The report uses 83 indicators of personal, civil, and economic freedom for 165 jurisdictions for 2020, the most recent year for which sufficient internationally comparable data is available. Most jurisdictions (148) saw a decline in freedom. This year’s index presents data beginning in 2000. It shows that after a high point in 2007, global freedom experienced a slow descent through 2019, after which it deteriorated sharply. The decline set global freedom back more than two decades, erasing any gains during that period.

The pandemic accelerated worrisome long‐​term trends—some 79 percent of the world’s population had already experienced decreases in its freedom from 2007 through 2019. Freedom of expression, the rule of law, and freedom of association and assembly were among the categories that most saw deterioration in the past two decades.

The United States has also seen a steady decline. It now ranks 23rd in the index, having fallen 7 places since 2019. In the year 2000, it ranked 6th. The top ten freest countries in order are Switzerland, New Zealand, Estonia, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

[One could conclude that this was one of the motivations in play during the pandemic. The fact that so many governments — including the Biden administration — keep fighting to retain emergency status and authority provides a hefty boost to that conclusion. — Ed]