Description
This indicator measures country performance on freedom of expression and belief, associational and organizational rights, rule of law and human rights, personal autonomy, individual and economic rights, and the independence of the judiciary.
Countries are rated on the following factors:
- freedom of cultural expression, religious institutions and expression, and academia;
- freedom of assembly and demonstration, of political organization and professional organization, and collective bargaining;
- independence of the media and the judiciary;
- freedom from economic exploitation;
- protection from police terror, unjustified imprisonment, exile, and torture;
- the existence of rule of law, personal property rights, and equal treatment under the law;
- freedom from indoctrination and excessive dependency on the state;
- equality of opportunity;
- freedom to choose where to travel, reside, and work;
- freedom to select a marriage partner and determine whether or how many children to have; and
- the existence of a legal framework to grant asylum or refugee status in accordance with international and regional conventions and system for refugee protection.
Relationship to Growth & Poverty Reduction
Studies show that an expansion of civil liberties can promote economic growth by reducing social conflict, removing legal impediments to participation in the economy, encouraging adherence to the rule of law, enhancing protection of property rights, increasing economic rates of return on government projects, and reducing the risk of project failure.5 Additional research has shown that civil liberties have a positive effect on domestic investment and productivity, increase the success of investments by international actors, enhance economic freedoms, and can bolster growth through the freedom of mobility for individuals.6
Source
Freedom House, http://www.freedomhouse.org. Questions regarding this indicator may be directed to info@freedomhouse.org or +1 (212) 514-8040.
Methodology
Indicator Institution Methodology
A team of expert analysts and scholars evaluate countries on a 60-point scale – with 60 representing “most free” and 0 representing “least free.” The Civil Liberties indicator is based on a 15 question checklist grouped into four subcategories: Freedom of Expression and Belief (4 questions), Associational and Organizational Rights (3 questions), Rule of Law (4 questions), and Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights (4 questions). Points are awarded to each question on a scale of 0 to 4, where 0 points represents the fewest liberties and 4 represents the most liberties. The highest number of points that can be awarded to the Civil Liberties checklist is 60 (or a total of up to 4 points for each of the 15 questions). The full list of questions included in Freedom House’s methodology may be found at: https://freedomhouse.org/reports/freedom-world/freedom-world-research-methodology.
In consultation with Freedom House, MCC considers countries with scores above 25 to be passing this indicator.
MCC Methodology
Freedom House publishes a 1-7 scale (where 7 is “least free” and 1 is “most free”) for Civil Liberties. Since its Freedom in the World 2006 report, Freedom House has also released data using a 0-60 scale (where 0 is “least free” and 60 is “most free”) for Civil Liberties. Table 2 illustrates how the 1-7 scale used prior to FY07 corresponds to the new 0-60 scale.
| New Scale | Old Scale |
|---|---|
| 53-60 | 1 |
| 44-52 | 2 |
| 35-43 | 3 |
| 26-34 | 4 |
| 17-25 | 5 |
| 8-16 | 6 |
| 0-7 | 7 |
MCC adjusts the years on the x-axis of the Country Scorecards to correspond to the period of time covered by the Freedom in the World publication. For instance, FY25 Civil Liberties data come from Freedom in the World 2024 and are labeled as 2023 data on the scorecard (the year Freedom House is reporting on in its 2024 report).
Source
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Freedom House