755.658.774.575.8606029.6
 Lesotho15449.54037.167.40.054.062.475.568.6504063.1
 Liberia13852.43033.883.670.562.347.072.964.1402031.4
 Lithuania2173.06049.992.955.985.759.078.687.8808038.3
 Luxembourg1674.29084.162.847.672.643.178.987.8958041.8
 Macau2971.36049.771.491.760.055.079.890.0857016.6
 Macedonia4368.63539.691.470.781.078.883.585.9606031.3
 Madagascar7961.74027.390.892.362.843.977.677.8555016.0
 Malawi12455.44531.978.063.038.960.364.172.7505035.1
 Malaysia3769.65544.384.675.685.678.581.076.4556028.5
 Maldives14551.02021.997.443.887.471.769.443.8253043.3
 Mali12255.52027.769.881.748.063.276.773.2554024.7
 Malta5866.47555.863.747.262.453.279.187.8806042.0
 Mauritania13453.22523.981.775.838.053.175.569.0504028.4
 Mauritius876.56553.492.281.874.478.076.788.6857024.7
 Mexico5566.85029.780.978.976.858.377.485.6706026.6
 Micronesia15349.83030.097.50.051.777.975.281.0253065.3
 Moldova11057.34029.585.854.470.137.975.080.1505039.0
 Mongolia9758.93028.281.839.171.881.172.474.7506045.1
 Montenegro6863.64037.892.542.677.668.678.683.1655043.8
 Morocco10358.34033.371.364.176.231.578.158.8706034.6
 Mozambique12855.03026.275.764.665.236.780.875.5455034.4
 Namibia9459.43044.266.958.864.481.975.082.9504037.0
   Nepal14950.13021.385.989.658.543.876.361.053018.6
 Netherlands1574.29088.051.725.689.759.679.987.8908049.8
 New Zealand581.29594.071.232.396.190.286.386.8808047.5
 Nicaragua10258.41524.178.680.052.660.372.885.4655025.8
 Niger12755.13026.076.888.435.245.488.365.6554019.6
 Nigeria12954.33022.785.074.548.066.473.163.8404029.2
 Norway3270.99088.150.642.290.944.678.789.1756043.9
 Oman4867.45048.298.556.068.375.573.678.7656038.3
 Pakistan12655.23022.780.688.369.447.368.564.8404019.8
 Panama7163.43034.084.378.773.039.475.174.2757026.6
 Papua New Guinea13253.92020.266.775.457.073.775.585.1353028.6
 Paraguay7862.03020.596.289.058.028.980.981.1756019.1
 Peru4767.44034.079.189.170.661.483.387.0706019.1
 Philippines8960.13026.179.292.359.949.778.075.5605016.0
 Poland5067.06054.876.143.270.160.477.887.8707043.5
 Portugal6963.57061.160.126.884.934.679.387.8706049.4
 Qatar3071.27072.499.972.171.770.081.279.8455030.5
 Romania6265.54037.787.059.271.065.277.187.8805036.9
 Russia14051.92522.185.661.570.055.869.474.6253035.8
 Rwanda6564.73046.980.378.269.684.174.877.7654027.0
 Saint Lucia3370.77070.675.763.683.184.582.771.9654034.8
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines5267.07061.173.772.476.378.779.867.6504030.3
 Samoa8461.16038.079.942.273.780.376.175.8553043.9
 São Tomé and Príncipe15748.82032.586.927.952.644.768.375.3503049.0
 Saudi Arabia7762.24043.799.763.167.375.868.774.0405035.1
 Senegal12555.44029.565.175.447.541.581.873.2604028.6
 Serbia9559.44034.083.138.659.370.166.977.0755045.2
 Seychelles11756.25048.576.861.867.668.575.133.4503035.7
 Sierra Leone14850.51524.680.785.755.328.770.270.2552021.9
 Singapore289.49091.991.291.296.896.581.590.0858017.1
 Slovakia5766.45041.880.256.067.053.678.187.8807038.3
 Slovenia7462.76061.058.922.685.451.080.387.8705050.8
 Solomon Islands16546.23025.061.421.365.265.275.473.0153051.2
 South Africa7562.55041.668.769.174.554.475.376.1556032.1
 Spain4967.27062.654.038.777.352.279.987.8807045.2
 Sri Lanka9060.04033.484.986.374.459.268.073.6404021.4
 Suriname13054.24032.969.078.341.881.871.866.2303026.9
 Swaziland8261.24031.674.770.964.271.772.381.5654031.2
 Sweden2073.19092.342.921.491.152.982.587.8908051.2
  Switzerland481.69088.168.965.775.487.485.290.0858033.8
 Taiwan1773.97059.780.384.793.953.181.785.8706022.6
 Tajikistan13952.02019.492.378.158.445.567.773.2254027.0
 Tanzania10657.83028.879.778.347.061.166.076.8605026.9
 Thailand7263.34533.679.783.671.461.668.675.0457023.4
 Timor-Leste17043.22025.464.70.045.479.268.364.44520139.7
 Togo15249.93023.869.782.443.342.879.362.8353024.2
 Tonga10458.22028.686.774.874.691.271.379.5352029.0
 Trinidad and Tobago7362.75034.084.862.559.476.471.778.6605035.4
 Tunisia10957.34039.274.363.880.772.675.961.8353034.8
 Turkey6464.95044.077.563.567.659.771.884.5706034.9
 Turkmenistan17142.2513.495.293.030.030.065.979.201015.2
 Uganda9159.93023.879.187.345.187.471.075.4604020.6
 Ukraine15549.33021.979.137.559.849.878.786.2203045.6
 United Arab Emirates2871.45566.499.683.174.482.984.682.5355023.7
 United Kingdom1474.99076.456.629.592.073.173.587.8908048.5
 United States1275.58072.065.848.189.297.275.486.8707041.6
 Uruguay3869.37070.677.468.074.568.172.182.5803032.6
 Uzbekistan16346.51513.490.370.475.760.863.166.101031.4
 Vanuatu9359.54033.597.381.754.856.882.748.0604024.7
 Venezuela17536.3516.575.351.843.433.749.762.752040.1
 Vietnam14750.81526.977.071.462.068.363.678.7153030.9
 Yemen12355.53019.491.774.959.254.962.182.4503028.9
 Zambia8860.43031.371.882.974.950.168.084.6605023.9
 Zimbabwe17635.51019.363.364.034.522.273.054.251034.6
 Brunei Darussalam4069.04053.390.266.168.296.574.281.8705033.6

2012 and 2013 rankings

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)

  2013 2012
Country Rank Score[8] Change Rank Score[9] Change
 Hong Kong[lower-alpha 1] 1 89.3 Decrease 0.6 1 89.9 Increase 0.2
 Singapore 2 88.0 Increase 0.5 2 87.5 Increase 0.3
 Australia 3 82.6 Decrease 0.5 3 83.1 Increase 0.6
 New Zealand 4 81.4 Decrease 0.7 4 82.1 Decrease 0.2
  Switzerland 5 81.0 Decrease 0.1 5 81.1 Decrease 0.8
 Canada 6 79.4 Decrease 0.5 6 79.9 Decrease 0.9
 Chile 7 79.0 Increase 0.7 7 78.3 Increase 0.9
 Mauritius 8 76.9 Decrease 0.1 8 77.0 Increase 0.8
 Denmark 9 76.1 Decrease 0.1 11 76.2 Decrease 2.4
 United States 10 76.0 Decrease 0.3 10 76.3 Decrease 1.5
 Ireland 11 75.7 Decrease 1.2 9 76.9 Decrease 1.8
 Bahrain 12 75.5 Increase 0.3 12 75.2 Decrease 2.5
 Estonia 13 75.3 Increase 2.1 16 73.2 Decrease 0.2
 United Kingdom 14 74.8 Increase 0.7 14 74.1 Decrease 0.4
 Luxembourg 15 74.2 Decrease 0.3 13 74.5 Decrease 1.7
 Finland 16 74.0 Increase 1.7 17 72.3 Decrease 1.7
 Netherlands 17 73.5 Increase 0.2 15 73.3 Decrease 1.4
 Sweden 18 72.9 Increase 1.2 21 71.7 Decrease 0.2
 Germany 19 72.8 Increase 1.8 26 71.0 Decrease 0.8
 Taiwan 20 72.7 Increase 0.8 18 71.9 Increase 1.1
 Georgia 21 72.2 Increase 2.8 34 69.4 Decrease 0.1
 Lithuania 22 72.1 Increase 0.6 23 71.5 Increase 0.2
 Iceland 23 72.1 Increase 1.2 27 70.9 Increase 2.7
 Japan 24 71.8 Increase 0.2 22 71.6 Decrease 1.2
 Austria 25 71.8 Increase 1.5 28 70.3 Decrease 1.6
 Macau[lower-alpha 1] 26 71.7 Decrease 0.1 19 71.8 Decrease 1.3
 Qatar 27 71.3 Steady 0.0 25 71.3 Increase 0.8
 United Arab Emirates 28 71.1 Increase 1.8 35 69.3 Increase 1.5
 Czech Republic 29 70.9 Increase 1.0 30 69.9 Decrease 0.5
 Botswana 30 70.6 Increase 1.0 33 69.6 Increase 0.8
 Norway 31 70.5 Increase 1.7 40 68.8 Decrease 1.5
 Saint Lucia 32 70.4 Decrease 0.9 24 71.3 Increase 0.5
 Jordan 33 70.4 Increase 0.5 32 69.9 Increase 1.0
 South Korea 34 70.3 Increase 0.4 31 69.9 Increase 0.1
 Bahamas 35 70.1 Increase 2.1 46 68.0 Steady 0.0
 Uruguay 36 69.7 Decrease 0.2 29 69.9 Decrease 0.1
 Colombia 37 69.6 Increase 1.6 45 68.0 Steady 0.0
 Armenia 38 69.4 Increase 0.6 39 68.8 Decrease 0.9
 Barbados 39 69.3 Increase 0.3 37 69.0 Increase 0.5
 Belgium 40 69.2 Increase 0.2 38 69.0 Decrease 1.2
 Cyprus 41 69.0 Decrease 2.8 20 71.8 Decrease 1.5
 Slovakia 42 68.7 Increase 1.7 51 67.0 Decrease 2.5
 Macedonia 43 68.2 Decrease 0.3 43 68.5 Increase 2.5
 Peru 44 68.2 Decrease 0.5 42 68.7 Increase 0.1
 Oman 45 68.1 Increase 0.2 47 67.9 Decrease 1.9
 Spain 46 68.0 Decrease 1.1 36 69.1 Decrease 1.1
 Malta 47 67.5 Increase 0.5 50 67.0 Increase 1.3
 Hungary 48 67.3 Increase 0.2 49 67.1 Increase 0.5
 Costa Rica 49 67.0 Decrease 1.0 44 68.0 Increase 0.7
 Mexico 50 67.0 Increase 1.7 54 65.3 Decrease 2.5
 Israel 51 66.9 Decrease 0.9 48 67.8 Decrease 0.7
 Jamaica 52 66.8 Increase 1.7 58 65.1 Decrease 0.6
 El Salvador 53 66.7 Decrease 2.0 41 68.7 Decrease 0.1
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 54 66.7 Increase 0.2 52 66.5 Decrease 0.4
 Latvia 55 66.5 Increase 1.3 56 65.2 Decrease 0.6
 Malaysia 56 66.1 Decrease 0.3 53 66.4 Increase 0.1
 Poland 57 66.0 Increase 1.8 64 64.2 Increase 0.1
 Albania 58 65.2 Increase 0.1 57 65.1 Increase 1.1
 Romania 59 65.1 Increase 0.7 62 64.4 Decrease 0.3
 Bulgaria 60 65.0 Increase 0.3 61 64.7 Decrease 0.2
 Thailand 61 64.1 Decrease 0.8 60 64.9 Increase 0.2
 France 62 64.1 Increase 0.9 67 63.2 Decrease 1.4
 Rwanda 63 64.1 Decrease 0.8 59 64.9 Increase 2.2
 Dominica 64 63.9 Increase 2.3 80 61.6 Decrease 1.7
 Cape Verde 65 63.7 Increase 0.2 66 63.5 Decrease 1.1
 Kuwait 66 63.1 Increase 0.6 71 62.5 Decrease 2.4
 Portugal 67 63.1 Increase 0.1 68 63.0 Decrease 1.0
 Kazakhstan 68 63.0 Decrease 0.6 65 63.6 Increase 1.5
 Turkey 69 62.9 Increase 0.4 73 62.5 Decrease 1.7
 Montenegro 70 62.6 Increase 0.1 72 62.5 Steady 0.0
 Panama 71 62.5 Decrease 2.7 55 65.2 Increase 0.3
 Trinidad and Tobago 72 62.3 Decrease 2.1 63 64.4 Decrease 2.1
 Madagascar 73 62.0 Decrease 0.4 75 62.4 Increase 1.2
 South Africa 74 61.8 Decrease 0.9 70 62.7 Steady 0.0
 Mongolia 75 61.7 Increase 0.2 81 61.5 Increase 2.0
 Slovenia 76 61.7 Decrease 1.2 69 62.9 Decrease 1.7
 Ghana 77 61.3 Increase 0.6 84 60.7 Increase 1.3
 Croatia 78 61.3 Increase 0.4 83 60.9 Decrease 0.2
 Uganda 79 61.1 Decrease 0.8 78 61.9 Increase 0.2
 Paraguay 80 61.1 Decrease 0.7 79 61.8 Decrease 0.5
 Sri Lanka 81 60.7 Increase 2.4 97 58.3 Increase 1.2
 Saudi Arabia 82 60.6 Decrease 1.9 74 62.5 Decrease 3.7
 Italy 83 60.6 Increase 1.8 92 58.8 Decrease 1.5
 Namibia 84 60.3 Decrease 1.6 76 61.9 Decrease 0.8
 Guatemala 85 60.0 Decrease 0.9 82 60.9 Decrease 1.0
 Burkina Faso 86 59.9 Decrease 0.7 85 60.6 Steady 0.0
 Dominican Republic 87 59.7 Decrease 0.5 89 60.2 Increase 0.2
 Azerbaijan 88 59.7 Increase 0.8 91 58.9 Decrease 0.8
 Kyrgyz Republic 89 59.6 Decrease 0.6 88 60.2 Decrease 0.9
 Morocco 90 59.6 Decrease 0.6 87 60.2 Increase 0.6
 Lebanon 91 59.5 Decrease 0.6 90 60.1 Steady 0.0
 The Gambia 92 58.8 Steady 0.0 94 58.8 Increase 1.4
 Zambia 93 58.7 Increase 0.4 96 58.3 Decrease 1.4
 Serbia 94 58.6 Increase 0.6 98 58.0 Steady 0.0
 Cambodia 95 58.5 Increase 0.9 102 57.6 Decrease 0.3
 Honduras 96 58.4 Decrease 0.4 93 58.8 Increase 0.2
 Philippines 97 58.2 Increase 1.1 107 57.1 Increase 0.9
 Tanzania 98 57.9 Increase 0.9 110 57.0 Steady 0.0
 Gabon 99 57.8 Increase 1.4 113 56.4 Decrease 0.3
 Brazil 100 57.7 Decrease 0.2 99 57.9 Increase 1.6
 Benin 101 57.6 Increase 1.9 118 55.7 Decrease 0.3
 Belize 102 57.3 Decrease 4.6 77 61.9 Decrease 1.9
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 103 57.3 Steady 0.0 104 57.3 Decrease 0.2
 Swaziland 104 57.2 Steady 0.0 106 57.2 Decrease 1.9
 Fiji 105 57.2 Decrease 0.1 105 57.3 Decrease 3.1
 Samoa 106 57.1 Decrease 3.4 86 60.5 Decrease 0.1
 Tunisia 107 57.0 Decrease 1.6 95 58.6 Increase 0.1
 Indonesia 108 56.9 Increase 0.5 115 56.4 Increase 0.4
 Vanuatu 109 56.6 Steady 0.0 112 56.6 Decrease 0.1
 Nicaragua 110 56.6 Decrease 1.3 101 57.9 Decrease 0.9
 Mali 111 56.4 Increase 0.6 117 55.8 Decrease 0.5
 Tonga 112 56.0 Decrease 1.0 109 57.0 Increase 1.2
 Yemen 113 55.9 Increase 0.6 121 55.3 Increase 1.1
 Kenya 114 55.9 Decrease 1.6 103 57.5 Increase 0.1
 Moldova 115 55.5 Increase 1.1 124 54.4 Decrease 1.3
 Senegal 116 55.5 Increase 0.1 120 55.4 Decrease 0.3
 Greece 117 55.4 Steady 0.0 119 55.4 Decrease 4.9
 Malawi 118 55.3 Decrease 1.1 114 56.4 Increase 0.6
 India 119 55.2 Increase 0.6 123 54.6 Steady 0.0
 Nigeria 120 55.1 Decrease 1.2 116 56.3 Decrease 0.4
 Pakistan 121 55.1 Increase 0.4 122 54.7 Decrease 0.4
 Bhutan 122 55.0 Decrease 1.6 111 56.6 Decrease 1.0
 Mozambique 123 55.0 Decrease 2.1 108 57.1 Decrease 0.3
 Seychelles 124 54.9 Increase 1.9 132 53.0 Increase 1.8
 Egypt 125 54.8 Decrease 3.1 100 57.9 Decrease 1.2
 Ivory Coast 126 54.1 Decrease 0.2 126 54.3 Decrease 1.1
 Djibouti 127 53.9 Steady 0.0 127 53.9 Decrease 0.6
 Niger 128 53.9 Decrease 0.4 125 54.3 Steady 0.0
 Guyana 129 53.8 Increase 2.5 137 51.3 Increase 0.9
 Papua New Guinea 130 53.6 Decrease 0.2 128 53.8 Increase 1.2
 Tajikistan 131 53.4 Steady 0.0 129 53.4 Decrease 0.1
 Bangladesh 132 52.6 Decrease 0.6 130 53.2 Increase 0.2
 Cameroon 133 52.3 Increase 0.5 135 51.8 Steady 0.0
 Mauritania 134 52.3 Decrease 0.7 131 53.0 Increase 0.9
 Suriname 135 52.0 Decrease 0.6 133 52.6 Decrease 0.5
 China 136 51.9 Increase 0.7 138 51.2 Decrease 0.8
 Guinea 137 51.2 Increase 0.4 141 50.8 Decrease 0.9
 Syria 139 51.2 Decrease 0.1
 Guinea-Bissau 138 51.1 Increase 1.0 149 50.1 Increase 3.6
 Russia 139 51.1 Increase 0.6 144 50.5 Steady 0.0
 Vietnam 140 51.0 Decrease 0.3 136 51.3 Decrease 0.3
   Nepal 141 50.4 Increase 0.2 147 50.2 Increase 0.1
 Central African Republic 142 50.4 Increase 0.1 145 50.3 Increase 1.0
 Micronesia 143 50.1 Decrease 0.6 143 50.7 Increase 0.4
 Laos 144 50.1 Increase 0.1 150 50.0 Decrease 1.3
 Algeria 145 49.6 Decrease 1.4 140 51.0 Decrease 1.4
 Ethiopia 146 49.4 Decrease 2.6 134 52.0 Increase 1.5
 Liberia 147 49.3 Increase 0.7 154 48.6 Increase 2.1
 Burundi 148 49.0 Increase 0.9 157 48.1 Decrease 1.5
 Maldives 149 49.0 Decrease 0.2 151 49.2 Increase 0.9
 Togo 150 48.8 Increase 0.5 155 48.3 Decrease 0.8
 Sierra Leone 151 48.3 Decrease 0.8 152 49.1 Decrease 0.5
 Haiti 152 48.1 Decrease 2.6 142 50.7 Decrease 1.4
 São Tomé and Príncipe 153 48.0 Decrease 2.2 148 50.2 Increase 0.7
 Belarus 154 48.0 Decrease 1.0 153 49.0 Increase 1.1
 Lesotho 155 47.9 Increase 1.3 161 46.6 Decrease 0.9
 Bolivia 156 47.9 Decrease 2.3 146 50.2 Increase 0.2
 Comoros 157 47.5 Increase 1.8 165 45.7 Increase 1.9
 Angola 158 47.3 Increase 0.6 160 46.7 Increase 0.5
 Ecuador 159 46.9 Decrease 1.4 156 48.3 Increase 1.2
 Argentina 160 46.7 Decrease 1.3 158 48.0 Decrease 3.7
 Ukraine 161 46.3 Increase 0.2 163 46.1 Increase 0.3
 Uzbekistan 162 46.0 Increase 0.2 164 45.8 Steady 0.0
 Kiribati 163 45.9 Decrease 1.0 159 46.9 Increase 2.1
 Chad 164 45.2 Increase 0.4 166 44.8 Decrease 0.5
 Solomon Islands 165 45.0 Decrease 1.2 162 46.2 Increase 0.3
 East Timor 166 43.7 Increase 0.4 169 43.3 Increase 0.5
 Republic of the Congo 167 43.5 Decrease 0.3 167 43.8 Increase 0.2
 Iran 168 43.2 Increase 0.9 171 42.3 Increase 0.2
 Turkmenistan 169 42.6 Decrease 1.2 168 43.8 Increase 0.2
 Equatorial Guinea 170 42.3 Decrease 0.5 170 42.8 Decrease 4.7
 Democratic Republic of the Congo 171 39.6 Decrease 1.5 172 41.1 Increase 0.4
 Myanmar 172 39.2 Increase 0.5 173 38.7 Increase 0.9
 Eritrea 173 36.3 Increase 0.1 175 36.2 Decrease 0.5
 Venezuela 174 36.1 Decrease 2.0 174 38.1 Increase 0.5
 Libya 176 35.9 Decrease 2.7
 Zimbabwe 175 28.6 Increase 2.3 178 26.3 Increase 4.2
 Cuba 176 28.5 Increase 0.2 177 28.3 Increase 0.6
 North Korea 177 1.5 Increase 0.5 179 1.0 Steady 0.0

Historical rankings (1995–2008)

Country/Region 20082007200620052004200320022001200019991998199719961995
 Hong Kong[lower-alpha 1] 11111111111111
 Singapore22222222222222
 Ireland33344443101111132720
 Australia44798101185579108
 United States56557786878854
 New Zealand6543333433333
 Canada710101212131421202527262018
 Chile888811129121212971314
  Switzerland99965661064444
 United Kingdom107679977465573
 Denmark11121313172023333332343031
 Estonia12111514108109241315243826
 Netherlands13151618141414162157242023
 Iceland141311101916191515191819
 Luxembourg151412116555715131215
 Finland16161721161516275054553947
 Japan171818365034392319272121146
 Mauritius18323535515233453620
 Bahrain19242322131112111186665
 Belgium20172430303334575560484436
 Barbados21272024282317202737334653
 Cyprus22202120151920223533292730
 Germany2322252827262529434052292517
 The Bahamas2419191520171514161010101111
 Taiwan25252919262122181718202297
 Lithuania262122231827435367677478104
 Sweden2733272724242443475153535541
 Armenia28301425233732466296117123125
 Trinidad and Tobago29232617212926191316171624
 Austria3026303432353637315343402616
 Spain3128323129282936414562686534
 Georgia32315493788410487107114122125123
 El Salvador33292816222221179922182119
 Norway34373445423937412229314139
 Slovakia353633424877768510810585857546
 Botswana3635312625304242425960725657
 Czech Republic3739404735364026302328542923
 Latvia38383739334452445750565786
 Kuwait39414148554346352524384235
 Uruguay4034433337253024283026314637

Method

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."[10]

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.[10] 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
Limited Government
Regulatory Efficiency
Open Markets

Meaning

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%.[11] 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.[12]

According to Will Wilkinson of the libertarian think tank Cato Institute, studies show that higher economic freedom correlates strongly with higher self-reported happiness.[13] 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."[14]

According to the Cato Institute, higher economic freedom promotes participation and collaboration.[15] 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.[16]

Ratings

Since the index was created in 1995, the score for world economic freedom has increased, rising 2.6 points up to 2008.[17] 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.[18] Since the Index was created in 1995, Hong Kong has been the top performing economy.[18][19]

In 2011, the United States dropped to 9th place behind such countries as Denmark, Canada, and first-place Hong Kong.[18] 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.[20] 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".[18]

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.[21] In particular, the U.S. dropped to 10th place in the ranking, and has now fallen three places since 2008, when it was 7th.[22] 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".[23] 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.[21]

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."[24] 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.[25]

Critics such as Jeffrey Sachs have 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 ratings such as Switzerland and Uruguay had sluggish economic performances, others, like China, with poorer rating had very strong economic growth.[26]

The UAE 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.[27]

Stefan Karlsson of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, challenged the usefulness of the index due to the fuzziness of many of the categories used to determine freedom.[28] 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."[29] According to Left Business Observer, growth in Index accounts for 10% of the variation in the growth of GDP.[30]

See also

References

  1. "Executive Summary" (PDF). Index of Economic Freedom. 15 January 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2008.
  2. 1 2 William Beach, Time Kane (15 January 2008). "Methodology; Measuring the 10 Economic Freedoms" (PDF). Index of Economic Freedom. Retrieved 4 February 2008.
  3. "2016 IEF (XLS) table download". Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  4. "2015 IEF (XLS) table download". Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2015-02-02.
  5. "2014 IEF (XLS) table download". Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2015-02-02.
  6. "2013 IEF (XLS) table download". Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2015-02-02.
  7. Economic Freedom Index - Downloads
  8. "2013 Index of Economic Freedom Country Ranking", Highlights of the 2013 Index of Economic Freedom, Terry Miller, Kim R. Holmes, Edwin J. Feulner, The Heritage Foundation in partnership with The Wall Street Journal, 24 January 2013
  9. "Ranking the World by Economic Freedom", Highlights of the 2012 Index of Economic Freedom, Terry Miller, Kim R. Holmes, Edwin J. Feulner, The Heritage Foundation in partnership with The Wall Street Journal, 6 January 2012
  10. 1 2 "Frequently Asked Questions". Index of Economic Freedom. 15 January 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2008.
  11. Mary Anastasia O'Grady (15 January 2008). "The Real Key to Development". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 4 February 2008.
  12. Carl J. Schramm (15 January 2008). "Chapter 1 Economic Fluidity: A Crucial Dimension of Economic Freedom" (PDF). The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 4 February 2008.
  13. "In Pursuit of Happiness Research: Is It Reliable? What Does It Imply for Policy?", Will Wilkinson, The Cato institute, Policy Analysis No. 590, 11 April 2007
  14. "Economic Policy and the Level of Self-Perceived Well-Being: An International Comparison", Tomi Ovaska and Ryo Takashima, Journal of Socio-Economics, Vol. 35, No. 2 (April 2006), pp. 308–325
  15. More Freedom = More Happiness, Public Issues, Libertad Desarrollo, No. 750, 23 January 2006, ISSN 0717-1528
  16. "Chapter2: Economic Freedom and Peace", Erik Gartzke, in Economic Freedom of the World: 2005 Annual Report, James Gwartney and Robert Lawson, Fraser Institute, 30 August 2005
  17. Barry Wood (15 January 2008). "Economic Freedom Holding Steady, 14th Index of Economic Freedom Shows". PR Newswire. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2008.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "Executive Highlights" (PDF). Heritage.org. The Heritage Foundation. 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  19. Ed Feulner (22 January 2008). "Football and economic freedom". IndyStar. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2008.
  20. Miller, Terry (2011). "The Limits of Government" (PDF). Heritage.org. The Heritage Foundation. p. 13. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  21. 1 2 "Global economic freedom dipped last year, annual survey says; Hong Kong remains world's freest". Washington Post. Associated Press. 12 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  22. Edwin Feulner (17 January 2012). "Still in top 10, but falling fast". The Washington Times. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  23. Edwin J. Feulner (12 January 2012). "A Step Backward for Economic Freedom in 2012". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  24. Adrian Karatnycky. Freedom in the World: The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties. Transaction Publishers. 2001. ISBN 978-0-7658-0101-2. p. 11
  25. "Report on the Criteria and Methodology for Determining the Eligibility of Candidate Countries for Millennium Challenge Account Assistance during Fiscal Year 2008" (PDF). Millennium Challenge Corporation. 1 September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2008.
  26. The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for our Time, Jeffrey Sachs, Penguin Books, 2005, ISBN 1-59420-045-9, pp. 320–321.
  27. "UAE challenges its economic freedom ranking in paper by Heritage Foundation". Business Intelligence Middle East. 31 January 2008. Retrieved 31 January 2008.
  28. Stefan Karlsson (21 January 2005). "The Failings of the Economic Freedom Index". Mises Daily. Ludwig von Mises Institute. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2008.
  29. "Free, Free at Last", John Miller, Dollars and Sense, No. 258, March/April 2005
  30. "Laissez-faire Olympics, an LBO special report", Left Business Observer, 26 March 2005
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