A Canadian conservative think tank has ranked Canada as the 12th freest country in the world, as a new global index reports a broad decline in human freedom affecting most of the world’s population in recent years.
The Fraser Institute, in partnership with the U.S.-based Cato Institute, released its annual Human Freedom Index on Tuesday. The report found that nearly 90 per cent of people worldwide had less freedom in 2023—the most recent year with available data—than they did in 2019.
According to the index, governments around the world have increasingly restricted fundamental freedoms, including expression, association, assembly, movement, and the ability to use what the report describes as sound money.
“Governments around the world have recently been restricting freedom of expression, freedom of association and assembly, freedom of movement, and the freedom to use sound money,” said Matthew D. Mitchell, a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and co-author of the report, in a press release. “The impact is alarming.”
The Human Freedom Index evaluates the extent to which individuals are free to make personal and economic choices, using 87 indicators across categories such as the rule of law, safety and security, and freedoms of speech, religion, and assembly.
Out of 165 jurisdictions, Canada ranked 12th based on 2023 data, unchanged from the previous year. However, the country’s overall freedom score declined by 0.03.
The United States also maintained its position at 15th, though its freedom score fell by 0.04 compared to 2022. Switzerland remained the highest-ranked country for human freedom, retaining the top spot with no change in its score from the previous year.
Denmark moved into second place, overtaking New Zealand, while Ireland and Luxembourg remained fourth and fifth, respectively. All four countries recorded declines in their freedom scores compared with last year’s index.
At the bottom of the rankings, Syria was identified as the least free jurisdiction, followed by Iran, Yemen, Sudan, and Myanmar. The report noted that Iran and Sudan experienced slight improvements in their freedom rankings in 2023, while the other three countries saw further declines.
The Fraser Institute said the global downturn in freedom was evident across regions and political systems, affecting both wealthy and poorer nations, as well as democracies and non-democracies.
The institute emphasized the importance of monitoring human freedom levels, noting that people living in freer societies generally experience better economic and social outcomes, including higher levels of health, wealth, and life satisfaction.
“Many contend that freedom is valuable as an end to itself,” Mitchell said in the release, “but it also makes life better.”