The sixth annual Human Freedom Index (HFI) is the most comprehensive measure of freedom ever created for many countries around the globe. The 2020 Index presents the state of human freedom in the world based on a broad group of measurements of personal, civil, and economic freedom that include freedom of movement, property rights, security and safety, and religion.
The HFI covers 162 countries for 2018, the most recent year for which sufficient data are available. The Index ranks countries beginning in 2008, the earliest year for which a robust enough index could be produced. Although global freedom has continued its slight decline since 2008, among countries included in this year’s and last year’s report, the level of freedom improved slightly (0.01) compared with 2017, with 87 countries increasing their ratings and 70 decreasing. Notably, New Zealand tops the rankings again this year, followed by Switzerland. The United States ranks 17th.