Freedom in Latin America & Caribbean
27 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 Latin America & Caribbean
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | Uruguay 0.931 | Nicaragua 0.018 | 0.805 | 24 |
| Freedom of association | Costa Rica 0.922 | Cuba 0.022 | 0.837 | 24 |
| Civil liberties | Uruguay 0.932 | Nicaragua 0.077 | 0.812 | 24 |
| Freedom from political violence | Uruguay 0.977 | Nicaragua 0.059 | 0.811 | 24 |
| Equal protection of rights | Costa Rica 0.917 | Haiti 0.069 | 0.576 | 24 |
| Academic freedom | Jamaica 0.939 | Nicaragua 0.019 | 0.749 | 24 |
| Media censorship effort | Brazil 2.958 | Nicaragua -2.207 | 1.093 | 24 |
| Harassment of journalists | Uruguay 2.597 | Nicaragua -3.327 | 0.719 | 24 |
| Media self-censorship | Brazil 2.022 | Nicaragua -2.780 | 1.039 | 24 |
| Universal right to vote | Argentina 1.000 | Haiti 0.000 | 1.000 | 26 |
| Legal rights for women | Peru 95.0 | Haiti 61.3 | 84.7 | 26 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | Argentina 1.000 | Trinidad and Tobago 0.000 | 1.000 | 26 |
| Access to justice for women | Chile 1.000 | Venezuela 0.000 | 0.000 | 24 |
| Access to justice for men | Chile 1.000 | Venezuela 0.000 | 0.000 | 24 |
| Civil liberties score | Chile 57.0 | Cuba 9.0 | 39.5 | 26 |
| Political rights score | Uruguay 40.0 | Venezuela 0.0 | 29.5 | 26 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | Nicaragua 96.5% | Haiti 15.9% | 55.6% | 18 |
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | Panama 7.2% | El Salvador 21.8% | 15.0% | 14 |
| Government spending as a share of GDP | Guatemala 13.5% | Uruguay 36.5% | 22.5% | 13 |
| Foreign investment inflows | Suriname 45.1% | Trinidad and Tobago -3.1% | 2.4% | 18 |
| Regulatory quality | Chile 67.2 | Venezuela 24.8 | 51.6 | 27 |
| GDP per capita | Guyana $83.7K | Haiti $2,678 | $19.1K | 24 |
| GDP growth | Guyana 19.3% | Haiti -2.7% | 2.6% | 25 |
| Inflation | Haiti 28.6% | Panama -0.2% | 3.8% | 22 |
| Unemployment | Cuba 1.7% | Haiti 14.9% | 5.3% | 27 |
| Income inequality | Colombia 54.600 | Dominican Republic 38.400 | 44.400 | 14 |
| Extreme poverty | Uruguay 0.2% | Honduras 17.0% | 3.8% | 14 |
| Government debt | El Salvador 107.3% | Mexico 50.3% | 71.3% | 6 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | Chile 95.6% | Haiti 47.9% | 81.6% | 25 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | Uruguay 33.0 | Cuba 3.1 | 17.2 | 22 |
| Mobile subscriptions | El Salvador 176.5 | Honduras 70.9 | 117.1 | 22 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | Costa Rica 0.862 | Nicaragua 0.151 | 0.652 | 24 |
| Liberal democracy | Costa Rica 0.809 | Nicaragua 0.019 | 0.506 | 24 |
| Rule of law | Chile 0.951 | Nicaragua 0.008 | 0.571 | 24 |
| Judicial checks on government | Brazil 0.954 | Nicaragua 0.003 | 0.693 | 24 |
| Legislative checks on government | Chile 0.976 | Nicaragua 0.026 | 0.643 | 24 |
| Political corruption | Uruguay 0.055 | Venezuela 0.968 | 0.581 | 24 |
| Civil society participation | Trinidad and Tobago 0.907 | Cuba 0.094 | 0.758 | 24 |
| Women’s political empowerment | Jamaica 0.929 | Haiti 0.403 | 0.796 | 24 |
| Voice and accountability | Uruguay 78.3 | Venezuela 25.0 | 57.6 | 27 |
| Control of corruption | Uruguay 78.8 | Venezuela 15.7 | 40.2 | 27 |
| Government effectiveness | Chile 70.1 | Haiti 12.1 | 47.4 | 27 |
| Political stability | Uruguay 87.7 | Venezuela 36.2 | 66.0 | 27 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | Chile 0.878 | Haiti 0.554 | 0.776 | 26 |
| Life expectancy | Puerto Rico 81.9 | Haiti 65.1 | 74.7 | 27 |
| Adult literacy | Uruguay 98.9% | Guatemala 82.1% | 94.7% | 13 |
| Secondary school enrolment | Costa Rica 121.8% | Guatemala 49.6% | 90.5% | 19 |
| Government spending on education | Bolivia 7.9% | Haiti 1.0% | 3.8% | 20 |
| Health spending | Argentina 10.3% | Guyana 2.5% | 7.5% | 26 |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | Colombia 14.6% | Guatemala 57.2% | 27.4% | 26 |
| Maternal mortality | Chile 10.0 | Haiti 328.0 | 58.0 | 27 |
| Women in parliament | Cuba 55.7% | Belize 12.5% | 31.7% | 25 |
| Women in the workforce | Bolivia 72.9% | Puerto Rico 36.9% | 51.6% | 27 |
| Fertility rate | Haiti 2.63 | Puerto Rico 0.92 | 1.89 | 27 |
| Urban population | Uruguay 95.7% | Guyana 26.5% | 72.5% | 27 |
| Refugees who left | Puerto Rico 0.0 | Venezuela 1,303.2 | 27.7 | 27 |
| Population | Brazil 212.8M | Bahamas 403K | 10.9M | 27 |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | Haiti 0.30 | Trinidad and Tobago 19.58 | 2.57 | 27 |
| Renewable energy use | Haiti 76.7% | Trinidad and Tobago 0.5% | 24.2% | 27 |
| Access to electricity | Bahamas 100.0% | Haiti 53.9% | 99.0% | 27 |
Overlapping regions
These groupings share countries with Latin America & Caribbean. A country can belong to several at once — Turkey is in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Balkans and the Mediterranean.