12 Freest Countries in the World, According to the HFI

Switzerland receives top marks with a personal freedom score of 9.39 and economic freedom of 8.47, giving a total human freedom score of 9.01.

This judgement is thanks to the country's high GDP, as well as its parliamentary democracy which allows citizens to vote on national laws up to four times per year. Switzerland also has some of the highest political participation by citizens in the world.

New Zealand is an island nation close-ish to Australia. NZ that punches above its size in terms of freedom: The country receives just a slightly lower freedom score than Switzerland with an 8.88 average.

New Zealand has selected a constitutional monarchy as its form of government, but regular citizens are able to vote for most public officials including members of parliament and the house of representatives.

Denmark is a relatively small country smack in the middle of Europe but has had a prosperous shipping economy centuries thanks to its location and abundant coastline.

Denmark receives an 8.83 freedom score mostly due to its low crime rate, freedom of expression and lax laws when it comes to marriage and sexual health.

Over the centuries, Ireland has been a site of economic woes as well as religious conflict, but in recent years, the country has sustained itself quite well with secular governance with high freedom of expression and relationships.

Ireland is also known as a tax shelter throughout Europe thanks to its de-regulated business tax system. This increases GDP, but whether or not it improves the economy at large is arguable (it's not easy being one of the richest countries in the world).

Cato gives Ireland a freedom score of 8.79.

Estonia is a small former Soviet republic sandwiched between Russia and Latvia. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Estonia quickly formed its own democracy.

Today, the nation ranks highly in personal freedoms, including freedom of religion, speech and marriage, along with a low crime rate. Estonia has an average score of 8.75.

Although it has royal family, Sweden has been operating as a democracy as far back as 1917. The country has had a longtime policy of non-aggression when it comes to military campaigns, as well as an active commercial economy.

These things combined with systems like socialized healthcare lead to a high quality of life and a freedom score of 8.75.

With a freedom score of 8.73, this isolated island nation scores very highly in freedom of religion, civil rights and freedom of relationships.

Iceland is also a leader in sustainable energy production, with nearly 100 percent of its power coming from either hydroelectric generators or from geothermal springs which are conveniently located all over the island.

This Germanic border state has a tiny population of 600,000, but it is also known as one of the richest populations in the world, largely thanks to steel production supplying the rest of Europe. Luxembourg ranks fairly high in freedoms all across the board, netting an average score of 8.71.

Positioned between the Nordic countries and Russia, Finland is home to large swathes of natural beauty as well as active urban areas like Helsinki. With industries in farming, mining and lumber, plus relatively lax immigration policy, Finland scores well in both personal and economic freedom, earning an 8.70 score.

Stretching across northern Europe, Norway is one of top oil suppliers in the continent. This has lead to a wealthy economy funding pervasive state-wide social welfare programs.

Norway earns high marks in social freedoms, although it has a lower freedom of movement index than other countries on this list. The overall freedom score is 8.58.

This small country north of Germany is features low, flat plains that make it perfect for agriculture. The Netherlands is also known for social progressivism, being the first state to recognize same-sex marriage nationally. Recreational drugs like marijuana are also legalized.

Overall, the country earns an 8.57 average score on the freedom index.

Formerly a Dutch, then a Japanese colony, Taiwan now operates semiautonomously as an enclave of the Republic of China. The island nation is one of the world's most important hubs for computer chip production, bringing in economic riches from the 1980's till today.

However, this also makes Taiwan a site of burgeoning conflict between the government of mainland China and western powers.

Despite these issues, Taiwan features a relatively high level of social comfort along with a low crime rate. The country's position in the semiconductor industry puts it in a safe spot economically as well, earning a freedom index score of 8.56.

The Human Freedom Index Report is an annual paper copublished by three political think tanks: The Cato Institute in the United States and the Fraser Institute in Canada.

This world report is intended to gauge personal freedom across 165 countries, including economic freedom and civil liberties like religious freedom and gender equality.

The paper's authors consider these things to be paramount to human progress. Another similar report called the Index of Economic Freedom by the Heritage Foundation downplays the role of personal freedoms in its judgement and emphasizes only "economic liberty" when selecting the freest country.

Free countries in the eyes of Heritage Foundation are those with the most money flowing into them. Freedom House is yet another policy group that ranks countries based on freedom, but focuses on personal rights and democracy rather than economic phenomena.

Methodologies such as those employed by the Cato Institute or The Heritage Foundation can be useful when conducting your own research, but you may also want to be cautious of attempts to take a broad measure of abstract ideas like "freedom" unless you know exactly what inherently valuable data is going into the result.

Nearly every think tank has a quote about advancing global freedom in its mission statement, but the true purpose of these organizations is often to influence public policy in their home countries or abroad. Their interests can naturally introduce biases when it comes to selecting and representing data.

The Human Freedom Index Methodology

According to the Cato Institute, the 2023 index uses 86 data points when judging a free country, and these are all sorted into 12 general categories:

The raw data used to formulate the Human Freedom Index is also available in spreadsheet form on the Cato website. On this spreadsheet, thousands of data points are available stretching all the way back to the year 2000.

These 12 categories are more broadly sorted into "personal freedom" and "economic freedom" scores which are averaged to give the final score. It also appears that personal freedom is given slightly more weight in determining the final results.