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Only 20% of the world's population now live in "Free" countries.

The latest report, "Freedom In The World 2022" by Freedom House shows that liberal democracies (a form of self-government in which human rights are recognised and every individual is entitled to equal treatment under law) are under threat all around the globe.

Only 25 countries showed improvement over the past year, while democratic rights in 60 countries declined. This places 38% of the world's population in 'Not Free' countries, the highest since 1997.


Myanmar saw the highest YoY drop in its score due to the military coup in Feb 2021. Afghanistan was at the second spot after the US abruptly ended its 20-year military engagement, followed by a Taliban takeover.

India's score fell by one compared to last year and was placed in the 'partly free' category. It scored 66/100 in this year's report.


The countries are judged on a 100 point scale based on two broad categories: political rights (40) and civil liberties (60). A country or territory is awarded 0 to 4 points for each of 10 political rights indicators and 15 civil liberties indicators.

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