Index of economic freedom - wikipedia Index of economic freedom This article is about the index published by the Wall Street Journal and the Heritage Foundation. For other indices, see Indices of economic freedom. The 2018 Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom overall heatmap The Index of Economic Freedom is an annual index and ranking created in 1995 by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal to measure the degree of economic freedom in the world 's nations. The creators of the index took an approach similar to Adam Smith 's in The Wealth of Nations, that `` basic institutions that protect the liberty of individuals to pursue their own economic interests result in greater prosperity for the larger society ''. Contents 1 2018 Index 1.1 Not ranked 2 2017 ranking with more attributes 3 Method 3.1 Rule of law 3.2 Government size 3.3 Regulatory efficiency 3.4 Market openness 4 Meaning 5 Ratings 6 Reception 7 Historical rankings 7.1 Historical ranks and scores 7.2 Method ( old ) 7.3 Historical positions ( 1995 -- 2008 ) 8 See also 9 References 10 External links 2018 Index Key : █ █ Free ( 80 -- 100 ) █ █ Mostly Free ( 70 -- 79.9 ) █ █ Moderately Free ( 60 -- 69.9 ) █ █ Mostly Unfree ( 50 -- 59.9 ) █ █ Repressed ( 0 -- 49.9 ) Country Score Change Hong Kong 90.2 0.4 Singapore 88.8 0.2 New Zealand 84.2 0.5 Switzerland 81.7 0.2 Australia 80.9 0.1 Ireland 80.4 3.7 Estonia 78.8 0.3 United Kingdom 78.0 1.6 Canada 77.7 0.8 United Arab Emirates 77.6 0.7 Iceland 77.0 2.6 Denmark 76.6 1.5 Taiwan 76.6 0.1 Luxembourg 76.4 0.5 Sweden 76.3 1.4 Georgia 76.2 0.2 Netherlands 76.2 0.4 United States 75.7 0.6 Lithuania 75.3 0.5 Chile 75.2 1.3 Mauritius 75.1 0.4 Malaysia 74.5 0.7 Norway 74.3 0.3 Czech Republic 74.2 0.9 Germany 74.2 0.4 Finland 74.1 0.1 South Korea 73.8 0.5 Latvia 73.6 1.2 Qatar 72.6 0.5 Japan 72.3 2.7 Israel 72.2 2.5 Austria 71.8 0.5 Macedonia 71.3 0.6 Macau 70.9 0.2 Botswana 69.9 0.2 Vanuatu 69.5 2.1 Romania 69.4 0.3 Uruguay 69.2 0.5 Rwanda 69.1 1.5 Jamaica 69.1 0.4 Kazakhstan 69.1 0.1 Colombia 68.9 0.8 Peru 68.7 0.2 Armenia 68.7 1.6 Poland 68.5 0.2 Malta 68.5 0.8 Bulgaria 68.3 0.4 Cyprus 67.8 0.1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 67.7 2.5 Bahrain 67.7 0.8 Saint Lucia 67.6 2.6 Belgium 67.5 0.3 Thailand 67.1 0.9 Panama 67.0 0.7 Hungary 66.7 0.9 Kosovo 66.6 1.3 Costa Rica 65.6 0.6 Turkey 65.4 0.2 Slovakia 65.3 0.4 Spain 65.1 1.5 Philippines 65.0 0.6 Jordan 64.9 1.8 Mexico 64.8 1.2 Slovenia 64.8 5.6 Albania 64.5 0.1 Dominica 64.5 0.8 Azerbaijan 64.3 0.7 Montenegro 64.3 2.3 Indonesia 64.2 2.3 Brunei Darussalam 64.2 5.6 France 63.9 0.6 Portugal 63.4 0.8 Guatemala 63.4 0.4 The Bahamas 63.3 2.2 El Salvador 63.2 0.9 Tonga 63.1 0.1 South Africa 63.0 0.7 Kyrgyzstan 62.8 1.7 Italy 62.5 0.0 Serbia 62.5 3.6 Kuwait 62.2 2.9 Paraguay 62.1 0.3 Uganda 62.0 1.1 Fiji 62.0 1.4 Ivory Coast 62.0 1.0 Morocco 61.9 0.4 Bhutan 61.8 3.4 Seychelles 61.6 0.2 Dominican Republic 61.6 1.3 Samoa 61.6 3.1 Bosnia and Herzegovina 61.4 1.2 Croatia 61.0 1.6 Oman 61.0 1.1 Honduras 60.6 1.8 Burkina Faso 60.0 0.4 Cabo Verde 60.0 3.1 Tanzania 59.9 1.3 Saudi Arabia 59.6 4.8 Tunisia 58.9 3.2 Nicaragua 58.9 0.3 Cambodia 58.7 0.8 Guyana 58.7 0.2 Namibia 58.5 4.0 Nigeria 58.5 1.4 Moldova 58.4 0.4 Tajikistan 58.3 0.1 Russia 58.2 0.1 Belarus 58.1 0.5 Gabon 58.0 0.6 China 57.8 0.4 Sri Lanka 57.8 0.4 Trinidad and Tobago 57.7 3.5 Mali 57.6 1.0 Solomon Islands 57.5 2.5 Greece 57.3 2.3 Belize 57.1 1.5 Barbados 57.0 2.5 Guinea - Bissau 56.9 0.8 Madagascar 56.8 0.6 Benin 56.7 2.5 Comoros 56.2 0.4 Ghana 56.0 0.2 Swaziland 55.9 5.2 Haiti 55.8 6.2 Mongolia 55.7 0.9 Senegal 55.7 0.2 Papua New Guinea 55.7 4.8 Bangladesh 55.1 0.1 Kenya 54.7 1.2 India 54.5 1.9 Pakistan 54.4 1.6 Zambia 54.3 1.5 Nepal 54.1 1.0 Mauritania 54.0 0.4 Myanmar 53.9 1.4 Lesotho 53.9 0.0 São Tomé and Príncipe 53.6 1.8 Laos 53.6 0.4 Egypt 53.4 0.8 Lebanon 53.2 0.1 Vietnam 53.1 0.7 Ethiopia 52.8 0.1 Micronesia 52.3 1.8 Argentina 52.3 1.9 The Gambia 52.3 1.1 Guinea 52.2 4.6 Congo - Kinshasa 52.2 4.3 Malawi 52.1 0.2 Cameroon 52.0 0.1 Ukraine 51.9 3.8 Sierra Leone 51.8 0.8 Uzbekistan 51.5 0.8 Brazil 51.4 1.5 Afghanistan 51.1 2.4 Maldives 51.1 0.8 Iran 50.0 0.4 Burundi 50.9 2.3 Liberia 50.9 1.8 Kiribati 50.8 0.1 Niger 49.5 1.3 Sudan 49.4 0.6 Chad 49.3 0.3 Central African Republic 49.2 2.6 Angola 48.6 0.1 Ecuador 48.5 0.8 Suriname 48.1 0.1 Timor - Leste 48.1 1.8 Togo 47.8 5.4 Turkmenistan 47.1 0.3 Mozambique 46.3 3.6 Djibouti 45.1 1.6 Algeria 44.7 1.8 Bolivia 44.1 3.6 Zimbabwe 44.0 0.0 Equatorial Guinea 42.0 3.0 Eritrea 41.7 0.5 Congo - Brazzaville 38.9 1.1 Cuba 31.9 2.0 Venezuela 25.2 1.8 North Korea 5.8 0.9 Not ranked Andorra Antigua and Barbuda Grenada Iraq Libya Liechtenstein Marshall Islands Monaco Nauru Palau Saint Kitts and Nevis San Marino Somalia South Sudan Syria Tuvalu Yemen 2017 ranking with more attributes The following table contains more attributes. The whole table is available in XLS format at The Heritage Foundation web site. Country Name 2017 Score Property Rights Judicial Strength Gov 't Integrity Tax Burden Gov 't Spending Fiscal Health Business Freedom Labor Freedom Monetary Freedom Trade Freedom Investment Freedom Financial Freedom Afghanistan 48, 9 12, 6 28, 4 27, 5 91, 6 79, 9 97, 3 54, 2 59, 9 69, 3 66, 0 0 0 Albania 64, 4 54, 0 28, 5 39, 7 86, 9 72, 5 51, 5 79, 3 50, 7 81, 4 87, 7 70 70 Algeria 46, 5 38, 2 29, 6 31, 7 81, 1 51, 0 19, 8 62, 1 49, 5 67, 0 63, 3 35 30 Angola 48, 5 36, 4 19, 8 12, 8 87, 7 58, 6 70, 7 58, 5 40, 4 70, 6 56, 7 30 40 Argentina 50, 4 32, 4 39, 6 38, 2 62, 6 54, 6 56, 4 57, 3 46, 1 50, 9 66, 7 50 50 Armenia 70, 3 55, 5 42, 5 43, 4 83, 7 81, 7 82, 9 78, 5 72, 4 72, 8 80, 2 80 70 Australia 81, 0 81, 7 92, 9 74, 8 63, 2 59, 0 84, 6 89, 3 84, 1 86, 4 86, 2 80 90 Austria 72, 3 86, 0 81, 8 75, 2 50, 3 19, 3 79, 7 76, 9 67, 6 83, 4 87, 0 90 70 Azerbaijan 63, 6 50, 5 33, 0 37, 6 87, 7 57, 5 97, 4 71, 5 75, 0 73, 6 74, 4 55 50 Country Name 2017 Score Property Rights Judicial Strength Gov 't Integrity Tax Burden Gov 't Spending Fiscal Health Business Freedom Labor Freedom Monetary Freedom Trade Freedom Investment Freedom Financial Freedom Bahamas 61, 1 45, 3 48, 7 38, 2 97, 1 83, 8 42, 3 68, 5 71, 5 77, 0 50, 6 50 60 Bahrain 68, 5 64, 2 53, 7 55, 5 99, 9 69, 8 12, 0 69, 4 78, 7 80, 7 82, 8 75 80 Bangladesh 55, 0 34, 9 26, 0 19, 1 72, 8 94, 0 78, 7 53, 4 68, 7 68, 6 63, 6 50 30 Barbados 54, 5 55, 5 33, 0 34, 3 74, 0 39, 0 0, 0 69, 6 67, 7 83, 7 62, 2 75 60 Belarus 58, 6 50, 9 56, 3 37, 6 89, 8 48, 7 92, 8 71, 3 74, 6 60, 4 80, 6 30 10 Belgium 67, 8 83, 3 69, 3 71, 5 44, 1 9, 6 66, 3 82, 0 61, 1 84, 9 87, 0 85 70 Belize 58, 6 43, 5 48, 7 35, 0 81, 3 68, 6 60, 5 62, 7 53, 6 79, 6 70, 1 50 50 Benin 59, 2 36, 0 29, 4 31, 3 68, 6 85, 9 71, 3 51, 9 52, 4 85, 4 68, 7 80 50 Bhutan 58, 4 60, 1 50, 7 44, 7 83, 1 73, 6 61, 7 72, 6 77, 6 67, 1 60, 0 20 30 Bolivia 47, 7 25, 7 15, 4 32, 6 86, 1 49, 1 81, 4 58, 9 35, 8 66, 4 76, 0 5 40 Country Name 2017 Score Property Rights Judicial Strength Gov 't Integrity Tax Burden Gov 't Spending Fiscal Health Business Freedom Labor Freedom Monetary Freedom Trade Freedom Investment Freedom Financial Freedom Bosnia and Herzegovina 60, 2 41, 2 40, 0 32, 7 83, 5 33, 7 89, 3 47, 4 59, 3 84, 0 86, 6 65 60 Botswana 70, 1 58, 1 54, 0 57, 6 77, 1 61, 2 99, 4 68, 8 68, 6 77, 9 83, 8 65 70 Brazil 52, 9 55, 0 49, 7 33, 4 70, 1 53, 1 22, 8 61, 3 52, 3 67, 0 69, 4 50 50 Bulgaria 67, 9 62, 5 38, 9 41, 8 91, 0 58, 4 86, 4 66, 7 68, 3 83, 3 87, 0 70 60 Burkina Faso 59, 6 38, 2 28, 4 31, 7 82, 6 82, 5 88, 4 46, 4 53, 3 84, 6 69, 2 70 40 Burma 52, 5 23, 0 12, 9 29, 6 86, 2 81, 5 89, 9 50, 1 77, 1 65, 4 74, 2 20 20 Burundi 53, 2 25, 7 19, 8 24, 6 73, 8 69, 5 69, 6 53, 5 67, 4 75, 2 74, 2 55 30 Country Name 2017 Score Property Rights Judicial Strength Gov 't Integrity Tax Burden Gov 't Spending Fiscal Health Business Freedom Labor Freedom Monetary Freedom Trade Freedom Investment Freedom Financial Freedom Cambodia 59, 5 42, 4 22, 1 12, 8 90, 2 88, 1 95, 7 29, 6 62, 0 81, 0 80, 3 60 50 Cameroon 51, 8 43, 5 29, 6 17, 4 75, 4 84, 4 60, 9 44, 3 47, 8 80, 1 53, 4 35 50 Canada 78, 5 88, 3 80, 8 81, 6 77, 4 52, 3 80, 3 81, 9 73, 1 77, 8 88, 4 80 80 Cabo Verde 56, 9 42, 6 50, 2 41, 8 78, 3 70, 7 1, 2 65, 5 43, 2 86, 7 68, 2 75 60 Central African Republic 51, 8 12, 6 33, 0 28, 7 65, 8 94, 1 84, 1 27, 2 42, 7 68, 2 55, 2 80 30 Chad 49, 0 30, 6 24, 1 24, 6 46, 0 87, 2 74, 6 27, 5 44, 9 74, 3 54, 7 60 40 Chile 76, 5 68, 2 63, 7 70, 5 77, 6 82, 2 96, 1 72, 3 64, 3 82, 2 86, 4 85 70 China 57, 4 48, 3 60, 7 41, 6 70, 0 73, 0 92, 5 53, 9 63, 4 71, 8 73, 6 20 20 Colombia 69, 7 63, 8 25, 2 39, 6 80, 1 74, 2 89, 8 77, 1 77, 9 77, 0 81, 6 80 70 Comoros 55, 8 37, 3 22, 6 30, 0 64, 6 81, 2 98, 6 58, 5 50, 6 81, 5 70, 2 45 30 Country Name 2017 Score Property Rights Judicial Strength Gov 't Integrity Tax Burden Gov 't Spending Fiscal Health Business Freedom Labor Freedom Monetary Freedom Trade Freedom Investment Freedom Financial Freedom Democratic Republic of the Congo 56, 4 40, 6 48, 7 28, 6 73, 4 94, 7 99, 3 59, 9 38, 4 78, 6 64, 6 30 20 Congo, Republic of 40, 0 34, 8 22, 6 30, 5 66, 8 36, 2 11, 6 32, 1 37, 5 76, 1 52, 2 50 30 Costa Rica 65, 0 51, 6 55, 6 55, 4 79, 4 88, 5 42, 4 68, 1 53, 9 80, 8 84, 7 70 50 Côte d'Ivoire 63, 0 42, 6 45, 8 34, 3 78, 4 84, 6 87, 0 62, 1 50, 6 73, 2 72, 3 75 50 Croatia 59, 4 65, 5 56, 8 43, 4 66, 8 31, 3 44, 7 58, 2 43, 3 80, 3 87, 4 75 60 Cuba 33, 9 32, 4 10, 0 41, 8 51, 3 0, 0 81, 2 20, 0 20, 0 66, 0 64, 5 10 10 Cyprus 67, 9 75, 4 60, 7 53, 6 73, 0 48, 8 72, 9 75, 8 58, 6 83, 3 87, 0 75 50 Czech Republic 73, 3 70, 3 55, 9 55, 9 82, 9 45, 3 92, 0 67, 2 77, 7 85, 8 87, 0 80 80 Country Name 2017 Score Property Rights Judicial Strength Gov 't Integrity Tax Burden Gov 't Spending Fiscal Health Business Freedom Labor Freedom Monetary Freedom Trade Freedom Investment Freedom Financial Freedom Denmark 75, 1 86, 7 68, 5 84, 9 37, 2 5, 7 95, 4 93, 9 85, 8 85, 5 87, 0 90 80 Djibouti 46, 7 12, 3 10, 3 32, 6 80, 9 39, 5 13, 8 51, 6 59, 0 75, 3 54, 9 80 50 Dominica 63, 7 43, 8 67, 7 40, 9 73, 2 67, 5 72, 6 72, 1 59, 0 89, 5 72, 6 75 30 Dominican Republic 62, 9 56, 1 25, 3 30, 9 84, 6 90, 2 90, 1 52, 8 56, 2 76, 7 77, 0 75 40 Ecuador 49, 3 38, 7 22, 3 33, 9 79, 1 46, 1 56, 4 55, 4 47, 3 67, 7 69, 7 35 40 Egypt 52, 6 35, 4 56, 3 32, 7 86, 1 63, 0 4, 6 66, 8 51, 3 69, 6 70, 2 55 40 El Salvador 64, 1 45, 3 35, 4 31, 7 79, 0 85, 9 74, 7 57, 3 54, 5 79, 2 86, 5 80 60 Equatorial Guinea 45, 0 35, 4 13, 1 24, 6 75, 4 53, 6 46, 4 50, 9 38, 5 78, 3 53, 8 40 30 Eritrea 42, 2 36, 4 10, 3 27, 5 81, 3 74, 7 0, 0 56, 7 69, 7 61, 0 69, 2 0 20 Estonia 79, 1 82, 6 82, 8 69, 9 81, 2 55, 8 99, 8 77, 0 56, 9 85, 7 87, 0 90 80 Country Name 2017 Score Property Rights Judicial Strength Gov 't Integrity Tax Burden Gov 't Spending Fiscal Health Business Freedom Labor Freedom Monetary Freedom Trade Freedom Investment Freedom Financial Freedom Ethiopia 52, 7 32, 6 29, 6 37, 6 77, 1 90, 3 86, 5 50, 0 57, 2 65, 7 65, 1 20 20 Fiji 63, 4 67, 7 41, 9 32, 7 80, 7 72, 5 84, 1 61, 3 70, 5 75, 5 68, 8 55 50 Finland 74, 0 90, 6 82, 7 90, 0 66, 6 0, 0 77, 3 90, 2 53, 4 85, 1 87, 0 85 80 France 63, 3 85, 0 72, 7 69, 7 47, 6 2, 0 57, 0 78, 0 44, 1 81, 6 82, 0 70 70 Gabon 58, 6 35, 9 26, 7 37, 6 77, 0 81, 0 96, 1 50, 6 58, 4 83, 0 61, 8 55 40 Gambia 53, 4 39, 1 38, 8 38, 2 74, 9 74, 3 3, 2 52, 8 65, 6 63, 8 65, 0 75 50 Georgia 76, 0 55, 1 66, 5 65, 0 87, 3 74, 4 93, 5 87, 2 75, 9 78, 2 88, 6 80 60 Germany 73, 8 82, 9 79, 5 77, 7 61, 9 41, 4 89, 9 86, 6 42, 8 85, 9 87, 0 80 70 Ghana 56, 2 51, 6 40, 9 35, 5 84, 5 76, 3 9, 2 59, 6 57, 4 64, 5 65, 1 70 60 Greece 55, 0 52, 5 56, 1 41, 3 61, 1 5, 4 58, 1 74, 3 51, 0 78, 2 82, 0 60 40 Guatemala 63, 0 45, 0 27, 8 27, 5 79, 2 94, 8 93, 5 58, 7 48, 2 79, 4 87, 0 65 50 Country Name 2017 Score Property Rights Judicial Strength Gov 't Integrity Tax Burden Gov 't Spending Fiscal Health Business Freedom Labor Freedom Monetary Freedom Trade Freedom Investment Freedom Financial Freedom Guinea 47, 6 15, 6 13, 1 27, 5 69, 1 78, 4 34, 2 55, 8 54, 8 71, 1 61, 2 50 40 Guinea - Bissau 56, 1 33, 8 48, 7 28, 7 89, 0 87, 5 75, 3 46, 7 60, 9 77, 7 65, 2 30 30 Guyana 58, 5 37, 7 34, 1 33, 9 68, 0 72, 8 80, 9 63, 2 70, 9 79, 8 70, 7 60 30 Haiti 49, 6 12, 6 25, 1 19, 1 80, 3 81, 0 51, 8 49, 4 62, 1 73, 8 70, 6 40 30 Honduras 58, 8 45, 0 38, 2 32, 2 83, 3 74, 7 64, 1 56, 9 31, 2 77, 3 78, 4 65 60 Hong Kong SAR 89, 8 93, 7 84, 0 80, 3 93, 0 90, 0 100, 0 94, 6 89, 1 83, 2 90, 0 90 90 Hungary 65, 8 60, 1 51, 8 41, 5 79, 3 25, 3 79, 3 64, 0 64, 4 91, 7 87, 0 75 70 Iceland 74, 4 85, 0 71, 5 71, 5 70, 9 41, 1 90, 6 90, 2 62, 6 81, 2 88, 0 80 60 India 52, 6 55, 4 44, 4 44, 3 77, 2 77, 4 11, 0 52, 8 41, 6 75, 0 72, 6 40 40 Country Name 2017 Score Property Rights Judicial Strength Gov 't Integrity Tax Burden Gov 't Spending Fiscal Health Business Freedom Labor Freedom Monetary Freedom Trade Freedom Investment Freedom Financial Freedom Indonesia 61, 9 48, 3 39, 3 44, 7 83, 6 89, 9 90, 1 49, 1 48, 9 74, 0 80, 5 35 60 Iran 50, 5 32, 4 36, 0 29, 6 81, 1 92, 7 94, 9 64, 8 54, 5 55, 5 54, 5 0 10 Iraq N / A 37, 3 15, 9 19, 1 N / A 36, 1 11, 3 61, 2 68, 0 76, 9 N / A N / A N / A Ireland 76, 7 85, 8 78, 3 78, 3 72, 7 57, 1 60, 3 80, 3 73, 6 87, 6 87, 0 90 70 Israel 69, 7 71, 9 82, 0 47, 6 61, 0 50, 5 71, 8 69, 9 64, 3 84, 9 88, 0 75 70 Italy 62, 5 74, 6 55, 4 44, 7 54, 9 22, 3 66, 9 69, 8 52, 9 86, 9 87, 0 85 50 Jamaica 69, 5 58, 0 61, 5 38, 2 81, 0 77, 5 79, 9 78, 9 73, 7 79, 5 75, 3 80 50 Japan 69, 6 89, 4 73, 8 86, 1 68, 5 52, 3 9, 5 82, 3 77, 5 83, 0 82, 6 70 60 Jordan 66, 7 60, 1 49, 5 49, 8 91, 3 73, 3 55, 5 63, 9 58, 1 86, 7 82, 0 70 60 Country Name 2017 Score Property Rights Judicial Strength Gov 't Integrity Tax Burden Gov 't Spending Fiscal Health Business Freedom Labor Freedom Monetary Freedom Trade Freedom Investment Freedom Financial Freedom Kazakhstan 69, 0 56, 1 56, 5 38, 0 93, 3 85, 7 98, 9 74, 5 82, 5 73, 9 78, 5 40 50 Kenya 53, 5 45, 1 42, 7 24, 7 78, 5 77, 9 14, 4 50, 0 62, 4 73, 8 67, 2 55 50 Kiribati 50, 9 48, 0 33, 0 37, 6 73, 6 0, 0 99, 5 51, 5 71, 9 82, 0 58, 2 25 30 Korea, North 4, 9 32, 4 5, 0 11, 6 0, 0 0, 0 0, 0 5, 0 5, 0 0, 0 0, 0 0 0 Korea, South 74, 3 77, 8 59, 9 67, 3 73, 7 68, 9 97, 4 90, 6 57, 0 84, 0 79, 5 65 70 Kuwait 65, 1 55, 5 56, 4 41, 3 97, 7 40, 8 99, 8 61, 2 61, 5 73, 6 78, 7 55 60 Kyrgyz Republic 61, 1 50, 9 17, 2 30, 3 93, 7 55, 2 78, 9 73, 7 79, 8 68, 5 75, 3 60 50 Laos 54, 0 35, 3 35, 9 32, 6 86, 1 76, 6 61, 2 66, 3 54, 4 70, 2 74, 6 35 20 Latvia 74, 8 72, 6 59, 7 67, 3 84, 7 57, 4 95, 0 79, 8 72, 0 86, 5 87, 0 75 60 Lebanon 53, 3 43, 8 25, 3 23, 3 91, 8 76, 1 0, 0 51, 5 49, 5 78, 4 84, 4 65 50 Country Name 2017 Score Property Rights Judicial Strength Gov 't Integrity Tax Burden Gov 't Spending Fiscal Health Business Freedom Labor Freedom Monetary Freedom Trade Freedom Investment Freedom Financial Freedom Lesotho 53, 9 51, 6 50, 9 39, 6 55, 7 0, 0 92, 2 52, 2 57, 7 76, 4 80, 2 50 40 Liberia 49, 1 33, 6 41, 0 31, 4 83, 6 60, 1 36, 2 53, 1 48, 5 71, 8 60, 1 50 20 Libya N / A 6, 8 22, 6 26, 7 95 0 11, 4 65, 0 52, 5 69, 2 80, 0 N / A N / A Liechtenstein N / A n / a n / a n / a N / A N / A N / A 92, 3 85, 7 N / A 90, 0 85 80 Lithuania 75, 8 73, 0 62, 4 69, 7 86, 9 64, 1 93, 6 79, 1 63, 6 90, 0 87, 0 70 70 Luxembourg 75, 9 85, 8 77, 0 78, 3 64, 5 46, 0 99, 0 68, 6 43, 8 86, 2 87, 0 95 80 Macau 70, 7 60, 0 60, 0 37, 1 72, 3 92, 8 100, 0 60, 0 50, 0 70, 8 90, 0 85 70 Macedonia 70, 7 67, 0 61, 4 52, 0 91, 9 68, 9 72, 6 81, 5 66, 7 80, 8 86, 1 60 60 Madagascar 57, 4 34, 8 21, 4 25, 0 91, 0 93, 2 79, 8 43, 3 43, 8 73, 3 78, 0 55 50 Malawi 52, 2 36, 0 44, 2 31, 3 79, 1 69, 8 33, 5 45, 3 56, 9 54, 7 70, 5 55 50 Country Name 2017 Score Property Rights Judicial Strength Gov 't Integrity Tax Burden Gov 't Spending Fiscal Health Business Freedom Labor Freedom Monetary Freedom Trade Freedom Investment Freedom Financial Freedom Malaysia 73, 8 85, 3 67, 3 51, 8 85, 3 78, 7 76, 5 90, 8 73, 1 85, 3 81, 2 60 50 Maldives 50, 3 45, 1 33, 0 31, 4 93, 0 51, 5 9, 4 80, 6 70, 4 76, 3 47, 8 35 30 Mali 58, 6 36, 7 33, 8 34, 3 69, 4 88, 0 87, 8 44, 2 51, 1 83, 0 70, 1 65 40 Malta 67, 7 67, 7 62, 9 53, 6 62, 8 44, 9 85, 1 62, 5 57, 2 83, 5 87, 0 85 60 Mauritania 54, 4 22, 5 13, 8 29, 2 81, 2 73, 2 77, 1 64, 4 57, 4 81, 9 62, 3 50 40 Mauritius 74, 7 64, 4 72, 6 44, 3 92, 0 81, 5 74, 9 78, 2 68, 8 81, 1 88, 7 80 70 Mexico 63, 6 58, 1 38, 7 30, 0 74, 9 76, 7 66, 8 70, 7 57, 9 78, 8 80, 0 70 60 Micronesia 54, 1 30, 0 30, 0 40, 7 90, 7 0, 0 98, 6 57, 8 67, 7 83, 6 85, 6 35 30 Moldova 58, 0 49, 6 23, 9 28, 6 86, 1 54, 8 90, 6 65, 9 38, 9 72, 0 80, 0 55 50 Mongolia 54, 8 51, 3 28, 4 36, 8 87, 1 57, 6 0, 0 67, 2 76, 6 72, 3 74, 9 45 60 Montenegro 62, 0 58, 0 50, 4 43, 4 83, 1 33, 1 44, 3 72, 0 67, 4 82, 5 84, 7 75 50 Morocco 61, 5 55, 0 41, 9 37, 1 71, 7 69, 4 55, 0 67, 7 33, 8 82, 7 84, 0 70 70 Mozambique 49, 9 40, 6 32, 4 30, 9 73, 2 58, 2 22, 7 58, 8 41, 0 79, 9 76, 7 35 50 Namibia 62, 5 53, 8 50, 6 41, 3 65, 2 55, 6 66, 4 67, 6 84, 4 77, 2 83, 5 65 40 Country Name 2017 Score Property Rights Judicial Strength Gov 't Integrity Tax Burden Gov 't Spending Fiscal Health Business Freedom Labor Freedom Monetary Freedom Trade Freedom Investment Freedom Financial Freedom Nepal 55, 1 37, 3 32, 0 26, 7 84, 9 89, 5 98, 4 64, 6 47, 6 72, 2 68, 1 10 30 Netherlands 75, 8 87, 4 69, 9 85, 7 53, 2 37, 0 83, 0 80, 2 70, 5 85, 8 87, 0 90 80 New Zealand 83, 7 96, 1 88, 5 89, 9 70, 8 46, 5 97, 8 91, 8 86, 2 90, 1 87, 4 80 80 Nicaragua 59, 2 31, 1 15, 9 27, 4 77, 2 80, 8 96, 1 59, 0 55, 6 71, 2 81, 0 65 50 Niger 50, 8 33, 8 22, 6 35, 0 76, 3 73, 4 38, 5 39, 1 46, 1 83, 3 66, 4 55 40 Nigeria 57, 1 35, 3 33, 2 12, 2 85, 2 95, 2 87, 2 48, 9 73, 9 71, 3 62, 3 40 40 Norway 74, 0 86, 7 83, 3 88, 3 55, 6 38, 5 98, 4 89, 5 48, 8 75, 8 87, 7 75 60 Oman 62, 1 60, 8 52, 3 47, 6 98, 5 20, 5 36, 3 68, 4 70, 3 80, 6 85, 2 65 60 Pakistan 52, 8 36, 4 34, 1 30, 5 78, 9 87, 3 30, 8 61, 2 37, 8 74, 8 67, 2 55 40 Panama 66, 3 61, 1 21, 5 40, 9 85, 2 83, 1 84, 9 74, 4 43, 0 78, 4 77, 8 75 70 Papua New Guinea 50, 9 37, 7 54, 0 32, 7 67, 8 64, 5 16, 7 59, 8 67, 4 69, 8 85, 4 25 30 Paraguay 62, 4 38, 2 23, 3 32, 6 96, 2 83, 0 95, 1 62, 4 28, 5 78, 3 76, 6 75 60 Peru 68, 9 58, 3 28, 2 38, 8 80, 3 85, 1 98, 4 69, 4 62, 8 83, 3 87, 1 75 60 Philippines 65, 6 49, 2 37, 1 38, 7 78, 9 89, 4 97, 2 62, 6 57, 2 80, 6 76, 4 60 60 Country Name 2017 Score Property Rights Judicial Strength Gov 't Integrity Tax Burden Gov 't Spending Fiscal Health Business Freedom Labor Freedom Monetary Freedom Trade Freedom Investment Freedom Financial Freedom Poland 68, 3 60, 8 58, 0 55, 5 76, 0 46, 9 76, 1 67, 8 61, 5 84, 7 87, 0 75 70 Portugal 62, 6 73, 3 68, 9 59, 0 59, 8 25, 1 32, 1 86, 4 43, 4 85, 9 87, 0 70 60 Qatar 73, 1 74, 8 63, 0 59, 0 99, 6 71, 2 97, 4 68, 1 65, 4 80, 6 83, 1 55 60 Romania 69, 7 63, 9 58, 5 45, 9 87, 4 65, 3 90, 9 65, 9 62, 5 83, 6 87, 0 75 50 Russia 57, 1 47, 6 44, 5 38, 2 81, 8 61, 5 93, 4 74, 8 50, 8 57, 3 75, 2 30 30 Rwanda 67, 6 64, 4 68, 8 45, 9 79, 8 77, 3 83, 3 59, 0 81, 8 80, 0 70, 3 60 40 Saint Lucia 65, 0 65, 5 68, 8 39, 6 76, 4 71, 6 53, 8 77, 2 68, 7 82, 3 71, 6 65 40 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 65, 2 37, 3 68, 8 47, 6 72, 8 71, 7 66, 7 80, 3 74, 5 82, 9 65, 2 75 40 Samoa 58, 4 51, 3 22, 6 37, 1 80, 4 51, 9 66, 6 77, 0 73, 3 84, 5 70, 7 55 30 São Tomé and Príncipe 55, 4 37, 7 15, 9 39, 7 87, 8 67, 9 67, 1 65, 0 47, 2 69, 6 71, 8 65 30 Country Name 2017 Score Property Rights Judicial Strength Gov 't Integrity Tax Burden Gov 't Spending Fiscal Health Business Freedom Labor Freedom Monetary Freedom Trade Freedom Investment Freedom Financial Freedom Saudi Arabia 64, 4 62, 0 65, 0 45, 9 99, 7 54, 5 65, 7 73, 8 68, 5 70, 1 78, 2 40 50 Senegal 55, 9 44, 0 39, 3 42, 1 70, 9 74, 3 51, 8 50, 8 38, 9 86, 0 73, 1 60 40 Serbia 58, 9 50, 3 40, 2 38, 2 83, 3 40, 3 46, 9 62, 9 65, 9 80, 8 77, 8 70 50 Seychelles 61, 8 55, 2 42, 6 44, 3 78, 8 63, 9 90, 7 63, 4 55, 9 78, 3 83, 4 55 30 Sierra Leone 52, 6 37, 4 27, 0 18, 9 81, 3 90, 2 76, 2 49, 6 29, 7 71, 1 69, 4 60 20 Singapore 88, 6 97, 1 91, 5 87, 9 90, 5 90, 1 80, 7 95, 1 90, 8 84, 3 90, 0 85 80 Slovak Republic 65, 7 69, 0 38, 0 39, 6 79, 7 47, 2 82, 9 64, 9 54, 4 81, 1 87, 0 75 70 Slovenia 59, 2 75, 0 55, 1 53, 6 58, 7 28, 6 6, 1 80, 6 60, 2 85, 3 87, 0 70 50 Solomon Islands 55, 0 39, 3 41, 9 33, 9 62, 8 34, 4 99, 8 68, 5 70, 5 81, 0 83, 0 15 30 South Africa 62, 3 67, 6 59, 7 47, 6 70, 2 68, 4 70, 0 62, 0 58, 9 75, 8 77, 3 40 50 Spain 63, 6 71, 2 53, 9 57, 2 62, 5 41, 4 26, 9 66, 9 55, 3 85, 5 87, 0 85 70 Sri Lanka 57, 4 48, 0 48, 3 30, 0 85, 3 90, 2 31, 2 72, 8 57, 5 76, 0 74, 5 35 40 Sudan 48, 8 31, 1 19, 8 18, 9 86, 5 95, 1 85, 5 53, 9 49, 7 59, 3 50, 5 15 20 Suriname 48, 0 45, 1 15, 4 31, 7 70, 1 69, 6 16, 2 48, 6 76, 1 75, 1 68, 4 30 30 Swaziland 61, 1 53, 5 33, 3 30, 9 74, 8 71, 6 93, 2 57, 5 64, 4 75, 6 88, 9 50 40 Sweden 74, 9 88, 6 82, 2 87, 4 44, 4 21, 7 93, 4 90, 8 53, 2 85, 3 87, 0 85 80 Switzerland 81, 5 86, 9 77, 6 80, 3 70, 9 67, 5 95, 8 76, 8 72, 2 84, 4 90, 0 85 90 Country Name 2017 Score Property Rights Judicial Strength Gov 't Integrity Tax Burden Gov 't Spending Fiscal Health Business Freedom Labor Freedom Monetary Freedom Trade Freedom Investment Freedom Financial Freedom Syria N / A 37, 3 22, 6 30, 0 N / A N / A 0, 0 66, 4 55, 7 N / A 56, 6 N / A N / A Taiwan 76, 5 86, 5 67, 7 70, 5 75, 3 89, 5 83, 7 93, 4 55, 0 85, 2 86, 2 65 60 Tajikistan 58, 2 45, 5 45, 6 32, 7 90, 9 74, 1 95, 8 65, 6 49, 2 69, 8 73, 9 25 30 Tanzania 58, 6 33, 8 28, 8 29, 2 80, 3 89, 5 76, 6 50, 1 64, 3 69, 6 76, 0 55 50 Thailand 66, 2 51, 3 41, 7 40, 7 81, 0 85, 3 96, 3 69, 9 62, 8 72, 9 82, 8 50 60 Timor - Leste 46, 3 6, 8 10, 3 29, 2 64, 7 65, 6 20, 0 72, 2 63, 9 77, 5 80, 0 45 20 Togo 53, 2 33, 8 39, 9 36, 8 68, 2 79, 8 45, 1 50, 3 46, 2 77, 5 71, 3 60 30 Tonga 63, 0 65, 5 19, 8 47, 6 86, 9 74, 4 79, 6 76, 1 86, 0 80, 6 79, 7 40 20 Trinidad and Tobago 61, 2 54, 7 48, 7 36, 8 81, 4 57, 7 51, 8 67, 7 71, 4 75, 9 78, 6 60 50 Tunisia 55, 7 49, 6 39, 9 37, 3 73, 7 73, 4 53, 4 80, 6 56, 1 75, 9 63, 8 35 30 Turkey 65, 2 61, 3 52, 5 40, 7 75, 5 57, 7 95, 7 64, 3 48, 5 72, 2 79, 4 75 60 Turkmenistan 47, 4 32, 4 5, 0 29, 6 95, 3 92, 3 98, 9 30, 0 20, 0 74, 8 80, 0 0 10 Uganda 60, 9 39, 3 34, 6 28, 7 73, 7 91, 0 78, 1 42, 4 84, 6 80, 3 78, 3 60 40 Ukraine 48, 1 41, 4 22, 6 29, 2 78, 6 38, 2 67, 9 62, 1 48, 8 47, 4 85, 9 25 30 United Arab Emirates 76, 9 76, 7 85, 0 74, 2 96, 4 67, 4 99, 2 81, 1 80, 9 78, 4 83, 5 40 60 United Kingdom 76, 4 93, 8 93, 0 78, 3 65, 1 41, 9 40, 4 89, 9 72, 8 85, 0 87, 0 90 80 United States 75, 1 81, 3 75, 1 78, 1 65, 3 55, 9 53, 3 84, 4 91, 0 80, 1 87, 1 80 70 Uruguay 69, 7 70, 2 66, 8 70, 3 77, 5 69, 4 77, 2 74, 8 62, 9 71, 3 80, 6 85 30 Uzbekistan 52, 3 48, 0 41, 9 27, 5 90, 7 66, 2 99, 8 64, 8 50, 4 61, 1 66, 8 0 10 Vanuatu 67, 4 65, 5 33, 0 70, 5 97, 0 80, 4 99, 1 51, 4 58, 1 74, 8 73, 9 65 40 Venezuela 27, 0 6, 8 10, 3 11, 6 72, 5 51, 5 15, 2 39, 7 28, 5 16, 8 60, 7 0 10 Vietnam 52, 4 49, 7 32, 0 24, 6 79, 6 74, 6 21, 1 61, 2 62, 2 76, 0 83, 1 25 40 Country Name 2017 Score Property Rights Judicial Strength Gov 't Integrity Tax Burden Gov 't Spending Fiscal Health Business Freedom Labor Freedom Monetary Freedom Trade Freedom Investment Freedom Financial Freedom Yemen N / A 37, 3 22, 6 17, 4 N / A 77, 2 10, 6 51, 4 54, 2 59, 7 N / A N / A N / A Zambia 55, 8 49, 6 39, 8 35, 0 73, 1 81, 6 21, 6 66, 6 48, 2 70, 7 78, 3 55 50 Zimbabwe 44, 0 27, 3 26, 1 14, 7 61, 1 75, 2 90, 6 36, 2 33, 1 76, 5 52, 8 25 10 Somalia N / A 6, 8 N / A 11, 6 100 N / A 0, 0 92, 3 91, 8 N / A N / A N / A N / A Kosovo 67, 9 70, 3 58, 0 45, 9 93, 5 77, 8 88, 9 68, 8 65, 3 80, 0 70, 8 65 30 Brunei Darussalam 69, 8 62, 5 39, 9 40, 9 85, 6 61, 2 100, 0 76, 6 90, 4 76, 1 89, 1 65 50 Country Name 2017 Score Property Rights Judicial Strength Gov 't Integrity Tax Burden Gov 't Spending Fiscal Health Business Freedom Labor Freedom Monetary Freedom Trade Freedom Investment Freedom Financial Freedom Method The 2018 ranking scores aspects of economic freedom between 0 and 100, with 0 meaning `` no economic freedom '' and 100 meaning `` total economic freedom ''. There are twelve aspects divided into four categories. Rule of Law Property rights Degree of a country 's legal protection of private property rights and degree of enforcement of those laws. It is divided into the following sub-factors : physical property rights intellectual property rights strength of investor protection risk of expropriation quality of land administration Judicial effectiveness Degree of the judiciary 's efficiency and fairness, especially dealing with property laws. It is divided into the following sub-factors : judicial independence quality of the judicial process likelihood of obtaining favorable judicial decisions Government integrity Analyzes how prevalent are forms of political corruption and practices such as bribery, extortion, nepotism, cronyism, patronage, embezzlement, and graft. It is divided into the following sub-factors : public trust in politicians irregular payments and bribes transparency of government policymaking absence of corruption perceptions of corruption governmental and civil service transparency Government Size Tax burden Analyzes marginal tax rates on personal and corporate income and the overall taxation level ( including direct and indirect taxes imposed by all levels of government ) as a percentage of the GDP. Its sub-factors are : top marginal tax rate on individual income top marginal tax rate on corporate income total tax burden as a percentage of GDP Government spending Quantifies the burden of government expenditures, including consumption by the state and all transfer payments related to various entitlement programs. The ideal level varies from country to country, but zero expenditure is used as a benchmark. Fiscal health Analyzes how well a country manages its budget by quantifying the growing debt and deficit. It is divided into the following sub-factors : average deficits as a percentage of GDP for the most recent three years ( 80 percent of score ) debt as a percentage of GDP ( 20 percent of score ) Regulatory efficiency Business freedom Analyses the cost, time and freedom to open, operate and close a business, taking into consideration factors like electricity. It is divided into thirteen sub-factors : starting a business -- procedures ( number ) ; starting a business -- time ( days ) ; starting a business -- cost ( % of income per capita ) ; starting a business -- minimum capital ( % of income per capita ) ; obtaining a license -- procedures ( number ) ; obtaining a license -- time ( days ) ; obtaining a license -- cost ( % of income per capita ) ; closing a business -- time ( years ) ; closing a business -- cost ( % of estate ) ; closing a business -- recovery rate ( cents on the dollar ) ; getting electricity -- procedures ( number ) ; getting electricity -- time ( days ) ; and getting electricity -- cost ( % of income per capita ). Labor freedom Quantifies the intrusivness of labor rights such as minimum wage, laws inhibiting layoffs, severance requirements, and measurable regulatory restraints on hiring and hours worked, plus the labor force participation rate as an indicative measure of employment opportunities in the labor market. It is divided into the following sub-factors : ratio of minimum wage to the average value added per worker hindrance to hiring additional workers rigidity of hours difficulty of firing redundant employees legally mandated notice period mandatory severance pay labor force participation rate Monetary freedom Analyses how stable are prices and how much microeconomy intervenes. It is divided into the following sub-factors : weighted average inflation rate for the most recent three years price controls Market openness Trade freedom Quantifies the extent to which tariff and nontariff barriers affect imports and exports of goods and services into and out of the country. Its sub-factors are : trade - weighted average tariff rate nontariff barriers ( NTBs ) Investment freedom Analyses how free or constrained is the flow of investment capital of individuals and firms. Financial freedom Indicates banking efficiency as well as how independent from the government is the financial sector. This aspect looks at five broad areas : extent of government regulation of financial services degree of state intervention in banks and other financial firms through direct and indirect ownership government influence on the allocation of credit extent of financial and capital market development openness to foreign competition Meaning The Heritage Foundation reports that the top 20 % on the index have twice the per capita income of those in the second quintile, and five times that of the bottom 20 %. Carl Schramm, who wrote the first chapter of the 2008 Index, states that cities of Medieval Italy and mid-19th century Midwestern American cities all flourished to the degree they possessed economic fluidity and institutional adaptiveness created by economic freedom. According to Will Wilkinson of the libertarian think tank Cato Institute, studies show that higher economic freedom correlates strongly with higher self - reported happiness. According to economists Tomi Ovaska and Ryo Takashima, economic freedom research suggests `` that people unmistakably care about the degree to which the society where they live provides them opportunities and the freedom to undertake new projects, strongly with and make choices based on one 's personal preferences. '' According to the Cato Institute, higher economic freedom promotes participation and collaboration. Also claimed is that higher economic freedom is extremely significant in preventing wars ; according to their calculations, freedom is around 54 times more effective than democracy ( as measured by Democracy Score ) in diminishing violent conflict. Ratings Since the index was created in 1995, the score for world economic freedom has increased, rising 2.6 points up to 2008. In 2011 the score had decreased from the 2008 score of 60.2 to 59.7, which represents an increase of 2.2 points since 1995. The Economic Freedom score improved for 117 countries, the majority of countries included in the index, which were mainly developing and emerging market economies. With the exception of Europe and North America, there were increased levels of freedom recorded in all regions, with the greatest improvement shown in Sub-Saharan Africa. The top five `` free '' economies identified by the 2011 index were Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and Switzerland, each scoring over 80 on the economic freedom grading scale. Since the Index was created in 1995, Hong Kong has been the top performing economy. In 2011, the United States dropped to 9th place behind such countries as Denmark, Canada, and first - place Hong Kong. The Heritage Foundation has pointed to increases in government spending as the reason for the United States ' decline, and according to data from the 2011 index, the growth rates of countries with the highest levels of government spending were 4.5 points lower, on average, than countries where government spending was under control. In their `` Executive Highlights '' of index results, the Heritage Foundation stated that `` high levels of government spending in response to the global economic turmoil have not resulted in higher economic growth ''. The results from the 2012 index showed an overall decline in global economic freedom ; according to The Heritage Foundation, the average score in its ranking was the second lowest of the last ten years. In particular, the U.S. dropped to 10th place in the ranking, and has now fallen three places since 2008, when it was 7th. A report issued by the Foundation stated that government spending was the cause of the decline, and had `` not only failed to arrest the economic crisis, but also -- in many countries -- seems to be prolonging it ''. According to the report, activity in the private sector is threatened by the greater government spending, which has increased public debt and led to more bureaucracy. Countries that shared the same rank received a tie score. Reception According to the Freedom House, `` there is a high and statistically significant correlation between the level of political freedom as measured by Freedom House and economic freedom as measured by the Wall Street Journal / Heritage Foundation survey. '' The Millennium Challenge Account, a U.S. government foreign aid program, has used the Trade freedom indicator in determining which countries will receive their performance - based compacts. Critics such as Jeffrey Sachs have contested the Index 's assumption that economic openness necessarily leads to better growth. In his book The End of Poverty, Sachs graphed countries ' ratings on the index against GDP per capita growth between 1995 and 2003, claiming to demonstrate no correlation between a country 's rating and its rate of economic growth. Sachs pointed out, as examples, that countries with good ratings such as Switzerland and Uruguay had sluggish economic performances, others, like China, with poorer rating had very strong economic growth. The UAE questioned the rating of their country 's economic freedom in 2008, comparing its middling rating with the high rating they had received from other indicators such as Transparency International and Moody 's. They also argued that the report is `` unreliable '', because its methodology had changed twice in the last two years. Stefan Karlsson of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, challenged the usefulness of the index due to the fuzziness of many of the categories used to determine freedom. John Miller roundly criticizes the `` Index '', writing in Dollars & Sense, `` In the hands of the Wall Street Journal and the Heritage Foundation, Washington 's foremost right - wing think tank, however, an economic freedom index merely measures corporate and entrepreneurial freedom from accountability. Upon examination, the index turns out to be a poor barometer of either freedom more broadly construed or of prosperity. '' According to Left Business Observer, growth in Index accounts for 10 % of the variation in the growth of GDP. Historical rankings Historical ranks and scores Key : █ █ Free ( 80 -- 100 ) █ █ Mostly Free ( 70.0 -- 79.9 ) █ █ Moderately Free ( 60.0 -- 69.9 ) █ █ Mostly Unfree ( 50.0 -- 59.9 ) █ █ Repressed ( 0 -- 49.9 ) 2017 2016 2015 2014 Country Rank Score Change in Yearly Score from 2016 Rank Score Change in Yearly Score from 2015 Rank Score Change in Yearly Score from 2014 Rank Score Change in Yearly Score from 2013 Hong Kong 89.8 1.2 88.6 - 1.0 89.6 - 0.5 90.1 0.8 New Zealand 83.7 2.1 81.6 - 0.5 82.1 0.9 5 81.2 - 0.2 Switzerland 81.5 0.5 81 0.5 5 80.5 - 1.1 81.6 0.6 Australia 5 81 0.7 5 80.3 - 1.1 81.4 - 0.6 82 - 0.6 Estonia 6 79.1 1.9 9 77.2 0.4 8 76.8 0.9 11 75.9 0.6 Canada 7 78.5 0.5 6 78 - 1.1 6 79.1 - 1.1 6 80.2 0.8 United Arab Emirates 8 76.9 4.5 25 72.4 28 71.4 0.3 28 71.1 1.8 Ireland 9 76.7 - 0.6 8 77.3 0.7 9 76.6 0.4 9 76.2 0.5 Chile 10 76.5 - 1.2 7 77.7 - 0.8 7 78.5 - 0.2 7 78.7 - 0.3 Taiwan 11 76.5 1.8 14 74.7 - 0.4 14 75.1 1.2 17 73.9 1.2 United Kingdom 12 76.4 0 10 76.4 0.6 13 75.8 0.9 14 74.9 0.1 Georgia 13 76 3.0 22 73 0.4 22 72.6 0.4 21 72.2 2.8 Luxembourg 14 75.9 2.7 21 73.2 - 1 16 74.2 0 15 74.2 - 0.3 Netherlands 15 75.8 2.1 17 73.7 - 0.5 15 74.2 0.7 17 73.5 0.2 Lithuania 16 75.8 0.6 13 75.2 0.5 15 74.7 1.7 21 73 0.9 United States 17 75.1 - 0.3 11 75.4 - 0.8 12 76.2 0.7 12 75.5 - 0.5 Denmark 18 75.1 - 0.2 12 75.3 - 1.0 11 76.3 0.2 10 76.1 0 Sweden 19 74.9 2.2 23 72.7 - 0.4 20 73.1 0.2 18 72.9 1.2 Latvia 20 74.8 5.1 37 69.7 42 68.7 2.2 55 66.5 1.3 Mauritius 21 74.7 0 15 74.7 - 1.7 10 76.4 - 0.1 8 76.5 - 0.4 Iceland 22 74.4 2.4 26 72 - 0.4 23 72.4 0.3 23 72.1 1.2 South Korea 23 74.3 2.8 29 71.5 0.3 31 71.2 0.9 34 70.3 0.4 Finland 24 74.0 0.6 19 73.4 0 19 73.4 - 0.6 16 74 1.7 Norway 25 74 2.2 27 71.8 0.9 32 70.9 0.4 31 70.5 1.7 Germany 26 73.8 0 16 73.8 0.4 18 73.4 0.6 19 72.8 1.8 Malaysia 27 73.8 31 70.8 1.2 37 69.6 3.5 56 66.1 - 0.3 Czech Republic 28 73.3 0.8 24 72.5 0.3 26 72.2 1.3 29 70.9 Qatar 29 73.1 2.3 32 70.8 - 0.4 30 71.2 - 0.1 27 71.3 0 Austria 30 72.3 1.1 30 71.2 - 1.2 24 72.4 0.6 25 71.8 1.5 Macedonia 31 70.7 3.6 53 67.1 - 1.5 43 68.6 0.4 43 68.2 - 0.3 Macau 32 70.7 0.4 34 70.3 - 1 29 71.3 - 0.4 26 71.7 - 0.1 Armenia 33 70.3 3.2 52 67.1 - 1.8 41 68.9 - 0.5 38 69.4 0.6 Botswana 34 71.1 - 2.2 36 69.8 - 2.2 27 72 1.4 30 70.6 Brunei 35 69.8 0.9 39 68.9 - 0.1 40 69 - Israel 36 69.7 - 0.8 33 70.5 2.1 44 68.4 1.5 51 66.9 - 0.9 Colombia 37 69.7 - 2 28 71.7 34 70.7 1.1 37 69.6 1.6 Uruguay 38 69.7 1.1 43 68.6 - 0.7 38 69.3 - 0.4 36 69.7 - 0.2 Romania 39 69.7 3.1 57 66.6 1.1 62 65.5 0.4 59 65.1 0.7 Japan 40 69.6 - 3.7 20 73.3 0.9 25 72.4 0.6 24 71.8 0.2 Jamaica 41 69.5 1.8 48 67.7 56 66.7 - 0.1 52 66.8 1.7 Kazakhstan 42 69 5.7 69 63.3 - 0.4 67 63.7 0.7 68 63 - 0.6 Peru 43 68.9 1.2 47 67.7 0.3 47 67.4 - 0.8 44 68.2 - 0.5 Bahrain 44 68.5 - 4.9 18 73.4 - 1.7 13 75.1 - 0.4 12 75.5 0.3 Poland 45 68.3 - 0.3 42 68.6 1.6 50 67 57 66 1.8 Kosovo 46 67.9 Bulgaria 47 67.9 1.1 55 66.8 1.1 61 65.7 0.7 60 65 0.3 Cyprus 48 67.9 0 45 67.9 0.3 46 67.6 - 1.4 41 69 - 2.8 Belgium 49 67.8 - 1 40 68.8 - 1.1 35 69.9 0.7 40 69.2 0.2 Malta 50 67.7 1.2 58 66.5 0.1 58 66.4 - 1.1 47 67.5 0.5 Rwanda 51 67.6 2.8 65 64.8 0.1 65 64.7 0.6 63 64.1 - 0.8 Vanuatu 52 67.4 6.3 84 61.1 1.6 93 59.5 2.9 109 56.6 0 Jordan 53 66.7 - 2.6 38 69.3 0.1 39 69.2 - 1.2 33 70.4 0.5 Panama 54 66.3 2.2 68 64.1 0.7 71 63.4 0.9 71 62.5 - 2.7 Thailand 55 66.2 3.8 75 62.4 - 0.9 72 63.3 - 0.8 61 64.1 - 0.8 Hungary 56 65.8 - 1.0 54 66.8 - 0.2 51 67 - 0.3 48 67.3 0.2 Slovakia 57 65.7 - 1.5 50 67.2 0.8 57 66.4 - 2.3 42 68.7 1.7 Philippines 58 65.6 3.4 76 62.2 2.1 89 60.1 1.9 97 58.2 1.1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 59 65.2 - 2.8 44 68 52 67 0.3 54 66.7 0.2 Turkey 60 65.2 70 63.2 - 1.7 64 64.9 69 62.9 0.4 Kuwait 61 65.1 2.6 74 62.5 0.2 76 62.3 - 0.8 66 63.1 0.6 Saint Lucia 62 65 - 5.2 35 70.2 - 0.5 33 70.7 0.3 32 70.4 - 0.9 Costa Rica 63 65 - 2.2 51 67.2 0.3 53 66.9 - 0.1 49 67 - 1 Saudi Arabia 64 64.4 2.3 77 62.1 - 0.1 77 62.2 1.6 82 60.6 - 1.9 Albania 65 64.4 - 1.3 63 65.7 - 1.2 54 66.9 1.7 58 65.2 0.1 El Salvador 66 64.1 - 1.6 62 65.7 - 0.5 59 66.2 - 0.5 53 66.7 - 2 Dominica 67 63.7 - 2.4 61 66.1 0.9 63 65.2 1.3 64 63.9 2.3 Azerbaijan 68 63.6 2.6 85 61 - 0.3 81 61.3 1.6 88 59.7 0.8 Spain 69 63.6 - 4.0 49 67.6 0.4 49 67.2 - 0.8 46 68 - 1.1 Mexico 70 63.6 - 2.8 59 66.4 - 0.4 55 66.8 - 0.2 50 67 1.7 Fiji 71 63.4 4.4 98 59 0.3 99 58.7 1.5 105 57.2 - 0.1 France 72 63.3 0.8 73 62.5 - 1 70 63.5 - 0.6 62 64.1 0.9 Tonga 73 63 3.7 95 59.3 1.1 104 58.2 2.2 112 56 - 1 Guatemala 74 63 2.6 87 60.4 - 0.8 83 61.2 1.2 85 60 - 0.9 Ivory Coast 75 63.0 4.5 103 58.5 0.8 107 57.7 3.6 126 54.1 - 0.2 Dominican Republic 76 62.9 1.9 86 61 - 0.3 80 61.3 1.6 87 59.7 - 0.5 Portugal 77 62.6 - 2.7 64 65.3 1.8 69 63.5 0.4 67 63.1 0.1 Namibia 78 62.5 2.9 93 59.6 0.2 94 59.4 - 0.9 84 60.3 - 1.6 Italy 79 62.5 0.8 80 61.7 0.8 86 60.9 0.3 83 60.6 1.8 Paraguay 80 62.4 1.3 83 61.1 - 0.9 78 62 0.9 80 61.1 - 0.7 South Africa 81 62.3 - 0.3 72 62.6 0.1 75 62.5 0.7 74 61.8 - 0.9 Oman 82 62.1 - 4.6 56 66.7 - 0.7 48 67.4 - 0.7 45 68.1 0.2 Montenegro 83 62 - 2.7 66 64.7 1.1 68 63.6 70 62.6 0.1 Indonesia 84 61.9 3.8 105 58.1 - 0.4 100 58.5 1.6 108 56.9 0.5 Seychelles 85 61.8 4.3 114 57.5 1.3 117 56.2 1.3 124 54.9 1.9 Morocco 86 61.5 1.4 89 60.1 1.8 103 58.3 - 1.3 90 59.6 - 0.6 Trinidad and Tobago 87 61.2 - 2.9 67 64.1 1.4 73 62.7 0.4 72 62.3 - 2.1 Swaziland 88 61.1 1.2 91 59.9 - 1.3 82 61.2 104 57.2 0 Kyrgyzstan 89 61.1 - 0.2 82 61.3 0.2 85 61.1 1.5 89 59.6 - 0.6 Bahamas 90 61.1 - 7.6 41 68.7 - 1.1 36 69.8 - 0.3 35 70.1 2.1 Uganda 91 60.9 1.2 92 59.7 - 0.2 91 59.9 - 1.2 79 61.1 - 0.8 Bosnia and Herzegovina 92 60.2 1.2 97 59 0.6 101 58.4 1.1 103 57.3 0 Burkina Faso 93 59.6 102 58.6 - 0.3 98 58.9 - 1 86 59.9 - 0.7 Cambodia 94 59.5 110 57.5 0.1 108 57.4 - 1.1 95 58.5 0.9 Croatia 95 59.4 - 2.1 81 61.5 1.1 87 60.4 - 0.9 78 61.3 0.4 Benin 96 59.2 0.4 99 58.8 1.7 113 57.1 - 0.5 101 57.6 1.9 Slovenia 97 59.2 - 1.1 88 60.3 - 2.4 74 62.7 76 61.7 - 1.2 Nicaragua 98 59.2 1.6 108 57.6 - 0.8 102 58.4 1.8 110 56.6 - 1.3 Serbia 99 58.9 - 1.1 90 60 0.6 95 59.4 0.8 94 58.6 0.6 Honduras 100 58.8 1.4 116 57.4 0.3 112 57.1 - 1.3 96 58.4 - 0.4 Belize 101 58.6 1.8 117 56.8 0.1 115 56.7 - 0.6 102 57.3 - 4.6 Mali 102 58.6 2.2 119 56.4 0.9 122 55.5 - 0.9 111 56.4 0.6 Gabon 103 58.6 0.3 104 58.3 0.5 105 57.8 0 99 57.8 1.4 Belarus 104 58.6 8.8 153 49.8 - 0.3 150 50.1 2.1 154 48 - 1 Tanzania 105 58.6 1.1 109 57.5 - 0.3 106 57.8 - 0.1 98 57.9 0.9 Guyana 106 58.5 123 55.5 - 0.2 121 55.7 1.9 129 53.8 2.5 Bhutan 107 58.4 115 57.4 0.7 116 56.7 1.7 122 55 - 1.6 Samoa 108 58.4 - 3.5 78 61.9 0.8 84 61.1 106 57.1 - 3.4 Tajikistan 109 58.2 5.5 140 52.7 0.7 139 52 - 1.4 131 53.4 0 Moldova 110 58 0.5 111 57.5 0.2 110 57.3 1.8 115 55.5 1.1 China 111 57.4 4.7 139 52.7 0.2 137 52.5 0.6 136 51.9 0.7 Sri Lanka 112 57.4 - 1.2 101 58.6 - 1.4 90 60 - 0.7 81 60.7 2.4 Madagascar 113 57.4 - 4.3 79 61.7 0 79 61.7 - 0.3 73 62 - 0.4 Russia 114 57.1 5 143 52.1 0.2 140 51.9 0.8 139 51.1 0.6 Nigeria 115 57.1 1.5 120 55.6 1.3 129 54.3 - 0.8 120 55.1 - 1.2 Cape Verde 116 56.9 - 9.5 60 66.4 0.3 60 66.1 2.4 65 63.7 0.2 Democratic Republic of the Congo 117 56.4 13.7 170 42.7 - 1 169 43.7 0.2 167 43.5 - 0.3 Ghana 118 56.2 - 6.8 71 63 - 1.2 66 64.2 2.9 77 61.3 0.6 Guinea - Bissau 119 56.1 4.1 145 52 0.7 143 51.3 0.2 138 51.1 Senegal 120 55.9 - 1.9 106 57.8 2.4 125 55.4 - 0.1 116 55.5 0.1 Comoros 121 55.8 3.7 142 52.1 0.7 142 51.4 3.9 157 47.5 1.8 Zambia 122 55.8 - 2.9 100 58.7 - 1.7 88 60.4 1.7 93 58.7 0.4 Tunisia 123 55.7 - 2.0 107 57.7 0.4 109 57.3 0.3 107 57 - 1.6 São Tomé and Príncipe 124 55.4 2.1 136 53.3 4.5 157 48.8 0.8 153 48 - 2.2 Nepal 125 55.1 3.8 152 51.3 1.2 149 50.1 - 0.3 141 50.4 0.2 Solomon Islands 126 55 8 159 47 0.8 165 46.2 1.2 165 45 - 1.2 Greece 127 55 130 54 - 1.7 119 55.7 0.3 117 55.4 0 Bangladesh 128 55 1.1 131 53.9 - 0.2 131 54.1 1.5 132 52.6 - 0.6 Mongolia 129 54.8 - 4.4 96 59.2 0.3 97 58.9 - 2.8 75 61.7 0.2 Barbados 130 54.5 - 13.4 46 67.9 - 0.4 45 68.3 - 1 39 69.3 0.3 Mauritania 131 54.4 1.1 135 53.3 0.1 134 53.2 0.9 134 52.3 - 0.7 Federated States of Micronesia 132 54.1 4.5 154 49.6 - 0.2 153 49.8 - 0.3 143 50.1 - 0.6 Laos 133 54 2.6 150 51.4 0.2 144 51.2 1.1 144 50.1 0.1 Lesotho 134 53.9 4.3 155 49.6 0.1 154 49.5 2.4 155 47.9 1.3 Kenya 135 53.5 - 2.1 122 55.6 - 1.5 111 57.1 1.2 114 55.9 - 1.6 Gambia 136 53.4 - 4.1 113 57.5 - 2 92 59.5 0.7 92 58.8 0 Lebanon 137 53.3 - 6.0 94 59.3 - 0.1 96 59.4 - 0.1 91 59.5 - 0.6 Togo 138 53.2 0.2 138 53 3.1 152 49.9 1.1 150 48.8 0.5 Burundi 139 53.2 - 0.5 132 53.7 2.3 141 51.4 2.4 148 49 0.9 Brazil 140 52.9 - 3.7 118 56.6 - 0.3 114 56.9 - 0.8 100 57.7 - 0.2 Pakistan 141 52.8 - 2.8 121 55.6 0.4 126 55.2 0.1 121 55.1 0.4 Ethiopia 142 52.7 1.2 149 51.5 1.5 151 50 0.6 146 49.4 - 2.6 India 143 52.6 - 2 128 54.6 - 1.1 120 55.7 0.5 119 55.2 0.6 Egypt 144 52.6 - 2.6 124 55.2 2.3 135 52.9 - 1.9 125 54.8 - 3.1 Sierra Leone 145 52.6 0.9 147 51.7 1.2 148 50.5 2.2 151 48.3 - 0.8 Myanmar 146 52.5 5.6 161 46.9 0.4 162 46.5 7.3 172 39.2 0.5 Vietnam 147 52.4 0.7 148 51.7 0.9 147 50.8 - 0.2 140 51 - 0.3 Uzbekistan 148 52.3 5.3 160 47 0.5 163 46.5 0.5 162 46 0.2 Malawi 149 52.9 - 1.9 126 54.8 - 0.6 124 55.4 0.1 118 55.3 - 1.1 Cameroon 150 51.8 - 0.1 146 51.9 - 0.7 136 52.6 0.3 133 52.3 0.5 Central African Republic 151 51.8 5.9 166 45.9 - 0.8 161 46.7 - 3.7 142 50.4 0.1 Papua New Guinea 152 50.9 - 2.2 137 53.1 - 0.8 132 53.9 0.3 130 53.6 - 0.2 Kiribati 153 50.9 4.5 164 46.4 0.1 164 46.3 0.4 163 45.9 - 1 Niger 154 50.8 - 3.8 127 54.6 - 0.5 127 55.1 1.2 128 53.9 - 0.4 Iran 155 50.5 8.7 171 41.8 1.5 173 40.3 - 2.9 168 43.2 0.9 Argentina 156 50.4 6.3 169 44.1 - 0.5 166 44.6 - 2.1 160 46.7 - 1.3 Maldives 157 50.3 - 3.1 134 53.4 2.4 145 51 149 49 - 0.2 Mozambique 158 49.9 - 4.9 125 54.8 - 0.2 128 55 0 123 55 - 2.1 Haiti 159 49.6 - 1.7 151 51.3 2.4 156 48.9 0.8 152 48.1 - 2.6 Ecuador 160 49.3 0.1 156 49.2 1.2 159 48 1.1 159 46.9 - 1.4 Liberia 161 49.1 - 3.6 141 52.7 0.3 138 52.4 3.1 147 49.3 0.7 Chad 162 49 3.1 165 45.9 1.4 167 44.5 - 0.7 164 45.2 0.4 Afghanistan 163 48.9 Angola 165 48.5 0.6 158 47.9 0.2 160 47.7 0.4 158 47.3 0.6 Ukraine 166 48.1 1.2 162 46.9 - 2.4 155 49.3 161 46.3 0.2 Suriname 167 48 - 6.2 129 54.2 0 130 54.2 2.2 135 52 - 0.6 Bolivia 168 47.7 0.9 163 46.8 - 1.6 158 48.4 0.5 156 47.9 - 2.3 Guinea 169 47.6 - 4.5 144 52.1 - 1.4 133 53.5 2.3 137 51.2 0.4 Turkmenistan 170 47.4 6 172 41.4 - 0.8 171 42.2 - 0.4 169 42.6 - 1.2 Djibouti 171 46.7 - 10.8 112 57.5 1.6 118 55.9 127 53.9 0 Algeria 172 46.5 - 2.4 157 48.9 - 1.9 146 50.8 1.2 145 49.6 - 1.4 Timor - Leste 173 46.3 0.8 167 45.5 2.3 170 43.2 - 0.5 166 43.7 0.4 Equatorial Guinea 174 45 4.6 173 40.4 - 4 168 44.4 2.1 170 42.3 - 0.5 Zimbabwe 175 44 6.4 175 37.6 2.1 176 35.5 6.9 175 28.6 2.3 Eritrea 176 42.2 3.3 174 38.9 0.4 174 38.5 2.2 173 36.3 0.1 Republic of the Congo 177 40 - 5 168 45 4.4 172 40.6 171 39.6 - 1.5 Cuba 178 33.9 4.3 177 29.6 0.9 177 28.7 0.2 176 28.5 0.2 Venezuela 179 27 - 7.3 176 34.3 - 2 175 36.3 0.2 174 36.1 - 2 North Korea 180 4.9 3.6 178 1.3 0.3 178 - 0.5 177 1.5 0.5 Yemen 133 53.7 - 1.8 123 55.5 - 0.4 113 55.9 0.6 Method ( old ) The Index 's 2008 definition of economic freedom is `` the highest form of economic freedom provides an absolute right of property ownership, fully realized freedoms of movement for labor, capital, and goods, and an absolute absence of coercion or constraint of economic liberty beyond the extent necessary for citizens to protect and maintain liberty itself. '' The index scores nations on ten factors of economic freedom, separated into four categories, using statistics from organizations like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, Economist Intelligence Unit and Transparency International. In each factor, countries are scored 0 to 100, with 0 being the least free and 100 the most free. A score of 100 signifies an economic environment or set of policies that is most conducive to economic freedom. The methodology has shifted and changed as new data and measurements have become available, especially in the area of Labor Freedom, which was given its own indicator spot in 2007. The following list explains what each factor currently assesses and groups them according to their respective category : Rule of Law Property Rights : Degree of a country 's legal protection of private property rights, degree of enforcement of those laws, independence of and corruption within the judiciary, and likelihood of expropriation. Freedom from Corruption : The non-prevalence of political corruption within a country, according to the Corruption Perceptions Index. Limited Government Fiscal Freedom : How free is a country from tax burden. It comprises three quantitative measures : top marginal tax rate of both individual ( 1 ) and corporate ( 2 ) income, and total tax burden as a percentage of GDP ( 3 ). Government Size / Spending : Governments ' expenditures as a percentage of GDP, including consumption and transfers. The higher the percentual spending, the lower the score. Regulatory Efficiency Business Freedom : A country 's freedom from the burden of regulations on starting, operating, and closing business, given factors such as time, cost and number of procedures, as well as the efficiency of government in the regulatory process. Labor Freedom : How free is a country from legal regulation on the labor market, including those relating to minimum wages, hiring and firing, hours of work and severance requirements. Monetary Freedom : How free from microeconomic intervention and price instability is a country, basing on an equation considering the weighted average inflation rate in the last three years and price controls. Open Markets Trade Freedom : Freedom from sizeable numbers and burdens of tariffs and non-tariff barriers to imports and exports of a country. Investment Freedom : Freedom from restrictions on the movement and use of investment capital, regardless of activity, within and across the country 's borders. Financial Freedom : A country 's independence from government control and interference in the financial sector, including banks. It considers government ownership of financial firms, extent of financial and capital market development, government influence on the allocation of credit and openness to foreign competition. Historical positions ( 1995 -- 2008 ) Country / Region 2008 2007 2006 2005 2003 2002 2000 1999 1998 1995 Hong Kong Ireland 10 11 11 13 27 20 Australia 7 9 8 10 11 8 5 5 7 9 10 8 United States 5 6 5 5 7 7 8 6 8 7 8 8 5 New Zealand 6 5 Canada 7 10 10 12 12 13 14 21 20 25 27 26 20 18 Chile 8 8 8 8 11 12 9 12 12 12 9 7 13 14 Switzerland 9 9 9 6 5 6 6 10 6 United Kingdom 10 7 6 7 9 9 7 7 6 5 5 7 Denmark 11 12 13 13 17 20 23 33 33 32 34 30 31 Estonia 12 11 15 14 10 8 10 9 24 13 15 24 38 26 Netherlands 13 15 16 18 14 14 14 16 21 57 24 20 23 Iceland 14 13 11 10 19 16 19 15 15 19 18 19 Luxembourg 15 14 12 11 6 5 5 5 7 15 13 12 15 Finland 16 16 17 21 16 15 16 27 50 54 55 39 47 Japan 17 18 18 36 50 34 39 23 19 27 21 21 14 6 Mauritius 18 32 35 35 51 52 33 45 36 20 Bahrain 19 24 23 22 13 11 12 11 11 8 6 6 6 5 Belgium 20 17 24 30 30 33 34 57 55 60 48 44 36 Barbados 21 27 20 24 28 23 17 20 27 37 33 46 53 Cyprus 22 20 21 20 15 19 20 22 35 33 29 27 30 Germany 23 22 25 28 27 26 25 29 43 40 52 29 25 17 The Bahamas 24 19 19 15 20 17 15 14 16 10 10 10 11 11 Taiwan 25 25 29 19 26 21 22 18 17 18 20 22 9 7 Lithuania 26 21 22 23 18 27 43 53 67 67 74 78 104 Sweden 27 33 27 27 24 24 24 43 47 51 53 53 55 41 Armenia 28 30 14 25 23 37 32 46 62 96 117 123 125 Trinidad and Tobago 29 23 26 17 21 29 26 19 13 16 17 16 24 Austria 30 26 30 34 32 35 36 37 31 53 43 40 26 16 Spain 31 28 32 31 29 28 29 36 41 45 62 68 65 34 Georgia 32 31 54 93 78 84 104 87 107 114 122 125 123 El Salvador 33 29 28 16 22 22 21 17 9 9 22 18 21 19 Norway 34 37 34 45 42 39 37 41 22 29 31 41 39 Slovakia 35 36 33 42 48 77 76 85 108 105 85 85 75 46 Botswana 36 35 31 26 25 30 42 42 42 59 60 72 56 57 Czech Republic 37 39 40 47 35 36 40 26 30 23 28 54 29 23 Latvia 38 38 37 39 33 44 52 44 57 50 56 57 86 Kuwait 39 41 41 48 55 43 46 35 25 24 38 42 35 Uruguay 40 34 43 33 37 25 30 24 28 30 26 31 46 37 Jump up ^ Special administrative region ( SAR ) of China since 1997 See also List of countries by economic freedom List of freedom indices Mary O'Grady, an editor of the Wall Street Journal and co-editor of the Index of Economic Freedom Gross National Happiness Bhutan GNH Index Happiness economics Corruption Perceptions Index Ease of doing business index References Jump up ^ `` Executive Summary '' ( PDF ). Index of Economic Freedom. 15 January 2008. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 27 February 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2008. ^ Jump up to : William Beach, Time Kane ( 15 January 2008 ). `` Methodology ; Measuring the 10 Economic Freedoms '' ( PDF ). Index of Economic Freedom. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 27 February 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2008. Jump up ^ Heritage - Country Rankings Jump up ^ Economic Freedom Index - Downloads Jump up ^ Methodology 2018 Index of Economic Freedom Book Jump up ^ Mary Anastasia O'Grady ( 15 January 2008 ). `` The Real Key to Development ''. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 4 February 2008. Jump up ^ Carl J. Schramm ( 15 January 2008 ). `` Chapter 1 Economic Fluidity : A Crucial Dimension of Economic Freedom '' ( PDF ). The Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 27 February 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2008. Jump up ^ `` In Pursuit of Happiness Research : Is It Reliable ? What Does It Imply for Policy ? '', Will Wilkinson, The Cato institute, Policy Analysis No. 590, 11 April 2007 Jump up ^ Ovaska Tomi, Takashima Ryo ( 2006 ). `` Economic policy and the level of self - perceived well - being : An international comparison ''. The Journal of Socio - Economics. 35 : 308 -- 325. doi : 10.1016 / j. socec. 2005.11. 054. Jump up ^ More Freedom = More Happiness Archived 29 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine., Public Issues, Libertad Desarrollo, No. 750, 23 January 2006, ISSN 0717 - 1528 Jump up ^ `` Chapter2 : Economic Freedom and Peace '' Archived 16 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine., Erik Gartzke, in Economic Freedom of the World : 2005 Annual Report, James Gwartney and Robert Lawson, Fraser Institute, 30 August 2005 Jump up ^ Barry Wood ( 15 January 2008 ). `` Economic Freedom Holding Steady, 14th Index of Economic Freedom Shows ''. PR Newswire. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2008. ^ Jump up to : `` Executive Highlights '' ( PDF ). The Heritage Foundation. The Heritage Foundation. 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2011. Jump up ^ Ed Feulner ( 22 January 2008 ). `` Football and economic freedom ''. IndyStar. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2008. Jump up ^ Miller, Terry ( 2011 ). `` The Limits of Government '' ( PDF ). Heritage.org. The Heritage Foundation. p. 13. Retrieved 20 February 2011. ^ Jump up to : `` Global economic freedom dipped last year, annual survey says ; Hong Kong remains world 's freest ''. Washington Post. Associated Press. 12 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012. Jump up ^ Edwin Feulner ( 17 January 2012 ). `` Still in top 10, but falling fast ''. The Washington Times. Retrieved 24 January 2012. Jump up ^ Edwin J. Feulner ( 12 January 2012 ). `` A Step Backward for Economic Freedom in 2012 ''. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 24 January 2012. Jump up ^ Adrian Karatnycky. Freedom in the World : The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties. Transaction Publishers. 2001. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7658 - 0101 - 2. p. 11 Jump up ^ `` Report on the Criteria and Methodology for Determining the Eligibility of Candidate Countries for Millennium Challenge Account Assistance during Fiscal Year 2008 '' ( PDF ). Millennium Challenge Corporation. 1 September 2007. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 27 February 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2008. Jump up ^ The End of Poverty : Economic Possibilities for our Time, Jeffrey Sachs, Penguin Books, 2005, ISBN 1 - 59420 - 045 - 9, pp. 320 -- 321. Jump up ^ `` UAE challenges its economic freedom ranking in paper by Heritage Foundation ''. Business Intelligence Middle East. 31 January 2008. Retrieved 31 January 2008. Jump up ^ Stefan Karlsson ( 21 January 2005 ). `` The Failings of the Economic Freedom Index ''. Mises Daily. Ludwig von Mises Institute. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2008. Jump up ^ `` Free, Free at Last '', John Miller, Dollars and Sense, No. 258, March / April 2005 Jump up ^ `` Laissez - faire Olympics, an LBO special report '', Left Business Observer, 26 March 2005 Jump up ^ `` 2017 IEF ( XLS ) table download ''. The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2017 - 02 - 01. Jump up ^ `` 2016 IEF ( XLS ) table download ''. The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2016 - 02 - 02. Jump up ^ `` 2015 IEF ( XLS ) table download ''. The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 02. Jump up ^ `` 2014 IEF ( XLS ) table download ''. The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2014 - 02 - 02. ^ Jump up to : `` Frequently Asked Questions ''. Index of Economic Freedom. 15 January 2008. Archived from the original on 23 January 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2008. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Index of Economic Freedom. Official website Index of Economic Freedom in the 50 States from the Mercatus Center List of Global Development Indexes and Rankings Lists of countries by political rankings Freedom Political Freedom in the World Democracy Ranking Press Freedom House Reporters Without Borders Economic Fraser Institute The Heritage Foundation / The Wall Street Journal Trade Corruption Bribes Corruption barometer Corruption perceptions Competitiveness Composite Index of National Capability History Empire size First human settlement Flag adoption date Formation date Geopolitical changes Rights Rule of Law Index Privacy Property rights Democracy Index Democracy - Dictatorship Index Gender Gap Index LGBT rights Other Discrimination and violence against minorities List of countries by Fragile States Index Government transparency Ease of Doing Business Index Environmental Performance Index Fragile States Index Good Country Index Globalization Index Global Peace Index Global Terrorism Index Global Liveability Ranking Prosperity Index Incarceration rate Political terror scale Global Slavery Index OECD Better Life Index Satisfaction with Life Index List of international rankings List of top international rankings by country Lists by country Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Index_of_Economic_Freedom&oldid=865813052 '' Categories : Economic indicators The Heritage Foundation International rankings Comparative economic systems Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Use dmy dates from March 2012 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Български Čeština Deutsch Español Esperanto Français 한국어 हिन्दी Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano Bahasa Melayu 日本 語 Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча Polski Português Русский Українська اردو Tiếng Việt 中文 13 more Edit links This page was last edited on 26 October 2018, at 09 : 48 ( UTC ). 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Question: india's rank in 2018 index of economic freedom
Answer: 54.5