Freedom in South Asia
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 South Asia
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | Sri Lanka 0.871 | Afghanistan 0.022 | 0.559 | 7 |
| Freedom of association | Nepal 0.868 | Afghanistan 0.023 | 0.586 | 7 |
| Civil liberties | Sri Lanka 0.816 | Afghanistan 0.041 | 0.628 | 7 |
| Freedom from political violence | Bhutan 0.834 | Afghanistan 0.065 | 0.582 | 7 |
| Equal protection of rights | Bhutan 0.772 | Afghanistan 0.027 | 0.408 | 7 |
| Academic freedom | Nepal 0.831 | Afghanistan 0.086 | 0.401 | 7 |
| Media censorship effort | Sri Lanka 1.961 | Afghanistan -2.547 | 0.614 | 7 |
| Harassment of journalists | Sri Lanka 2.776 | Afghanistan -2.044 | 0.429 | 7 |
| Media self-censorship | Sri Lanka 1.873 | Afghanistan -2.857 | 0.084 | 7 |
| Universal right to vote | Bhutan 1.000 | Bangladesh 0.000 | 1.000 | 7 |
| Legal rights for women | Nepal 80.6 | Afghanistan 31.9 | 65.6 | 7 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | Afghanistan 1.000 | Pakistan 0.000 | 1.000 | 7 |
| Access to justice for women | Afghanistan 0.000 | Pakistan 0.000 | 0.000 | 7 |
| Access to justice for men | Bhutan 1.000 | Pakistan 0.000 | 0.000 | 7 |
| Civil liberties score | Bhutan 36.0 | Afghanistan 7.0 | 31.0 | 7 |
| Political rights score | Bhutan 33.0 | Afghanistan 1.0 | 27.0 | 7 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | India 46.3% | Pakistan 27.2% | 41.8% | 5 |
| Government spending as a share of GDP | Sri Lanka 18.0% | Sri Lanka 18.0% | 18.0% | 1 |
| Foreign investment inflows | India 1.0% | Bangladesh 0.4% | 0.5% | 3 |
| Regulatory quality | Bhutan 53.4 | Afghanistan 30.6 | 46.2 | 7 |
| GDP per capita | Bhutan $16.7K | Nepal $5,277 | $9,358 | 6 |
| GDP growth | Bhutan 8.0% | Bangladesh 3.5% | 4.7% | 6 |
| Inflation | Bangladesh 8.8% | Sri Lanka -4.8% | 3.1% | 6 |
| Unemployment | Bhutan 3.2% | Afghanistan 13.4% | 4.2% | 7 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | Bhutan 91.3% | Afghanistan 16.1% | 54.6% | 7 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | Nepal 10.1 | Pakistan 1.5 | 5.6 | 6 |
| Mobile subscriptions | Sri Lanka 132.6 | Afghanistan 60.1 | 99.8 | 7 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | Sri Lanka 0.783 | Afghanistan 0.069 | 0.377 | 7 |
| Liberal democracy | Sri Lanka 0.613 | Afghanistan 0.018 | 0.260 | 7 |
| Rule of law | Bhutan 0.871 | Afghanistan 0.084 | 0.397 | 7 |
| Judicial checks on government | Sri Lanka 0.912 | Afghanistan 0.143 | 0.667 | 7 |
| Legislative checks on government | Bhutan 0.833 | Pakistan 0.424 | 0.599 | 5 |
| Political corruption | Bhutan 0.148 | Pakistan 0.802 | 0.684 | 7 |
| Civil society participation | Nepal 0.858 | Afghanistan 0.043 | 0.694 | 7 |
| Women’s political empowerment | Nepal 0.792 | Afghanistan 0.028 | 0.658 | 7 |
| Voice and accountability | Bhutan 63.9 | Afghanistan 19.2 | 54.6 | 7 |
| Control of corruption | Bhutan 77.7 | Afghanistan 21.4 | 35.1 | 7 |
| Government effectiveness | Bhutan 62.6 | Afghanistan 13.7 | 39.7 | 7 |
| Political stability | Bhutan 89.0 | Afghanistan 28.2 | 52.5 | 7 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | Sri Lanka 0.776 | Afghanistan 0.496 | 0.685 | 7 |
| Life expectancy | Sri Lanka 77.7 | Afghanistan 66.3 | 72.2 | 7 |
| Adult literacy | Sri Lanka 92.7% | India 78.2% | 85.5% | 2 |
| Secondary school enrolment | Nepal 90.4% | Pakistan 48.3% | 78.1% | 5 |
| Government spending on education | Bhutan 5.8% | Sri Lanka 1.8% | 2.2% | 5 |
| Health spending | Afghanistan 15.0% | Bangladesh 2.2% | 3.7% | 7 |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | Bhutan 25.5% | Bangladesh 79.3% | 54.8% | 7 |
| Maternal mortality | Sri Lanka 18.0 | Afghanistan 521.0 | 115.0 | 7 |
| Women in parliament | Pakistan 17.0% | Bhutan 4.3% | 11.8% | 4 |
| Women in the workforce | Bhutan 56.7% | Afghanistan 5.1% | 31.0% | 7 |
| Fertility rate | Afghanistan 4.76 | Bhutan 1.45 | 1.96 | 7 |
| Urban population | Nepal 67.0% | Sri Lanka 20.5% | 35.7% | 7 |
| Refugees who left | India 2.7 | Afghanistan 13,521.0 | 34.3 | 7 |
| Population | India 1.5B | Bhutan 796.7K | 43.8M | 7 |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | Afghanistan 0.28 | India 2.17 | 0.81 | 7 |
| Renewable energy use | Bhutan 81.8% | Afghanistan 20.0% | 41.6% | 7 |
| Access to electricity | Bhutan 100.0% | Afghanistan 87.8% | 99.5% | 7 |
Overlapping regions
These groupings share countries with South Asia. A country can belong to several at once — Turkey is in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Balkans and the Mediterranean.