Freedom in Southeast Asia
10 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 Southeast Asia
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | Timor-Leste 0.838 | Myanmar 0.026 | 0.586 | 9 |
| Freedom of association | Timor-Leste 0.844 | Vietnam 0.024 | 0.638 | 9 |
| Civil liberties | Timor-Leste 0.873 | Myanmar 0.102 | 0.478 | 9 |
| Freedom from political violence | Timor-Leste 0.951 | Myanmar 0.099 | 0.344 | 9 |
| Equal protection of rights | Timor-Leste 0.647 | Cambodia 0.067 | 0.300 | 9 |
| Academic freedom | Timor-Leste 0.731 | Myanmar 0.023 | 0.289 | 9 |
| Media censorship effort | Timor-Leste 1.187 | Myanmar -2.954 | -0.505 | 9 |
| Harassment of journalists | Timor-Leste 1.242 | Myanmar -2.745 | -0.539 | 9 |
| Media self-censorship | Indonesia 1.029 | Laos -2.671 | -0.266 | 9 |
| Universal right to vote | Indonesia 1.000 | Myanmar 0.000 | 1.000 | 10 |
| Legal rights for women | Vietnam 88.1 | Brunei 53.1 | 78.4 | 10 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | Brunei 1.000 | Philippines 0.000 | 1.000 | 10 |
| Access to justice for women | Indonesia 0.000 | Vietnam 0.000 | 0.000 | 9 |
| Access to justice for men | Indonesia 0.000 | Vietnam 0.000 | 0.000 | 9 |
| Civil liberties score | Timor-Leste 40.0 | Myanmar 6.0 | 21.0 | 10 |
| Political rights score | Timor-Leste 33.0 | Myanmar -2.0 | 9.0 | 10 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | Vietnam 190.3% | Indonesia 43.4% | 136.1% | 7 |
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | Malaysia 12.4% | Thailand 15.2% | 14.4% | 3 |
| Government spending as a share of GDP | Cambodia 13.0% | Thailand 20.7% | 16.9% | 4 |
| Foreign investment inflows | Timor-Leste 13.3% | Brunei 0.4% | 2.4% | 6 |
| Regulatory quality | Brunei 68.9 | Myanmar 32.5 | 53.4 | 10 |
| GDP per capita | Brunei $79K | Timor-Leste $4,110 | $12.9K | 10 |
| GDP growth | Vietnam 8.0% | Myanmar -2.0% | 4.8% | 10 |
| Inflation | Laos 7.7% | Brunei -0.3% | 1.7% | 9 |
| Unemployment | Cambodia 0.3% | Brunei 5.3% | 1.9% | 10 |
| Income inequality | Philippines 39.300 | Thailand 33.500 | 36.100 | 3 |
| Extreme poverty | Thailand 0.0% | Indonesia 6.7% | 5.3% | 3 |
| Government debt | Malaysia 64.6% | Thailand 61.9% | 63.2% | 2 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | Malaysia 98.0% | Laos 65.6% | 78.5% | 8 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | Vietnam 23.7 | Timor-Leste 0.0 | 7.1 | 9 |
| Mobile subscriptions | Thailand 160.6 | Myanmar 114.3 | 118.1 | 9 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | Timor-Leste 0.736 | Myanmar 0.080 | 0.392 | 9 |
| Liberal democracy | Timor-Leste 0.549 | Myanmar 0.015 | 0.291 | 9 |
| Rule of law | Timor-Leste 0.717 | Myanmar 0.062 | 0.346 | 9 |
| Judicial checks on government | Malaysia 0.777 | Myanmar 0.025 | 0.584 | 9 |
| Legislative checks on government | Thailand 0.916 | Cambodia 0.054 | 0.492 | 8 |
| Political corruption | Timor-Leste 0.250 | Cambodia 0.904 | 0.765 | 9 |
| Civil society participation | Malaysia 0.755 | Myanmar 0.128 | 0.666 | 9 |
| Women’s political empowerment | Philippines 0.810 | Myanmar 0.330 | 0.726 | 9 |
| Voice and accountability | Timor-Leste 62.9 | Myanmar 19.7 | 44.9 | 10 |
| Control of corruption | Brunei 71.9 | Myanmar 22.5 | 37.0 | 10 |
| Government effectiveness | Malaysia 69.1 | Myanmar 21.0 | 51.8 | 10 |
| Political stability | Brunei 86.4 | Myanmar 30.2 | 67.0 | 10 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | Brunei 0.837 | Cambodia 0.606 | 0.724 | 10 |
| Life expectancy | Malaysia 76.8 | Myanmar 67.1 | 71.1 | 10 |
| Secondary school enrolment | Indonesia 98.8% | Laos 51.9% | 82.8% | 6 |
| Government spending on education | Timor-Leste 5.2% | Laos 1.2% | 2.5% | 7 |
| Health spending | Timor-Leste 9.6% | Laos 1.3% | 4.5% | 10 |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | Timor-Leste 7.0% | Myanmar 71.1% | 38.1% | 10 |
| Maternal mortality | Malaysia 26.0 | Timor-Leste 192.0 | 98.0 | 10 |
| Women in parliament | Timor-Leste 35.4% | Brunei 11.4% | 21.9% | 9 |
| Women in the workforce | Cambodia 77.4% | Myanmar 40.9% | 56.7% | 10 |
| Fertility rate | Timor-Leste 2.63 | Thailand 1.20 | 2.00 | 10 |
| Urban population | Malaysia 77.4% | Timor-Leste 28.8% | 48.4% | 10 |
| Refugees who left | Brunei 0.0 | Myanmar 2,426.6 | 3.3 | 10 |
| Population | Indonesia 285.7M | Brunei 466.3K | 45.4M | 10 |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | Timor-Leste 0.50 | Brunei 20.24 | 3.11 | 10 |
| Renewable energy use | Myanmar 62.9% | Brunei 0.0% | 22.2% | 10 |
| Access to electricity | Brunei 100.0% | Myanmar 80.4% | 99.6% | 10 |
Overlapping regions
These groupings share countries with Southeast Asia. A country can belong to several at once — Turkey is in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Balkans and the Mediterranean.