Freedom House reports “global freedom decline” for 19th consecutive year

In their annual Freedom in the World report, Freedom House announced a global decline in freedom scores for the 19th consecutive year.

Political rights and civil liberties deteriorated in 60 countries, with El Salvador, Haiti, Kuwait, and Tunisia comprising the largest score declines. Only 34 countries reported improvements in freedom, with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Syria recording the largest gains. Among the 66 national elections being held across the world in 2024, 40 percent experienced violence related to voting and political parties.

Furthermore, the organization based in Washington D.C. in its assessment for 2024 rated 106 out of 195 countries and territories as “electoral democracies,” which is a decrease from the previous year’s 110.

The global freedom decline

Key features of the decline in global freedoms included violent repression directed against political opposition, heightened authoritarian entrenchment, as well as ongoing armed conflict and civil unrest. However, certain countries also witnessed secure competitive elections, peaceful civic mobilizations, and the toppling of long-standing authoritarian regimes, thus indicating complex changes on the horizon. 

In 2024, political rights and civil liberties deteriorated in 60 countries and improved in 34

Election-related violence took place in 11 countries, with disproportionate violence often being enacted against protestors. Elected governments across the globe have revealed patterns of democratic regression in countries such as Georgia, South Korea, Serbia, and Slovakia, with leaders declaring martial law, undermining the free press, and evading anti-corruption institutions. Attacks against opposition candidates were also a prevalent trend, with criminal organizations gaining political influence in Mexico and South Africa. Of all the civil liberties measured by Freedom House, freedom of expression has declined the most in the past 19 years.

Kuweit, Niger, Tanzania and Thailand are now rated not free

Authoritarian entrenchment has further contributed to global declining freedom, with Kuwait, Niger, Tanzania, and Thailand all falling from ‘Partly Free’ to ‘Not Free’ due to autocratic abuses against voter safety and political opposition parties. Overall, Tunisia saw one of the largest declines in freedom, as President Kaïs Saïed’s regime gained full control over the electoral commission and disqualified all political opposition. In Venezuela, after questionable publishing of electoral results, armed gangs arbitrarily arrested and detained protestors, signalling a deepening violence in President Nicolás Maduro’s autocratic regime. Judiciaries were particularly targeted in both Mexico and Israel, with executive reforms in both countries making it difficult for the Supreme Courts to exert checks and balances.

More severe challenges to freedom and civil institutions were seen in Myanmar, Sudan, the Ukraine, and the Gaza Strip — all of whom have experienced ongoing war throughout the past year. In all four countries and territories, violent conflicts have triggered mass displacement and crises of physical security. In total, over 40 percent of the global population has witnessed deterioration in freedoms within the last year.

Pockets of growing freedom

Despite the rather solemn trends of declining global freedom, some hopeful improvements unfolded this past year. In December 2024, Syria witnessed the sudden fall of President Bashar al-Asad, whose presidency had often been marked by violent repression and abuse. As one of the lowest ranked countries, Syria now bears the hopeful yet daunting task of ensuring regime reforms do not reproduce militant authoritarianism. Notwithstanding violent crackdowns on student protesters in Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country in July of 2024 due to civil and legislative pressures. Promising democratic advancements have since been enacted, with Muhammad Yunus leading the interim government.

Hopeful developments in Syria, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Senegal, Jordan and Somaliland

Tied with Bangladesh for the highest freedom score increase this year is Bhutan, which held free and fair elections in 2024 thus shifting democratic reforms away from the monarchy in favor of an elected parliament. Sri Lanka and Senegal both witnessed large score improvements despite the contested elections in 2023, as both have consolidated democratic institutions within the past year. Jordan and Somaliland also stand out as brightened spots for increasing freedom, as both states have opened up spaces for fair political representation among opposition groups. Though the number has dwindled, over 20 percent of the global population now lives within ‘Free’ ranked territories.

Fierce challenges to democracy and freedom have expanded throughout recent years. Autocratic leaders have consolidated stark and often violent repressive apparatuses, thus signalling weakening freedoms and democratic institutions globally. In reflection of these global trends, Freedom House recommends “democratic governments, international organizations, civil society groups, the private sector, and ordinary people,” to play more central roles in “safeguarding institutions at home…and finding durable resolutions to armed conflicts that give the affected populations an opportunity to live in freedom.”