Freedom in Middle East & North Africa
19 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 Middle East & North Africa
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | Israel 0.822 | Qatar 0.055 | 0.367 | 17 |
| Freedom of association | Israel 0.758 | Saudi Arabia 0.026 | 0.290 | 17 |
| Civil liberties | Israel 0.787 | Saudi Arabia 0.178 | 0.424 | 17 |
| Freedom from political violence | Morocco 0.823 | Yemen 0.121 | 0.633 | 17 |
| Equal protection of rights | Israel 0.840 | Yemen 0.086 | 0.560 | 17 |
| Academic freedom | Israel 0.840 | Iran 0.060 | 0.215 | 17 |
| Media censorship effort | Tunisia 1.088 | Egypt -1.938 | -0.740 | 17 |
| Harassment of journalists | Israel 1.665 | United Arab Emirates -2.538 | -0.605 | 17 |
| Media self-censorship | Lebanon 1.068 | Qatar -2.656 | -0.755 | 17 |
| Universal right to vote | Algeria 1.000 | Yemen 0.000 | 0.000 | 18 |
| Legal rights for women | United Arab Emirates 82.5 | Palestine 26.3 | 50.3 | 18 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | United Arab Emirates 1.000 | Yemen 0.000 | 1.000 | 18 |
| Access to justice for women | Morocco 1.000 | Yemen 0.000 | 0.000 | 17 |
| Access to justice for men | Jordan 1.000 | Yemen 0.000 | 0.000 | 17 |
| Civil liberties score | Israel 39.0 | Iran 6.0 | 16.5 | 18 |
| Political rights score | Israel 34.0 | Western Sahara -3.0 | 6.5 | 18 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | Libya 137.7% | Algeria 39.0% | 60.2% | 9 |
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | United Arab Emirates 0.6% | Israel 23.2% | 9.6% | 4 |
| Government spending as a share of GDP | United Arab Emirates 3.8% | Israel 37.3% | 25.9% | 5 |
| Foreign investment inflows | Israel 4.3% | Kuwait 0.3% | 1.9% | 7 |
| Regulatory quality | United Arab Emirates 72.6 | Syria 23.4 | 48.1 | 18 |
| GDP per capita | Qatar $110.1K | Palestine $4,273 | $16.4K | 14 |
| GDP growth | Libya 13.4% | Iran -2.8% | 2.9% | 14 |
| Inflation | Iran 42.2% | Iraq 0.3% | 2.1% | 15 |
| Unemployment | Qatar 0.1% | Libya 18.8% | 8.7% | 16 |
| Income inequality | Palestine 36.400 | Iraq 29.800 | 35.900 | 3 |
| Extreme poverty | Iraq 0.5% | Iran 2.5% | 2.1% | 3 |
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% | Egypt 74.6% | 88.2% | 15 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | Saudi Arabia 44.1 | Jordan 7.0 | 12.1 | 13 |
| Mobile subscriptions | United Arab Emirates 203.2 | Jordan 69.6 | 120.6 | 13 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | Israel 0.694 | Saudi Arabia 0.016 | 0.187 | 17 |
| Liberal democracy | Israel 0.588 | Yemen 0.043 | 0.126 | 17 |
| Rule of law | Israel 0.889 | Yemen 0.065 | 0.396 | 17 |
| Judicial checks on government | Israel 0.857 | Iran 0.116 | 0.435 | 17 |
| Legislative checks on government | Israel 0.876 | Saudi Arabia 0.045 | 0.453 | 15 |
| Political corruption | United Arab Emirates 0.105 | Yemen 0.902 | 0.619 | 17 |
| Civil society participation | Lebanon 0.811 | Iran 0.154 | 0.347 | 17 |
| Women’s political empowerment | Israel 0.862 | Yemen 0.161 | 0.547 | 17 |
| Voice and accountability | Israel 62.0 | Syria 24.5 | 39.6 | 18 |
| Control of corruption | United Arab Emirates 71.5 | Syria 13.4 | 36.8 | 18 |
| Government effectiveness | United Arab Emirates 75.8 | Yemen 14.9 | 48.1 | 18 |
| Political stability | Qatar 82.1 | Yemen 18.9 | 49.6 | 18 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | United Arab Emirates 0.940 | Yemen 0.470 | 0.754 | 18 |
| Life expectancy | Kuwait 84.6 | Palestine 69.2 | 77.3 | 18 |
| Adult literacy | United Arab Emirates 98.8% | Jordan 94.4% | 97.9% | 4 |
| Secondary school enrolment | Saudi Arabia 110.7% | Syria 38.7% | 95.1% | 11 |
| Government spending on education | Tunisia 6.7% | Lebanon 1.5% | 4.8% | 8 |
| Health spending | Palestine 10.7% | Qatar 2.5% | 5.6% | 18 |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | Oman 6.3% | Syria 72.4% | 35.9% | 18 |
| Maternal mortality | Israel 2.0 | Yemen 118.0 | 16.5 | 18 |
| Women in parliament | United Arab Emirates 50.0% | Yemen 0.0% | 16.1% | 16 |
| Women in the workforce | Israel 62.3% | Yemen 4.7% | 23.1% | 16 |
| Fertility rate | Yemen 4.50 | United Arab Emirates 1.21 | 2.41 | 18 |
| Urban population | Kuwait 100.0% | Yemen 37.0% | 82.0% | 18 |
| Refugees who left | Qatar 2.1 | Western Sahara 29,564.0 | 43.2 | 19 |
| Population | Egypt 118.4M | Qatar 3M | 11.9M | 18 |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | Yemen 0.26 | Qatar 47.33 | 5.18 | 17 |
| Renewable energy use | Palestine 15.4% | Qatar 0.0% | 2.1% | 18 |
| Access to electricity | United Arab Emirates 100.0% | Libya 77.4% | 100.0% | 18 |
Overlapping regions
These groupings share countries with Middle East & North Africa. A country can belong to several at once — Turkey is in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Balkans and the Mediterranean.