Country rankings

Freedom Index by Country

Switzerland has the highest Human Freedom Index in 2023 (9.15), followed by Denmark (9.03) and New Zealand (9.02). Syria has the lowest (3.27).

Culture198 countries · 7 metricsUpdated Oct 28, 2026Original page
5 sources
165 of 235 countries
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Human Freedom Index, 2023

Darker green is better (higher is better). Click a place to highlight it.

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Ranking

Best first: the first 15 and last 5 of 165 countries.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
6.88
Middle half 5.69 – 7.89
Average
6.81
165 countries
Highest
9.15
Switzerland
Lowest
3.27
Syria

Over time · 2000–2023

The top 5 in 2023, against the median.

  • Median of all countries
  • Switzerland
  • Denmark
  • New Zealand
  • Ireland
  • Luxembourg

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

165 countries · # = rank by Human Freedom Index
#
1Switzerland9.15
2Denmark9.03
3New Zealand9.02
4Ireland8.92
5Luxembourg8.88
6Estonia8.85
7Finland8.83
8Czechia8.82
9Netherlands8.81
10Australia8.79
11Iceland8.76
12Canada8.74
12Sweden8.74
14Taiwan8.72
15United States8.71
16Norway8.69
17Germany8.67
18Portugal8.62
19Japan8.6
19United Kingdom8.6
21Malta8.56
22Austria8.54
23Belgium8.53
24Latvia8.51
25Chile8.47
26Lithuania8.44
27Cape Verde8.41
28Spain8.37
29Costa Rica8.36
29Cyprus8.36
31Italy8.28
32Seychelles8.24
33France8.18
33Uruguay8.18
35South Korea8.15
36Slovakia8.14
36Slovenia8.14
38Romania8.06
39Albania8.03
40Panama7.92
41Dominican Republic7.9
42Jamaica7.89
43Montenegro7.86
44Bulgaria7.85
45Croatia7.83
46Barbados7.81
47Bahamas7.79
48Poland7.76
48Mauritius7.76
50Greece7.74
51Singapore7.73
51Armenia7.73
53Hong Kong7.68
54North Macedonia7.64
55Mongolia7.61
56Moldova7.55
57Israel7.52
57Georgia7.52
59Namibia7.5
60Paraguay7.49
61Belize7.48
62Botswana7.47
63Fiji7.45
64Peru7.44
64Timor-Leste7.44
66Brazil7.4
67Hungary7.37
67Trinidad and Tobago7.37
69Bhutan7.17
70Malaysia7.11
71South Africa7.07
71Guatemala7.07
71Papua New Guinea7.07
74Serbia7.06
74Bosnia and Herzegovina7.06
76Ghana7.05
77Suriname7.04
78Benin7.01
79Honduras6.99
80Nepal6.97
81Colombia6.91
81Argentina6.91
83El Salvador6.88
84Guyana6.86
85Ecuador6.85
86Gambia6.83
87Bolivia6.81
88Madagascar6.8
88Zambia6.8
90Thailand6.79
91Mexico6.72
92Indonesia6.67
92Ivory Coast6.67
94Malawi6.63
94Jordan6.63
96Philippines6.6
97Kenya6.59
97Lesotho6.59
99Liberia6.57
100Tanzania6.53
101Mozambique6.52
102Senegal6.49
103Niger6.47
104Kyrgyzstan6.43
105Kazakhstan6.38
106Guinea-Bissau6.37
107Sierra Leone6.34
108Gabon6.31
109Burkina Faso6.29
110India6.26
111Togo6.25
112Sri Lanka6.23
113Kuwait6.18
114Cambodia6.13
115Angola5.96
116Brunei5.92
117Uganda5.91
117Lebanon5.91
119Ukraine5.87
120Haiti5.85
121United Arab Emirates5.81
122Oman5.71
123Nigeria5.69
123Tunisia5.69
125Rwanda5.67
126Mali5.58
127Mauritania5.54
128Qatar5.49
129Bangladesh5.44
129Morocco5.44
129Bahrain5.44
129Djibouti5.44
133Republic of the Congo5.39
134Vietnam5.29
134Azerbaijan5.29
136DR Congo5.28
137Pakistan5.26
137Guinea5.26
137Tajikistan5.26
140Belarus5.2
140Comoros5.2
142Eswatini5.19
143Cameroon5.13
144Turkey5.1
145Laos5.09
146Zimbabwe5.02
147Central African Republic5
148Saudi Arabia4.97
149China4.93
150Iraq4.92
151Somalia4.87
152Russia4.86
153Nicaragua4.85
154Chad4.77
155Ethiopia4.7
156Libya4.67
157Algeria4.5
158Burundi4.48
159Venezuela4.44
160Egypt4.08
161Myanmar4.03
162Sudan3.98
162Yemen3.98
164Iran3.78
165Syria3.27

What correlates with Human Freedom Index (2023)?

Pearson r against 1,494 other country metrics sharing at least 99 countries. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Human Freedom Index tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. LP Personal FreedomLegatum Prosperity IndexA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.93 · very strong · n = 159
    Plot
  2. Rights & RulesSocial Progress Index by Country
    r = +0.93 · very strong · n = 157
    Plot
  3. EIU Civil Liberties ScoreDemocracy Index by Country
    r = +0.93 · very strong · n = 156
    Plot
  4. WJP RoLI Fundamental Rights ScoreWorld Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index
    r = +0.92 · very strong · n = 134
    Plot
  5. Overall Democracy Index ScoreDemocracy Ranking by Country
    r = +0.91 · very strong · n = 159
    Plot
  6. EIU Democracy Index Overall ScoreDemocracy Index by Country
    r = +0.91 · very strong · n = 159
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Human Freedom Index tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. Civil Liberties Freedom RatingVoting Rights by Country
    r = −0.92 · very strong · n = 157
    Plot
  2. Human RightsFailed States
    r = −0.89 · very strong · n = 162
    Plot
  3. Political Rights Freedom RatingVoting Rights by Country
    r = −0.88 · very strong · n = 157
    Plot
  4. State LegitimacyFailed States
    r = −0.88 · very strong · n = 162
    Plot
  5. Vulnerability ScoreGlobal Slavery Index by Country
    r = −0.83 · very strong · n = 150
    Plot
  6. Vulnerability Score (lower is better)Countries that Still Have Slavery
    r = −0.83 · very strong · n = 151
    Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest Human Freedom Index?
Switzerland has the highest Human Freedom Index in 2023, at 9.15, followed by Denmark (9.03) and New Zealand (9.02).
Which country has the lowest Human Freedom Index?
Syria has the lowest Human Freedom Index in 2023, at 3.27.
What is the median Human Freedom Index across countries?
The median is 6.88 across the 165 countries with data in 2023.
Where does this freedom index by country data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Countries and Territories - Freedom House; Index - RSF; The Human Freedom Index 2021 - Cato Institute; The Human Freedom Index 2021 - Fraser Institute. Last updated 2026-10-28.

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