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FREEDOM
IN THE WORLD
2016
Highlights from Freedom Houses annual report on political rights and civil liberties.
This report was made possible by the generous support of the Smith Richardson
Foundation, the Lilly Endowment, the Schloss Family Foundation, and Kim G. Davis.
Freedom House also gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the 21st Century ILGWU
Heritage Fund, the Reed Foundation, and other private contributors.
Freedom House is solely responsible for the content of this report.
Methodology
Regional Trends
10
12
18
20
The following people were instrumental in the writing of this essay: Elen Aghekyan, Jennifer Dunham, Bret
Nelson, Shannon OToole, Sarah Repucci, and Vanessa Tucker.
This booklet is a summary of findings for the 2016 edition of Freedom on the World. The complete
analysis including narrative reports on all countries and territories can be found on our website at
www.freedomhouse.org.
ON THE COVER
Refugees and migrants arriving at the Greek island of Lesbos, October 2015.
Cover image by Aris Messinis/Getty Images
FREEDOM
IN THE WORLD
2016
Democracies in distress
FREEDOM
IN THE WORLD
2016
Freedom House
A DECADE OF DECLINE
DECLINED
80
72
70
67
Number of Countries
60
59
59
61
60
58
56
54
54
50
49
43
40
42
38
37
34
34
2009
2010
43
40
32
30
2006
2007
2008
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Freedom in the World has recorded a decline in global freedom in each of the past
10 years. Among the many factors behind democracys troubled decade, a few stand out:
Chinas role as a model, in the developing world
and beyond, for combining political repression
with economic growth, at the cost of human
rights.
Russias increasingly aggressive challenge to
liberal values under Vladimir Putindomestically, among its neighbors, and in international
organizations.
The authoritarian backlash in the Middle
East and North Africa against the 2011 Arab
Springincluding harmful interventions by both
the Gulf monarchies and Iranand a surge in
terrorism fostered by the ensuing civil conflicts.
Widespread repression of civil society following the protest-driven color revolutions of
200305 in Eurasia and elsewhere.
www.freedomhouse.org
FREEDOM
IN THE WORLD
2016
Gains in aggregate
score reflect
improvements
in conditions for
political rights and
civil liberties.
FREE
-13
PARTLY FREE
Liberia
Cte dIvoire
Sri Lanka
14
Burkina Faso
14
Burundi
-8
NOT FREE
Nigeria
Yemen
-6
Tajikistan
-6
El Salvador
-5
Maldives
-15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20
a stock-market plunge and abrupt devaluations of the
currency, helped to reduce the prices of many commodities, slashing the export revenues of dictatorships around the world and threatening the economic
underpinnings of their legitimacy.
The price of oil in particular, which was also pushed
down by Saudi Arabias refusal to curb production
and a longer-term increase in output by the United
States, threatened the economic well-being of repressive petro-states from Angola to Azerbaijan. Wary of
spending cuts, declining living standards, and the
social unrest they could cause, most of these regimes
cracked down on rights activists and other critics.
Freedom House
After years of major gains, the share of Free countries has declined over the past decade.
Percentage of Countries
50
46%
40
30
44%
40%
34%
34%
33%
32%
20
28%
30%
30%
24%
10
0
1985
1995
2005
2015
reaching an agreement with the international community to limit its nuclear program. Even before the
deal was completed, hard-line forces in the regime
worked to smother public expectations that it would
lead to a more open society. The crackdown featured
a spike in executions, the shuttering of civil society
organizations, and the arrest of journalists who wrote
favorably about liberalizing policies or improved ties
with the West. The trial and conviction of Washington
Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, apparently on
spurious espionage charges, ranks among the most
notable cases. No details were made public, the trial
was carried out in secret, and Rezaian was not allowed
to mount a serious defense.
Venezuela experienced an economic freefall due to
slumping oil revenues, years of gross mismanagement, and rampant corruption. In the months leading
up to December elections, the country faced extreme
shortages of staple goods, rising criminal violence, and
the worlds highest rate of inflation. The government of
President Nicol
s Maduro responded with more repression, bringing politicized prosecutions against leading
opposition figures and tightening its grip on the media.
However, in addition to serving as a cautionary example
of authoritarian misrule, Venezuela illustrated the
potential of elections to correct a countrys course.
The electoral system was weighed down by blatant
gerrymandering, the misuse of state resources, and
pronounced media bias, but a groundswell of public
frustration with Maduros government gave the opposition coalition a two-thirds supermajority in the National
Assembly. The results set up a likely confrontation between the legislative and executive branches, and the
5
26%
FREEDOM
IN THE WORLD
2016
ultimate outcome remained unclear at years end. Nevertheless, the election gave Venezuela a real chance to
reverse years of democratic and economic decline.
stor Kirchner, had dominated the executive branch for over a decade. Combined
with the Venezuela results, Macris victory may be the
beginning of a rollback of Latin Americas populist
movements, which had previously made impressive
gains across the region.
There is, of course, no guarantee that electoral victories
Freedom House
36%
66%
FREEDOM
IN THE WORLD
2016
UNTRY
49%
24%
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA:
WORLD: STATUS BY POPULATION
STATUSSTATUS
BY COUNTRY
GLOBAL:
BY POPULATION
12%
40%
18%
36%
41%
17%
26%
Total
Total
population
countries
7,315,804,000
49
ion
000
49%
24%
41%
Total
countries
195
es
41%
44%
Total
countries
195
18%
86%
30%
as the entrenched government of Prime Minister Milo
ukanovi sanctioned the harassment of independent
media, tarnished the blocs image as a purveyor of good
governance and democratic norms.
Unfinished business: Although the worlds attention turned to new disasters during 2015, many of the
previous years most dramatic setbacks for freedom
continued to fester. Thailands post-coup government officially lifted martial law, but the military junta
remained in complete control of the political system
and continued to hunt down and punish any who
expressed dissent. The government of Abdel Fattah
el-Sisi in Egypt, formalized in 2014 after the 2013 coup,
finally allowed parliamentary elections, but they were
marred by large-scale rigging, criminalization of and
boycotts by opposition parties, and a tight grip on the
media. Meanwhile, an Islamist insurgency continued to
gain momentum amid unchecked abuses by security
forces. Crimea, which dominated global headlines after
Russias invasion in 2014, languished in a grim status
quo, and de facto Russian control of the Donbas region
in eastern Ukraine was solidified in both military and
economic terms. Finally, South Sudans bloody civil
war continued throughout the year despite a series of
attempted cease-fires, subjecting the population to
massacres, rapes, and large-scale displacement.
Freedom House
United States
FREE
India
PARTLY FREE
NOT FREE
Indonesia
Brazil
Spain
Italy
Colombia
France
Nigeria
Pakistan
Kenya
Argentina
Canada
Poland
Czech
Republic
Dominican
Republic
Portugal
Austria
Benin Zambia
Bolivia
Hungary
Sweden
Moldova
Croatia
Georgia
Tanzania
Ukraine
Costa Rica
Ireland
Panama
New
Liberia Zealand
BosniaHerz.
Kosovo
Mongolia
Latvia
Ghana
Guatemala
Taiwan
Tunisia
Serbia
Denmark
Paraguay
Uruguay
Estonia Lithuania
Finland
Lesotho
Sierra
Jamaica
Albania Norway Slovakia Leone
Slovenia Namibia
El Salvador
Mexico
Australia
Nepal
Sri Lanka
Switzerland
Japan
Peru
Greece
Bangladesh
South Korea
Senegal
Belgium
South
Africa
Madagascar Cte
dIvoire
Turkey
Germany
Philippines
Romania
Netherlands
Ecuador
Malawi
Niger
United Kingdom
Chile
Botswana
www.freedomhouse.org
FREEDOM
IN THE WORLD
2016
countries
12
Total
countries
12
Regional Trends
Middle East and North Africa
58%
58%
MIDDLE EAST: STATUS BY POPULATION
10%
Total
population
415,493,000
Total
population
415,493,000
85%
85%
MIDDLE EAST: STATUS BY COUNTRY
MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA:
STATUS BY COUNTRY
11%
MIDDLE
EAST: STATUS BY COUNTRY
17%
11%
Total
countries
18
Total
countries
18
17%
72%
72%
prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu won reelection in
March, and the deeply divided Palestinian political institutions in the West Bank and Gaza were in disarray. The
administration of President Barack Obama reportedly
concluded that it would be unable to make significant
progress on peace talks during the remainder of its
term.Meanwhile, individual Palestinians carried out a
series of knife and vehicular attacks on Israeli Jews, and
Israeli security personnel responded with deadly force.
58%
countries
35
countries
12
Freedom House
58%
Sub-Saharan
Africa
5%
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA:
STATUS BY POPULATION
66%
36%
66%
36%
Total
population
Total
countries
18
Total
countries
18
36%
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA:
STATUS BY AFRICA:
POPULATION
SUB-SAHARAN
STATUS BY POPULATION
39%
WORLD: STATUS BY P
Total 12%
population
FREE36%
PARTLY FREE
989,179,000
Total
population
WORLD: STATUS BY P
12%
10%
NOT FREE
Total
population
989,179,000
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA:
STATUS BY COUNTRY
countries
39
To
popu
7,315,8
To
popu
49%
24%7,315,8
49%
24%
WORLD:
STATUS BY C
41%
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA:
STATUS BY COUNTRY
41%
Total
countries
49
Total
countries
49
26%
18%
WORLD: STATUS BY CO
26%
18%
30%
41%
30%
To
coun
19
Tot
coun
19
FREE
12
PARTLY FREE
NOT FREE
Status Countries
FREE 86
PARTLY FREE 59
NOT FREE 50
Total 195
www.freedomhouse.org
13
FREEDOM
IN THE WORLD
2016
Asia-Pacific
Japan
$35,000
Smallest
$30,000
South Korea
Largest
$25,000
Taiwan
$20,000
$15,000
China
Malaysia
$10,000
Maldives
Thailand
Indonesia
$5,000
Laos
Vietnam
Afghanistan
20
Myanmar Cambodia
40
Philippines
Sri Lanka
Pakistan
Bangladesh
India
Mongolia
Bhutan
Nepal
East Timor
60
80
Brunei, North Korea, and Singapore do not appear in this chart. Bruneis Freedom in the World aggregate score is 29 and its GDP per
capita is $41,344. Singapores aggregate score is 51 and its GDP per capita is $56,287. North Koreas aggregate score is 3; the World
Bank does not publish GDP data for North Korea.
14
100
Freedom House
42% STATUS
38%
ASIA-PACIFIC:
BY BY
POPULATION
ASIA-PACIFIC:
STATUS
POPULATION
ASIA-PACIFIC:
42% STATUS BY POPULATION
38%
42%
42%
38%
38%
Total
Total
population
population
4,023,422,000
Total
Total
4,023,422,000
population
population
4,023,422,000
4,023,422,000
Europe
14%
EUROPE:
STATUS
POPULATION
EUROPE:
STATUS
BY
POPULATION
14%
EUROPE:
STATUS
BYBY
POPULATION
FREE
14%
14%
PARTLY FREE
NOT FREE
Total
Total
population
population
619,927,000
Total
Total
619,927,000
population
population
619,927,000
619,927,000
20%
20%
86%
86%
20%
20%
86%
86%
23%
23%
41%
41%
23%
23%
41%
41%
Total
Total
countries
countries
39
Total
Total
39
countries
countries
3939
36%
36%
36%
36%
www.freedomhouse.org
WORLD: STATUS BY POPULATION
WORLD: STATUS BY POPULATION
14%
14%
14%
14%
Total
Total
countries
countries
42
Total
Total
42
countries
countries
4242
86%
86%
86%
86%
15
FREEDOM
IN THE WORLD
2016
an exhibited increasingly authoritarian behavior. EU negotiators, seeking Turkeys assistance in stemming the
21%
STATUS
BY POPULATION
migrantEURASIA:
flow to Europe,
apparently
turned a blind eye
to Erdoans repressive actions during 2015, including
assaults on critical media and indiscriminate
21%military
operations in urban areas in the southeast in advance
of the November elections.
1%
30%
1%
30%
Total
population
Americas 285,846,000
Total
Populists onpopulation
the defensive,
285,846,000
little progress
in Cuba
Total
population
981,935,000
Total
population
981,935,000
Total
countries
12
Second, a number of regional
heads of state were
Total
undermined by corruption
scandals
countries or an inability
to stem violent crime. In Brazil, a democracy hard hit
12
by the crash in commodities prices, President Dilma
Rousseff
faced impeachment efforts in the wake of
58%
16
58%
69%
69%
AMERICAS: STATUS BY COUNTRY
3%
31%
3%
31%
Total
countries
35
Total
countries
35
66%
66%
Freedom House
Eurasia
AMERICAS: STATUS BY
30% STATUS BY
AMERICAS:
EURASIA:
STATUS
BY POPULATION
EURASIA:
STATUS
BY POPULATION
21%
30%
FREE
21%
PARTLY FREE
Total
population
Total
285,846,000
population
NOT FREE
285,846,000
Tota
populat
Tota
981,935,
popula
981,935
79%
79%
EURASIA: STATUS BY COUNTRY
AMERICAS: STATUS BY
AMERICAS: STATUS BY
42%
31%
42%
31%
Tot
count
Tot
35
coun
35
Total
countries
Total
12
countries
12
58%
58%
MIDDLE EAST: STATUS BY POPULATION
SUB-SAHARAN A
STATUS BY POPU
SUB-SAHARAN A
STATUS
39%BY POPU
10%
5%
10%
39%
Total
population
Total
415,493,000
population
pop
989
po
415,493,000
98
17
www.freedomhouse.org
85%
FREEDOM
IN THE WORLD
2016
to flaws in the 2015 legislative elections and increasing criminal violence, including threats against
journalists, teachers, and the general public.
Honduras received a downward trend arrow due
to the governments failure to address corruption
and impunity for crimes against journalists, human
rights defenders, land rights activists, and the poor
and other marginalized segments of society, who
are routinely subject to violence by both state and
nonstate forces.
Hungary received a downward trend arrow due to
laws, policies, and practices that sharply curtailed
the ability of refugees to seek asylum in the country,
the ongoing deterioration of the media environment, and the effects of large-scale government
corruption on commercial activity and competition.
Macedonia received a downward trend arrow due
to further revelations about the grave shortcomings
NEGATIVE TRAJECTORIES
Many countries received downward trend arrows for 2015 after suffering multiyear declines.
FREE
PARTLY FREE
NOT FREE
100
90 United States
Aggregate Score
80
79 Hungary
70 Montenegro
69 El Salvador
60
40
20
2011
18
2012
2013
2014
60
57
53
49
45
43
41
Moldova
Macedonia
Turkey
Bangladesh
Honduras
Maldives
Morocco
24
24
19
17
16
Angola
Rwanda
Burundi
Yemen
Tajikistan
2015
Freedom House
Nigeria received an upward trend arrow due to improvements in the quality of the 2015 executive and
legislative elections, which featured the first-ever opposition victory at the national level and a peaceful
rotation of power, as well as the new governments
initial efforts to combat corruption.
Sri Lanka received an upward trend arrow due to
generally free and fair elections for president in
January and parliament in August, and improved
conditions for freedom of expression, religious freedom, civil society, and judicial independence under
the new administration.
19
FREEDOM
IN THE WORLD
2016
INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES
The number of countries designated as Free stands at 86, representing 44 percent of the worlds 195 polities and
nearly 2.9 billion peopleor 40 percent of the global population. The number of Free countries has decreased by
three from the previous year.
The number of countries qualifying as Partly Free stands at 59, or 30 percent of all countries assessed; they are
home to just under 1.8 billion people, or 24 percent of the worlds total. The number of Partly Free countries has
increased by four from the previous year.
A total of 50 countries are deemed Not Free, representing 26 percent of the worlds polities. The number of people
living under Not Free conditions stands at 2.6 billion people, or 36 percent of the global population, though it is important to note that more than half of this number lives in just one country: China. The number of Not Free countries
has decreased by one, with. Zimbabwe rising from Not Free to Partly Free.
Three countries fell from Free to Partly Free: Dominican Republic, Lesotho, and Montenegro.
Freedom of the
Press 2015 Status
Freedom on the
Net 2015 Status
PR
CL
Aggregate
Score
Afghanistan
24
Not Free
Not Free
Albania*
67
Partly Free
Partly Free
Algeria
35
Not Free
Not Free
Andorra*
96
Free
Free
Angola
6t
24
Not Free
Not Free
82
Free
Partly Free
Argentina*
79
Free
Partly Free
Free
Armenia
46
Partly Free
Not Free
Free
Australia*
98
Free
Free
Free
Austria*
95
Free
Free
Azerbaijan
7t
16
Not Free
Not Free
Bahamas*
92
Free
Free
Bahrain
14
Not Free
Not Free
Not Free
Bangladesh*
49
Partly Free
Partly Free
Partly Free
Barbados*
98
Free
Free
Belarus
17
Not Free
Not Free
Belgium*
96
Free
Free
Belize*
87
Free
Free
Benin*
82
Free
Partly Free
Bhutan*
56
Partly Free
Partly Free
Bolivia*
68
Partly Free
Partly Free
57
Partly Free
Partly Free
Botswana*
73
Free
Partly Free
Brazil*
81
Free
Partly Free
Brunei
29
Not Free
Not Free
Bulgaria*
80
Free
Partly Free
Burkina Faso
4s
59
Partly Free
Partly Free
Burundi
7t
6t
19
Not Free
Not Free
Cambodia
32
Not Free
Not Free
Cameroon
24
Not Free
Not Free
Canada*
99
Free
Free
Cape Verde*
90
Free
Free
Not Free
Not Free
Chad
20
Not Free
Not Free
Chile*
95
Free
Partly Free
China (PRC)
16
Not Free
Not Free
Not Free
Colombia*
63
Partly Free
Partly Free
Partly Free
Comoros*
55
Partly Free
Partly Free
Country
20
Freedom Status
Partly Free
Partly Free
Not Free
Free
Partly Free
Free
Freedom House
PR
CL
Aggregate
Score
Freedom Status
Freedom of the
Press 2015 Status
Congo (Brazzaville)
28
Not Free
Partly Free
Congo (Kinshasa)
25
Not Free
Not Free
Costa Rica*
90
Free
Free
Cte d'Ivoire*
4s
51
Partly Free
Partly Free
Croatia*
87
Free
Partly Free
Cuba
16
Not Free
Not Free
Cyprus*
94
Free
Free
Czech Republic*
95
Free
Free
Denmark*
98
Free
Free
Djibouti
28
Not Free
Not Free
Dominica*
95
Free
Free
Dominican Republic*
3t
70
Partly Free t
Partly Free
East Timor*
65
Partly Free
Partly Free
Ecuador*
59
Partly Free
Not Free
Partly Free
Egypt
27
Not Free
Not Free
Not Free
El Salvador*
69
Free
Partly Free
Equatorial Guinea
Not Free
Not Free
Eritrea
Not Free
Not Free
Estonia*
94
Free
Free
Free
Ethiopia
7t
15
Not Free
Not Free
Not Free
Fiji*
3s
62
Partly Free
Partly Free
Finland*
100
Free
Free
France*
91
Free
Free
Gabon
34
Not Free
Not Free
The Gambia
7t
18
Not Free
Not Free
Not Free
Georgia*
64
Partly Free
Partly Free
Free
Germany*
95
Free
Free
Free
Ghana*
83
Free
Free
Greece*
83
Free
Partly Free
Grenada*
89
Free
Free
Guatemala*
4 t
54
Partly Free
Partly Free
Guinea
40
Partly Free
Not Free
Guinea-Bissau
39
Partly Free
Partly Free
Guyana*
74
Free
Partly Free
Haiti
41
Partly Free
Partly Free
Honduras
45
Partly Free
Not Free
Hungary*
79
Free
Partly Free
Iceland*
100
Free
Free
Free
India*
77
Free
Partly Free
Partly Free
Indonesia*
65
Partly Free
Partly Free
Partly Free
Iran
17
Not Free
Not Free
Not Free
Iraq
5s
27
Not Free
Not Free
Ireland*
96
Free
Free
Israel*
80
Free
Free
Italy*
89
Free
Partly Free
Country
Freedom on the
Net 2015 Status
Not Free
Free
Free
Free
PR and CL stand for political rights and civil liberties, respectively; 1 represents the most free and 7 the least free rating.
A larger aggregate score indicates a greater level of freedom.
www.freedomhouse.org
21
FREEDOM
IN THE WORLD
2016
INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES
Country
PR
CL
Aggregate
Score
Freedom Status
Freedom of the
Press 2015 Status
Freedom on the
Net 2015 Status
Jamaica*
75
Free
Free
Japan*
96
Free
Free
Free
Jordan
36
Not Free
Not Free
Partly Free
Kazakhstan
24
Not Free
Not Free
Not Free
Kenya*
51
Partly Free
Partly Free
Free
Kiribati*
91
Free
Free
Kosovo*
3s
52
Partly Free
Partly Free
Kuwait
36
Partly Free
Partly Free
Kyrgyzstan
38
Partly Free
Not Free
Laos
12
Not Free
Not Free
Latvia*
86
Free
Free
Lebanon
43
Partly Free
Partly Free
Lesotho*
3t
67
Partly Free t
Partly Free
Liberia*
61
Partly Free
Partly Free
Libya
20
Not Free
Not Free
Liechtenstein*
98
Free
Free
Lithuania*
91
Free
Free
Luxembourg*
98
Free
Free
Macedonia
57
Partly Free
Partly Free
Madagascar*
3s
56
Partly Free
Partly Free
Malawi*
3s
64
Partly Free
Partly Free
Partly Free
Malaysia
45
Partly Free
Not Free
Partly Free
Maldives
5t
43
Partly Free
Partly Free
Mali
45
Partly Free
Partly Free
Malta*
96
Free
Free
Marshall Islands*
92
Free
Free
Mauritania
30
Not Free
Partly Free
Mauritius*
90
Free
Free
Mexico*
65
Partly Free
Not Free
Micronesia*
93
Free
Free
Moldova*
60
Partly Free
Partly Free
Monaco*
88
Free
Free
Mongolia*
86
Free
Partly Free
Montenegro*
3t
70
Partly Free t
Partly Free
Morocco
41
Partly Free
Not Free
Mozambique
4t
56
Partly Free
Partly Free
Myanmar
5s
28
Not Free
Not Free
Namibia*
77
Free
Partly Free
Nauru*
2t
84
Free
Partly Free
Nepal*
51
Partly Free
Partly Free
Netherlands*
99
Free
Free
New Zealand*
98
Free
Free
Nicaragua
54
Partly Free
Partly Free
Niger*
52
Partly Free
Partly Free
Nigeria*
48
Partly Free
Partly Free
Partly Free
Partly Free
Partly Free
Partly Free
Partly Free
Not Free
Partly Free
PR and CL stand for political rights and civil liberties, respectively; 1 represents the most free and 7 the least free rating.
A larger aggregate score indicates a greater level of freedom.
22
Freedom House
Aggregate
Score
Freedom Status
Freedom of the
Press 2015 Status
Not Free
Not Free
100
Free
Free
25
Not Free
Not Free
Pakistan*
41
Partly Free
Not Free
Palau*
92
Free
Free
Panama*
83
Free
Partly Free
59
Partly Free
Free
Paraguay*
64
Partly Free
Partly Free
Peru*
71
Free
Partly Free
Philippines*
65
Partly Free
Partly Free
Poland*
93
Free
Free
Portugal*
97
Free
Free
Qatar
27
Not Free
Not Free
Romania*
83
Free
Partly Free
Russia
22
Not Free
Not Free
Not Free
Rwanda
24
Not Free
Not Free
Partly Free
2t
88
Free
Free
Saint Lucia*
92
Free
Free
91
Free
Free
Samoa*
80
Free
Free
San Marino*
100
Free
Free
81
Free
Free
Saudi Arabia
10
Not Free
Not Free
Senegal*
78
Free
Partly Free
Serbia*
78
Free
Partly Free
Seychelles*
69
Partly Free
Partly Free
Sierra Leone*
65
Partly Free
Partly Free
Singapore
51
Partly Free
Not Free
Slovakia*
89
Free
Free
Slovenia*
92
Free
Free
Solomon Islands*
68
Partly Free
Free
Somalia
Not Free
Not Free
South Africa*
79
Free
Partly Free
Free
South Korea*
83
Free
Partly Free
Partly Free
South Sudan
14
Not Free
Not Free
Spain*
95
Free
Free
Sri Lanka*
4s
4s
55
Partly Free
Not Free
Partly Free
Sudan
Not Free
Not Free
Not Free
Suriname*
3t
77
Free
Free
Swaziland
18
Not Free
Not Free
Sweden*
100
Free
Free
Switzerland*
96
Free
Free
Syria
-1
Not Free
Not Free
Taiwan (ROC)*
89
Free
Free
Tajikistan
7t
16
Not Free
Not Free
Country
PR
CL
North Korea
Norway*
Oman
www.freedomhouse.org
Freedom on the
Net 2015 Status
Not Free
Free
Not Free
Partly Free
Not Free
23
FREEDOM
IN THE WORLD
2016
INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES
Aggregate
Score
Freedom Status
Freedom of the
Press 2015 Status
4t
60
Partly Free
Partly Free
32
Not Free
Not Free
48
Partly Free
Not Free
Tonga*
75
Free
Free
81
Free
Free
Tunisia*
79
Free
Partly Free
Partly Free
Turkey*
53
Partly Free
Not Free
Partly Free
Turkmenistan
Not Free
Not Free
Tuvalu*
94
Free
Free
Uganda
36
Not Free
Partly Free
Partly Free
Ukraine*
61
Partly Free
Partly Free
Partly Free
20
Not Free
Not Free
Not Free
United Kingdom*
95
Free
Free
Free
90
Free
Free
Free
Uruguay*
98
Free
Free
Uzbekistan
Not Free
Not Free
Vanuatu*
78
Free
Free
Venezuela
35
Partly Free
Not Free
Partly Free
Vietnam
20
Not Free
Not Free
Not Free
Yemen
7t
17
Not Free
Not Free
Zambia*
60
Partly Free
Not Free
Partly Free
Zimbabwe
5s
32
Partly Free s
Not Free
Partly Free
Freedom of the
Press 2015 Status
Freedom on the
Net 2015 Status
Country
PR
Tanzania*
Thailand
Togo
CL
Freedom on the
Net 2015 Status
Not Free
Not Free
PR
CL
Aggregate
Score
Freedom Status
Abkhazia
42
Partly Free
Crimea
Not Free
Not Free
Gaza Strip
12
Not Free
Not Free**
Hong Kong
63
Partly Free
Partly Free
Indian Kashmir
51
Partly Free
Nagorno-Karabakh
33
Partly Free
Northern Cyprus
79
Free
Pakistani Kashmir
28
Not Free
Puerto Rico
1s
91
Free
Somaliland
5t
40
Partly Free
South Ossetia
11
Not Free
Tibet
Not Free
Transnistria
24
Not Free
West Bank
30
Not Free
Western Sahara
Not Free
Partly Free
Not Free**
**West Bank and Gaza are evaluated together in Freedom of the Press
PR and CL stand for political rights and civil liberties, respectively; 1 represents the most free and 7 the least free rating.
A larger aggregate score indicates a greater level of freedom.
24
www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2016
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