Global Freedom Declines for 19th Consecutive Year, Report Finds

Freedom House highlights rising authoritarianism, election-related volatility, and rare improvements in select regions.

Freedom House's 2025 report reveals a continued global decline in freedom, marking the 19th consecutive year of setbacks in civil liberties and political rights.
Africa experienced its tenth year of declining freedom, with military coups, political violence, and electoral irregularities contributing to widespread erosion of democratic norms.
South Asia showed rare progress, with Bhutan and Senegal achieving 'Free' status and significant gains recorded in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Kashmir.
The United States saw further erosion in democratic norms, with weakened accountability mechanisms, rising political violence, and diminished trust in the judiciary under Donald Trump's leadership.
Countries like Niger, Tanzania, Kuwait, and Thailand were downgraded to 'Not Free,' while Finland retained the highest global freedom score of 100.