The Canadian Fraser Institute evaluated 123 countries to see how each country measures up in security and safety, movement, expression and relationship freedoms.
New Zealand topped the index, as the report said it offered the highest level of human freedom worldwide, followed by the Netherlands and Hong Kong, says the New Zealand Herald.
Australia came in fourth. The US ranked seventh. The United Kingdom ranked 18th, ahead of France at 33 and Germany, which came in 35th on the list.
At the bottom were Zimbabwe, Burma, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Syria.
The report is part of a book, Towards a Worldwide Index of Human Freedom, which examines what freedom really means and how it can be quantified.
The book’s editor, Fred McMahon, said the intention was to measure the degree to which people were free to enjoy classic civil liberties such as freedom of speech, religion and individual economic choices.
“We also look at indicators of crime and violence, freedom of movement, legal discrimination against homosexuals, and women’s freedoms.” he said.
Top 10 Countries:
1. New Zealand
2. Netherlands
3. Hong Kong
4. Australia
4. Canada
4. Ireland
7. United States of America
7. Denmark
9. Japan
9. Estonia
Bottom 10 Countries:
114. Cameroon
115. Burundi
116. Iran
117. Algeria
118. Democratic Republic of Congo
119. Syria
120. Sri Lanka
121. Pakistan
122. Burma
123. Zimbabwe
Image via Thinkstock
