Freedom in Asia-Pacific
30 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-Pacific
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | Vietnam 190.3% | Pakistan 27.2% | 56.5% | 16 |
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | China 7.0% | New Zealand 29.5% | 15.4% | 10 |
| Government spending as a share of GDP | Cambodia 13.0% | South Korea 28.3% | 20.3% | 9 |
| Foreign investment inflows | Timor-Leste 13.3% | Bangladesh 0.4% | 1.2% | 14 |
| Regulatory quality | New Zealand 84.0 | North Korea 25.3 | 52.0 | 28 |
| GDP per capita | Brunei $79K | Solomon Islands $2,382 | $14.3K | 26 |
| GDP growth | Vietnam 8.0% | Myanmar -2.0% | 4.4% | 26 |
| Inflation | Bangladesh 8.8% | Sri Lanka -4.8% | 2.4% | 25 |
| Unemployment | Cambodia 0.3% | Afghanistan 13.4% | 3.8% | 29 |
| Income inequality | Philippines 39.300 | Thailand 33.500 | 36.100 | 3 |
| Extreme poverty | Thailand 0.0% | Indonesia 6.7% | 5.3% | 3 |
| Government debt | Malaysia 64.6% | Solomon Islands 26.0% | 52.0% | 7 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | Malaysia 98.0% | Afghanistan 16.1% | 73.7% | 24 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | South Korea 47.8 | Timor-Leste 0.0 | 8.1 | 23 |
| Mobile subscriptions | Fiji 574.2 | Papua New Guinea 38.8 | 116.4 | 23 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | New Zealand 0.849 | Afghanistan 0.069 | 0.486 | 28 |
| Liberal democracy | Australia 0.793 | North Korea 0.014 | 0.370 | 28 |
| Rule of law | Australia 0.990 | North Korea 0.033 | 0.497 | 28 |
| Judicial checks on government | Australia 0.988 | North Korea 0.003 | 0.726 | 28 |
| Legislative checks on government | South Korea 0.942 | Cambodia 0.054 | 0.710 | 25 |
| Political corruption | New Zealand 0.014 | Cambodia 0.904 | 0.582 | 28 |
| Civil society participation | Taiwan 0.929 | North Korea 0.028 | 0.689 | 28 |
| Women’s political empowerment | New Zealand 0.937 | Afghanistan 0.028 | 0.702 | 28 |
| Voice and accountability | New Zealand 86.4 | Afghanistan 19.2 | 54.6 | 29 |
| Control of corruption | New Zealand 86.9 | North Korea 16.3 | 40.2 | 29 |
| Government effectiveness | Japan 91.9 | Afghanistan 13.7 | 47.8 | 28 |
| Political stability | Bhutan 89.0 | Afghanistan 28.2 | 71.4 | 29 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | Australia 0.958 | Afghanistan 0.496 | 0.720 | 27 |
| Life expectancy | Japan 84.0 | Papua New Guinea 66.3 | 72.4 | 29 |
| Adult literacy | Mongolia 98.6% | India 78.2% | 92.7% | 3 |
| Secondary school enrolment | Australia 131.9% | Pakistan 48.3% | 86.2% | 15 |
| Government spending on education | Solomon Islands 8.3% | Papua New Guinea 0.8% | 3.6% | 19 |
| Health spending | Afghanistan 15.0% | Laos 1.3% | 4.5% | 27 |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | Solomon Islands 3.2% | Bangladesh 79.3% | 32.2% | 27 |
| Maternal mortality | Australia 2.0 | Afghanistan 521.0 | 73.5 | 28 |
| Women in parliament | Australia 46.0% | Vanuatu 1.9% | 17.3% | 24 |
| Women in the workforce | Solomon Islands 82.3% | Afghanistan 5.1% | 53.7% | 29 |
| Fertility rate | Afghanistan 4.76 | South Korea 0.75 | 1.96 | 29 |
| Urban population | Japan 92.3% | Papua New Guinea 15.8% | 55.8% | 29 |
| Refugees who left | Brunei 0.0 | Afghanistan 13,521.0 | 4.8 | 29 |
| Population | India 1.5B | New Caledonia 295.3K | 27.6M | 29 |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | Afghanistan 0.28 | Brunei 20.24 | 2.17 | 29 |
| Renewable energy use | Bhutan 81.8% | Brunei 0.0% | 24.6% | 29 |
| Access to electricity | Australia 100.0% | Papua New Guinea 43.3% | 99.5% | 29 |
Overlapping regions
These groupings share countries with Asia-Pacific. A country can belong to several at once — Turkey is in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Balkans and the Mediterranean.