Freedom in Caribbean
7 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 Caribbean
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | Jamaica 0.919 | Cuba 0.074 | 0.888 | 5 |
| Freedom of association | Trinidad and Tobago 0.883 | Cuba 0.022 | 0.876 | 5 |
| Civil liberties | Trinidad and Tobago 0.888 | Cuba 0.302 | 0.874 | 5 |
| Freedom from political violence | Trinidad and Tobago 0.897 | Cuba 0.512 | 0.812 | 5 |
| Equal protection of rights | Jamaica 0.837 | Haiti 0.069 | 0.678 | 5 |
| Academic freedom | Jamaica 0.939 | Cuba 0.084 | 0.866 | 5 |
| Media censorship effort | Jamaica 2.161 | Cuba -2.048 | 1.839 | 5 |
| Harassment of journalists | Trinidad and Tobago 2.563 | Cuba -1.233 | 1.585 | 5 |
| Media self-censorship | Haiti 1.399 | Cuba -2.340 | 1.037 | 5 |
| Universal right to vote | Bahamas 1.000 | Haiti 0.000 | 1.000 | 6 |
| Legal rights for women | Dominican Republic 86.3 | Haiti 61.3 | 78.1 | 6 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | Bahamas 1.000 | Trinidad and Tobago 0.000 | 1.000 | 6 |
| Access to justice for women | Trinidad and Tobago 1.000 | Jamaica 0.000 | 0.000 | 5 |
| Access to justice for men | Trinidad and Tobago 1.000 | Jamaica 0.000 | 0.000 | 5 |
| Civil liberties score | Bahamas 52.0 | Cuba 9.0 | 43.5 | 6 |
| Political rights score | Bahamas 38.0 | Cuba 0.0 | 30.5 | 6 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | Puerto Rico 90.5% | Haiti 15.9% | 51.5% | 3 |
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | Dominican Republic 14.7% | Bahamas 17.3% | 16.0% | 2 |
| Government spending as a share of GDP | Dominican Republic 18.1% | Bahamas 20.3% | 19.2% | 2 |
| Foreign investment inflows | Dominican Republic 3.9% | Trinidad and Tobago -3.1% | 0.4% | 2 |
| Regulatory quality | Puerto Rico 65.2 | Haiti 31.8 | 53.2 | 7 |
| GDP per capita | Puerto Rico $44.6K | Haiti $2,678 | $24.5K | 5 |
| GDP growth | Dominican Republic 2.1% | Haiti -2.7% | 0.1% | 5 |
| Inflation | Haiti 28.6% | Trinidad and Tobago 1.0% | 3.9% | 4 |
| Unemployment | Cuba 1.7% | Haiti 14.9% | 5.1% | 7 |
| Income inequality | Dominican Republic 38.400 | Dominican Republic 38.400 | 38.400 | 1 |
| Extreme poverty | Dominican Republic 1.3% | Dominican Republic 1.3% | 1.3% | 1 |
| Government debt | Bahamas 71.5% | Bahamas 71.5% | 71.5% | 1 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | Bahamas 92.5% | Haiti 47.9% | 86.1% | 6 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | Puerto Rico 28.0 | Cuba 3.1 | 20.6 | 6 |
| Mobile subscriptions | Puerto Rico 126.4 | Cuba 72.9 | 107.2 | 6 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | Jamaica 0.805 | Cuba 0.176 | 0.735 | 5 |
| Liberal democracy | Jamaica 0.679 | Cuba 0.057 | 0.505 | 5 |
| Rule of law | Trinidad and Tobago 0.886 | Cuba 0.123 | 0.564 | 5 |
| Judicial checks on government | Jamaica 0.880 | Cuba 0.089 | 0.749 | 5 |
| Legislative checks on government | Trinidad and Tobago 0.849 | Cuba 0.095 | 0.400 | 5 |
| Political corruption | Trinidad and Tobago 0.100 | Haiti 0.786 | 0.588 | 5 |
| Civil society participation | Trinidad and Tobago 0.907 | Cuba 0.094 | 0.777 | 5 |
| Women’s political empowerment | Jamaica 0.929 | Haiti 0.403 | 0.825 | 5 |
| Voice and accountability | Bahamas 66.5 | Cuba 34.6 | 63.5 | 7 |
| Control of corruption | Bahamas 72.8 | Haiti 16.7 | 43.3 | 7 |
| Government effectiveness | Bahamas 65.1 | Haiti 12.1 | 52.8 | 7 |
| Political stability | Bahamas 83.8 | Haiti 45.4 | 73.4 | 7 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | Bahamas 0.820 | Haiti 0.554 | 0.769 | 6 |
| Life expectancy | Puerto Rico 81.9 | Haiti 65.1 | 73.9 | 7 |
| Adult literacy | Dominican Republic 94.0% | Dominican Republic 94.0% | 94.0% | 1 |
| Secondary school enrolment | Trinidad and Tobago 95.7% | Dominican Republic 76.4% | 83.0% | 6 |
| Government spending on education | Jamaica 5.7% | Haiti 1.0% | 3.5% | 6 |
| Health spending | Cuba 9.4% | Haiti 3.2% | 6.9% | 6 |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | Cuba 16.6% | Haiti 52.4% | 26.3% | 6 |
| Maternal mortality | Puerto Rico 11.0 | Haiti 328.0 | 76.0 | 7 |
| Women in parliament | Cuba 55.7% | Bahamas 18.4% | 30.2% | 5 |
| Women in the workforce | Bahamas 70.7% | Puerto Rico 36.9% | 53.7% | 7 |
| Fertility rate | Haiti 2.63 | Puerto Rico 0.92 | 1.45 | 7 |
| Urban population | Puerto Rico 94.3% | Trinidad and Tobago 54.0% | 72.5% | 7 |
| Refugees who left | Puerto Rico 0.0 | Haiti 1,259.3 | 89.9 | 7 |
| Population | Haiti 11.9M | Bahamas 403K | 3.2M | 7 |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | Haiti 0.30 | Trinidad and Tobago 19.58 | 2.99 | 7 |
| Renewable energy use | Haiti 76.7% | Trinidad and Tobago 0.5% | 10.5% | 7 |
| Access to electricity | Bahamas 100.0% | Haiti 53.9% | 100.0% | 7 |
Overlapping regions
These groupings share countries with Caribbean. A country can belong to several at once — Turkey is in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Balkans and the Mediterranean.