Ranking Index 2018

The following are two ranked lists of all countries featured in the Report as at October 2018, when the 2018 edition of the Freedom of Thought Report is published.

The ranking index is an extension of our Ratings System. The base score for each country is calculated by adding how many boundary conditions are applied to a country, with more severe boundary conditions adding more weight (green “all-clear” conditions add no weight). The higher a country’s base score, the worse that country has performed. The ranking is simply the consecutive position of each country’s base score. Countries with the same base score therefore share the same position in the ranking.

Click the country name to read the full narrative report and see the full rating table for every country.

As elsewhere on the site, the “Signal light” system is an at-a-glance summary of the Ratings Table for each country: it shows the colour (corresponding to the severity) of the most severe boundary condition applied in each of our four thematic strands. To see all the specific boundary conditions applied for any given country, visit the country’s page to see the country’s full Ratings Table.

The four thematic strands are: “Constitution and government” (Const/Govt); “Education and children’s rights” (Edu/Child); “Society, community and family (Society/Comm); and “Freedom of expression, advocacy of humanist values” (Expression).


NOTE: These rankings reflect the considerations in this Report. There is a heavy emphasis on various kinds of formal or legal discrimination. We are not able to produce a full, qualitative assessment of societal factors or personal experience. Countries about which we have more information are likely to receive worse results. See also “Editorial Introduction 2018: Some words of caution”.


Signal light (the severity of the worst boundary
condition in each thematic strand)
Country Const/Govt Edu/Child Society/Comm Expression Base score Ranking
Belgium 0 1
Netherlands 0 1
Taiwan 0 1
France 2 4
Japan 2 4
Nauru 2 4
São Tomé and Príncipe 2 4
Norway 6 8
United States of America 6 8
Saint Kitts and Nevis 8 10
Estonia 9 11
Sweden 9 11
Uruguay 9 11
Burkina Faso 11 19
Congo, Republic of the 11 19
Mozambique 11 19
Palau 11 19
Slovenia 11 19
Albania 13 28
Korea, Republic of 13 28
Mexico 13 28
Sierra Leone 13 28
Kiribati 15 33
Micronesia 15 33
Monaco 15 33
Kenya 17 37
Benin 20 42
Ecuador 20 42
Kosovo 20 42
Marshall Islands 20 42
Brazil 22 50
Fiji 22 50
Guatemala 22 50
Dominica 24 55
Latvia 24 55
Moldova 24 55
Niger 24 55
Senegal 24 55
Iceland 27 60
Bulgaria 28 62
Cape Verde 29 63
Mali 29 63
Colombia 33 70
Chile 35 71
Serbia 35 71
Liberia 40 76
Venezuela 40 76
Belize 42 80
Nepal 42 80
Singapore 42 80
Australia 47 89
Costa Rica 47 89
Dominican Republic 47 89
Georgia 47 89
Liechtenstein 47 89
Spain 47 89
Switzerland 47 89
Luxembourg 51 97
Papua New Guinea 51 97
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 52 101
Antigua and Barbuda 53 102
San Marino 53 102
Armenia 54 105
Cambodia 54 105
Timor-Leste (East Timor) 54 105
Cameroon 55 108
Romania 58 109
Tajikistan 62 112
Ghana 64 114
Ireland 65 115
Peru 66 116
Malawi 71 117
New Zealand 71 117
Denmark 74 119
Malta 76 120
Hungary 80 121
Canada 82 124
Cyprus 82 124
Chad 85 128
Finland 85 128
Paraguay 86 130
Uganda 87 131
Croatia 89 132
Poland 91 133
United Kingdom 91 133
Central African Republic 100 136
Swaziland 100 136
India 102 138
Argentina 103 139
Jamaica 109 140
Rwanda 111 141
Haiti 112 142
Zambia 118 143
Philippines 120 144
Germany 127 145
Samoa 127 145
Macedonia 129 147
Tanzania 131 148
Turkey 131 148
Burundi 140 150
Djibouti 140 150
Thailand 158 153
Belarus 169 155
Myanmar (Burma) 176 156
Zimbabwe 183 158
Italy 185 159
Sri Lanka 225 160
Lebanon 233 161
Ethiopia 262 162
Libya 274 163
Oman 276 164
Russia 318 165
Israel 321 166
China 351 167
Bahrain 387 168
Iraq 420 169
Syria 440 170
Tunisia 450 171
Algeria 454 172
North Korea 502 173
Eritrea 503 174
Comoros 540 175
Gambia 545 176
Nigeria 547 177
Kuwait 589 178
Jordan 656 179
Bangladesh 665 180
Qatar 676 181
Morocco 705 182
Indonesia 725 183
Egypt 774 184
Somalia 820 185
Yemen 827 186
Brunei Darussalam 876 187
Sudan 880 188
Malaysia 923 189
Mauritania 940 190
United Arab Emirates 1060 191
Pakistan 1076 192
Maldives 1094 193
Afghanistan 1100 194
Iran 1287 195
Saudi Arabia 1358 196

* The following countries have been excluded from the ranking index, because at least one thematic area contains no active boundary conditions in their Ratings Table (appearing grey in this chart), either because information is unavailable or is insufficient to make a determination. Therefore there is a lesser degree of confidence in their overall rating. However, for a rough indication of their possible standing, their nominal scores and rankings are listed below.

Signal light (the severity of the worst boundary condition in each thematic strand)
Country Const/Govt Edu/Child Society/Comm Expression Base score Ranking
Barbados* 9 11
Cuba* 9 11
Guinea-Bissau* 9 11
Namibia* 9 11
South Sudan* 9 11
Bolivia* 11 19
Seychelles* 11 19
Tonga* 11 19
Trinidad and Tobago* 11 19
Mongolia* 13 28
Ukraine* 15 33
Côte d’Ivoire* 18 38
Lesotho* 18 38
Mauritius* 18 38
South Africa* 18 38
Austria* 20 42
Bahamas* 20 42
Botswana* 20 42
Kyrgyzstan* 20 42
Panama* 22 50
Saint Lucia* 22 50
Montenegro* 27 60
Andorra* 29 63
Bhutan* 29 63
Portugal* 29 63
Solomon Islands* 29 63
Tuvalu* 29 63
Lithuania* 36 73
Nicaragua* 38 74
Slovakia* 38 74
Congo, Democratic
Republic of*
40 76
Gabon* 40 76
Czech Republic* 42 80
Grenada* 42 80
Laos* 42 80
Viet Nam* 42 80
Vanuatu* 44 87
Togo* 45 88
Suriname* 49 96
Angola* 51 97
Guyana* 51 97
Turkmenistan* 53 102
Honduras* 58 109
Greece* 60 111
El Salvador* 62 112
Guinea* 80 121
Kazakhstan* 80 121
Azerbaijan* 82 124
Uzbekistan* 82 124
Equatorial Guinea* 91 133
Madagascar* 151 152
Bosnia and Herzegovina* 160 154
Palestine* 178 157

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