Freedom in the World

Freedom in the World is an evaluation of political rights and civil liberties in the world that Freedom House has provided on an annual basis for over 30 years. (Established in New York in 1941, Freedom House is a nonprofit organization that monitors political rights and civil liberties around the world.) The survey assesses a country's freedom by examining its record in these two areas: A country grants its citizens political rights when it permits them to form political parties that represent a significant range of voter choice and whose leaders can openly compete for and be elected to positions of power in government. A country upholds its citizens' civil liberties when it respects and protects their religious, ethnic, economic, linguistic, and other rights, including gender and family rights, personal freedoms, and freedoms of the press, belief, and association. The survey rates each country on a seven-point scale for both political rights and civil liberties (1 representing the most free and 7 the least free) and then divides the world into three broad categories: "Free" (countries whose ratings average 1.0-2.5); "Partly Free" (countries whose ratings average 3.0-5.0); and "Not Free" (countries whose ratings average 5.5-7.0).

The ratings, which are the product of a process that includes a team of 22 in-house and consultant writers and 17 senior academic scholars, are not merely assessments of the conduct of governments. Rather, they are intended to reflect the real-world rights and freedoms enjoyed by individuals as the result of actions by both state and nonstate actors. Thus, a country with a benign government facing violent forces (such as terrorist movements or insurgencies) hostile to an open society will be graded on the basis of the on-the-ground conditions that determine whether the population is able to exercise its freedoms. The survey enables scholars and policy makers both to assess the direction of global change annually and to examine trends in freedom over time and on a comparative basis across regions with different political and economic systems.

For more information about Freedom House's programs and publications please visit www.freedomhouse.org.

Note: The findings in this essay and accompanying table reflect global events from 1 January through 31 November 2003.