Freedom in Balkans
12 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 Balkans
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | Montenegro 0.853 | Turkey 0.179 | 0.691 | 11 |
| Freedom of association | Montenegro 0.868 | Turkey 0.565 | 0.801 | 11 |
| Civil liberties | Croatia 0.886 | Turkey 0.402 | 0.872 | 11 |
| Freedom from political violence | Slovenia 0.973 | Turkey 0.499 | 0.911 | 11 |
| Equal protection of rights | Slovenia 0.885 | Turkey 0.565 | 0.713 | 11 |
| Academic freedom | Slovenia 0.937 | Turkey 0.088 | 0.754 | 11 |
| Media censorship effort | Montenegro 1.895 | Turkey -1.995 | 0.288 | 11 |
| Harassment of journalists | Greece 1.485 | Turkey -1.053 | 0.994 | 11 |
| Media self-censorship | Greece 1.235 | Turkey -1.141 | 0.361 | 11 |
| Universal right to vote | Albania 1.000 | Turkey 1.000 | 1.000 | 11 |
| Legal rights for women | Greece 100.0 | Turkey 82.5 | 90.6 | 11 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | Albania 1.000 | Turkey 1.000 | 1.000 | 11 |
| Access to justice for women | Albania 1.000 | Turkey 0.000 | 0.000 | 11 |
| Access to justice for men | Albania 1.000 | Turkey 0.000 | 0.000 | 11 |
| Civil liberties score | Slovenia 58.0 | Turkey 16.0 | 42.0 | 11 |
| Political rights score | Slovenia 39.0 | Turkey 16.0 | 28.0 | 11 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | Slovenia 151.9% | Turkey 49.9% | 101.8% | 12 |
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | Romania 16.2% | Greece 27.4% | 19.5% | 8 |
| Government spending as a share of GDP | Albania 25.4% | Greece 47.3% | 35.5% | 8 |
| Foreign investment inflows | Kosovo 10.0% | Romania 2.2% | 3.7% | 9 |
| Regulatory quality | Slovenia 67.5 | Bosnia and Herzegovina 49.3 | 58.0 | 12 |
| GDP per capita | Slovenia $49.1K | Kosovo $16.5K | $32.1K | 12 |
| GDP growth | Albania 3.8% | Romania 0.7% | 2.9% | 12 |
| Inflation | Turkey 34.9% | Albania 2.1% | 3.9% | 11 |
| Unemployment | Slovenia 3.2% | Montenegro 13.6% | 8.5% | 11 |
| Income inequality | Turkey 43.700 | Slovenia 24.700 | 32.800 | 7 |
| Extreme poverty | Slovenia 0.0% | Serbia 1.1% | 0.6% | 7 |
| Government debt | Albania 50.0% | Turkey 26.6% | 39.7% | 3 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | North Macedonia 93.6% | Bulgaria 82.4% | 87.3% | 11 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | Greece 44.7 | Turkey 23.4 | 31.1 | 10 |
| Mobile subscriptions | Montenegro 221.7 | Albania 89.1 | 119.8 | 11 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | Greece 0.741 | Turkey 0.293 | 0.599 | 11 |
| Liberal democracy | Croatia 0.593 | Turkey 0.110 | 0.464 | 11 |
| Rule of law | Slovenia 0.900 | Turkey 0.157 | 0.592 | 11 |
| Judicial checks on government | Croatia 0.859 | Turkey 0.202 | 0.715 | 11 |
| Legislative checks on government | Bulgaria 0.900 | Turkey 0.133 | 0.653 | 11 |
| Political corruption | Slovenia 0.078 | Turkey 0.804 | 0.624 | 11 |
| Civil society participation | Slovenia 0.907 | Turkey 0.355 | 0.662 | 11 |
| Women’s political empowerment | Slovenia 0.940 | Turkey 0.558 | 0.872 | 11 |
| Voice and accountability | Slovenia 75.4 | Turkey 37.7 | 60.1 | 12 |
| Control of corruption | Slovenia 61.5 | Turkey 36.5 | 42.8 | 12 |
| Government effectiveness | Slovenia 72.5 | Bosnia and Herzegovina 39.0 | 54.2 | 12 |
| Political stability | Slovenia 78.2 | Turkey 49.3 | 67.4 | 12 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | Slovenia 0.931 | Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.804 | 0.845 | 11 |
| Life expectancy | Slovenia 82.3 | Bulgaria 75.8 | 78.0 | 12 |
| Secondary school enrolment | Albania 108.4% | Serbia 89.8% | 94.8% | 3 |
| Government spending on education | Serbia 3.4% | Albania 3.1% | 3.2% | 3 |
| Health spending | Montenegro 9.7% | Turkey 4.3% | 7.9% | 11 |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | Croatia 9.4% | Albania 48.3% | 31.0% | 11 |
| Maternal mortality | Croatia 3.0 | Turkey 15.0 | 6.0 | 11 |
| Women in parliament | North Macedonia 39.2% | Bosnia and Herzegovina 19.0% | 27.2% | 11 |
| Women in the workforce | Albania 58.6% | Turkey 37.1% | 47.4% | 11 |
| Fertility rate | Montenegro 1.80 | Greece 1.24 | 1.49 | 12 |
| Urban population | Turkey 89.5% | Kosovo 50.9% | 60.8% | 12 |
| Refugees who left | Slovenia 0.8 | Bosnia and Herzegovina 847.6 | 115.0 | 10 |
| Population | Turkey 85.9M | Montenegro 623.1K | 3.5M | 12 |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | Albania 1.79 | Bosnia and Herzegovina 6.45 | 5.05 | 9 |
| Renewable energy use | Albania 41.9% | Turkey 12.0% | 23.6% | 11 |
| Access to electricity | Albania 100.0% | Turkey 100.0% | 100.0% | 11 |
Overlapping regions
These groupings share countries with Balkans. A country can belong to several at once — Turkey is in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Balkans and the Mediterranean.