Ukraine climbs 16 spots in Human Freedom Index

11.12.2018 11:18

Ukrinform

Ukraine has taken 118th place out of 162 countries, climbing 16 spots in the Human Freedom Index 2018, but still remains in the category of countries with a low level of human freedom.

This is stated in a report co-published by the Cato Institute, the Fraser Institute, and the Liberales Institut at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.

"The lowest levels are in the Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe (Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine), South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa," the report says.

According to researchers, the highest levels of freedom are in Western Europe, Northern Europe, and North America (Canada and the United States).

Ukraine is in 118th place between the United Arab Emirates (117th) and Togo (119th).

The first five places in the ranking are occupied by New Zealand (1), Switzerland (2), Hong Kong (3), Australia (4) and Canada (5).

The worst human rights situation is in Libya (158), Iraq (159), Yemen (160), Venezuela (161), and Syria (162).

Countries in the top quartile of freedom enjoy a significantly higher per capita income ($38,871) than those in other quartiles; the per capita income in the least-free quartile is $10,346.

The Human Freedom Index finds a strong correlation between human freedom and democracy. Hong Kong is an outlier in this regard.