Freedom in Asia
46 countries and territories, on every statistic this site carries. Each row shows the region’s best and worst on that measure and the median between them.
Countries in Asia
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | South Korea 0.933 | North Korea 0.013 | 0.464 | 44 |
| Freedom of association | Japan 0.924 | Afghanistan 0.023 | 0.417 | 44 |
| Civil liberties | Taiwan 0.930 | North Korea 0.024 | 0.478 | 44 |
| Freedom from political violence | Taiwan 0.971 | North Korea 0.053 | 0.522 | 44 |
| Equal protection of rights | Japan 0.978 | Afghanistan 0.027 | 0.518 | 44 |
| Academic freedom | South Korea 0.850 | Myanmar 0.023 | 0.258 | 44 |
| Media censorship effort | Sri Lanka 1.961 | Myanmar -2.954 | -0.447 | 44 |
| Harassment of journalists | Sri Lanka 2.776 | Myanmar -2.745 | -0.556 | 44 |
| Media self-censorship | Sri Lanka 1.873 | North Korea -2.927 | -0.323 | 44 |
| Universal right to vote | Armenia 1.000 | Yemen 0.000 | 1.000 | 45 |
| Legal rights for women | Armenia 90.6 | Palestine 26.3 | 75.0 | 43 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | Afghanistan 1.000 | Yemen 0.000 | 1.000 | 43 |
| Access to justice for women | Armenia 1.000 | Yemen 0.000 | 0.000 | 44 |
| Access to justice for men | Armenia 1.000 | Yemen 0.000 | 0.000 | 44 |
| Civil liberties score | Japan 56.0 | Turkmenistan 1.0 | 20.0 | 45 |
| Political rights score | Japan 40.0 | Syria -2.0 | 7.0 | 45 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | Vietnam 190.3% | Pakistan 27.2% | 60.2% | 27 |
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | United Arab Emirates 0.6% | Georgia 24.3% | 14.4% | 17 |
| Government spending as a share of GDP | United Arab Emirates 3.8% | Israel 37.3% | 21.6% | 18 |
| Foreign investment inflows | Timor-Leste 13.3% | Kazakhstan -0.3% | 1.2% | 24 |
| Regulatory quality | Japan 75.8 | Syria 23.4 | 51.5 | 45 |
| GDP per capita | Qatar $110.1K | Timor-Leste $4,110 | $16.8K | 39 |
| GDP growth | Kyrgyzstan 11.1% | Iran -2.8% | 4.4% | 39 |
| Inflation | Iran 42.2% | Sri Lanka -4.8% | 3.0% | 37 |
| Unemployment | Qatar 0.1% | Yemen 17.3% | 3.8% | 43 |
| Income inequality | Turkey 43.700 | Kyrgyzstan 27.200 | 34.800 | 13 |
| Extreme poverty | Thailand 0.0% | Tajikistan 7.3% | 2.5% | 13 |
| Government debt | Malaysia 64.6% | Russia 17.9% | 43.3% | 9 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | United Arab Emirates 100.0% | Afghanistan 16.1% | 86.4% | 38 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | South Korea 47.8 | Timor-Leste 0.0 | 13.5 | 35 |
| Mobile subscriptions | United Arab Emirates 203.2 | Afghanistan 60.1 | 119.4 | 36 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | Japan 0.819 | Saudi Arabia 0.016 | 0.271 | 44 |
| Liberal democracy | South Korea 0.739 | North Korea 0.014 | 0.136 | 44 |
| Rule of law | Japan 0.956 | North Korea 0.033 | 0.350 | 44 |
| Judicial checks on government | Sri Lanka 0.912 | North Korea 0.003 | 0.434 | 44 |
| Legislative checks on government | South Korea 0.942 | Saudi Arabia 0.045 | 0.466 | 39 |
| Political corruption | Japan 0.050 | Cambodia 0.904 | 0.677 | 44 |
| Civil society participation | Taiwan 0.929 | North Korea 0.028 | 0.513 | 44 |
| Women’s political empowerment | Taiwan 0.903 | Afghanistan 0.028 | 0.629 | 44 |
| Voice and accountability | Japan 76.4 | Afghanistan 19.2 | 41.3 | 45 |
| Control of corruption | Bhutan 77.7 | Syria 13.4 | 36.8 | 45 |
| Government effectiveness | Japan 91.9 | Afghanistan 13.7 | 48.5 | 45 |
| Political stability | Bhutan 89.0 | Yemen 18.9 | 59.9 | 45 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | United Arab Emirates 0.940 | Yemen 0.470 | 0.759 | 44 |
| Life expectancy | Kuwait 84.6 | Afghanistan 66.3 | 74.5 | 45 |
| Adult literacy | Georgia 99.7% | India 78.2% | 97.9% | 8 |
| Secondary school enrolment | Saudi Arabia 110.7% | Syria 38.7% | 91.2% | 28 |
| Government spending on education | Kyrgyzstan 6.8% | Laos 1.2% | 3.6% | 28 |
| Health spending | Afghanistan 15.0% | Laos 1.3% | 5.0% | 44 |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | Oman 6.3% | Armenia 80.5% | 42.2% | 44 |
| Maternal mortality | Israel 2.0 | Afghanistan 521.0 | 26.0 | 45 |
| Women in parliament | United Arab Emirates 50.0% | Yemen 0.0% | 19.6% | 39 |
| Women in the workforce | North Korea 77.7% | Yemen 4.7% | 51.1% | 43 |
| Fertility rate | Afghanistan 4.76 | South Korea 0.75 | 2.10 | 45 |
| Urban population | Kuwait 100.0% | Sri Lanka 20.5% | 64.2% | 45 |
| Refugees who left | Brunei 0.0 | Syria 24,124.0 | 34.4 | 45 |
| Population | India 1.5B | Brunei 466.3K | 25.6M | 45 |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | Yemen 0.26 | Qatar 47.33 | 3.67 | 44 |
| Renewable energy use | Bhutan 81.8% | Qatar 0.0% | 11.5% | 45 |
| Access to electricity | United Arab Emirates 100.0% | North Korea 61.4% | 100.0% | 45 |
Overlapping regions
These groupings share countries with Asia. A country can belong to several at once — Turkey is in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Balkans and the Mediterranean.