The Human Freedom Index 2025: A Global Picture of Liberty

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HUMAN FREEDOM INDEX 2025 cover

The Human Freedom Index (HFI), co-published annually by Canada’s Fraser Institute and the U.S.-based Cato Institute, provides one of the most comprehensive comparative assessments of freedom in the world. In its 2025 edition, the index measures the extent of human freedom in 165 jurisdictions, using 87 indicators across 12 major categories of personal and economic freedom. The 2025 edition reports 'there is an unequal distribution of freedom in the world, with only
13.8 percent of the world’s population living in the top quartile of jurisdictions in the HFI and 39.4 percent living in the bottom quartile'. Ireland is placed 4th worldwide. 

 

Freedom, in this context, is understood as the absence of coercive constraint, meaning that individuals are as free as possible to make their own choices so long as they do not infringe on the equal rights of others. The index uses 87 distinct indicators of personal and economic freedom and blends metrics such as rule of law, safety and security, movement, expression, association, religion, sound money, trade freedom, and regulation to generate a composite score for each country. 


Widespread Decline in Freedom

The 2025 report reveals a stark and concerning pattern: nearly 90 per cent of the world’s population experienced a decline in freedom over the most recent period of data. This deterioration is not limited to any single region or type of regime. It encompasses wealthy democracies and developing states alike. The decline reflects persistent challenges to freedom of expression, freedom of association and assembly, freedom of movement, and the ability to use sound money[1]. Many governments have tightened restrictions in these areas since the COVID-19 pandemic, and although some parts of the world saw modest rebounds in freedom following the acute phase of the pandemic, overall levels remain below pre-pandemic benchmarks.

Top and Bottom of the Freedom Rankings
Freest Jurisdictions

The top of the 2025 Human Freedom Index is dominated by Western and Oceanic democracies. The top five freest jurisdictions are:

Switzerland

Denmark

New Zealand

Ireland

Luxembourg

 
These countries score highly across nearly all aspects of freedom, including personal liberties, open and transparent legal systems, stable economic environments, and protections for civil liberties.

Least Free Countries

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the countries with the lowest levels of freedom include:

Iran

Syria

Sudan

Yemen

Myanmar 
 

These nations suffer from severe restrictions on speech, movement, political participation, and economic autonomy. Conflict, authoritarian governance, and legal systems that suppress dissent contribute to their low scores. The index highlights marked regional variations: North America, Western Europe, and Oceania tend to show the highest levels of freedom. Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, and South Asia are among the regions with the lowest average freedom scores. For instance, Morocco is ranked in the middle tier (129th out of 165), reflecting stronger performance on economic freedoms but persistent challenges in personal liberties such as freedom of expression and assembly.

Freedom and Well-Being

The Human Freedom Index 2025 underscores a strong correlation between freedom and broader measures of human well-being. Jurisdictions with higher freedom scores tend to enjoy:

  • Higher per capita incomes
  • Greater individual health and life satisfaction
  • Stronger democratic institutions
  • Greater tolerance and civic trust 
     

This pattern supports a central insight of the index, that freedom is not just an abstract value,  it is empirically linked to outcomes that improve quality of life. The Human Freedom Index 2025 paints a complex and stark picture of global liberty. While some nations manage to maintain strong traditions of personal and economic freedom, the majority of the world’s population has seen their freedoms erode in recent years. In a period marked by political upheaval, technological change, and renewed authoritarian pressures, the index underscores both the fragility and importance of safeguarding human freedom.

 

[1] "Sound money constitutes the third category. To the extent that a country’s money is not a reliable store of value, it undermines exchange, hinders economic planning, distorts prices, and, through inflation, serves as a tax. The inflation rate and its volatility are among the components measured here. The fourth category is freedom to trade internationally; it measures tariff rates, non-tariff trade barriers, and controls on capital movement, among other indicators. The fifth category regards the regulation of business, labor, and credit. To the extent that government restricts competition in business, voluntary arrangements among employers and employees, and freedom of exchange in credit markets, economic freedom is reduced. Indicators measured include interest rate controls, hiring and firing regulations, and licensing restrictions, among others."