World Audit Civil Liberties

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The Freedom House Annual Survey employs a Civil Liberties checklist to help monitor the progress and decline of human rights worldwide. Each country is rated on a seven-category scale, 1 representing the most free and 7 the least free. These 7 categories are laid out below.

Country	2009 Civil Liberties Score	2007 Civil Liberties Score	Democracy Rank 2009
Afghanistan	6q	5	138
Albania	3	3	61
Algeria	5	5	99
Angola	5	5	116
Argentina	2	2	62
Armenia	4	4	113
Australia	1	1	9
Austria	1	1	13
Azerbaijan	5	5	130
Bangladesh	4	4	108
Belarus	6	6	143
Belgium	1	1	12
Benin	2	2	47
Bhutan	5	5	76
Bolivia	3	3	58
Bosnia and Herzegovina	3	3	80
Botswana	2	2	39
Brazil	2	2	50
Bulgaria	2	2	45
Burkina Faso	3	3	74
Burundi	5	5	132
Cambodia	5	5	113
Cameroon	6	6	117
Canada	1	1	8
Country	2009 Civil Liberties Score	2007 Civil Liberties Score	Democracy Rank 2009
Central African Republic	5	5q	113
Chad	6	6	137
Chile	1	1	21
China	6	6	121
Colombia	4q	3	86
Congo, Republic of the	5	5	99
Costa Rica	1	1	23
Cote d'Ivoire	5	5p	119
Croatia	2	2	44
Cuba	6p	7	123
Czech Republic	1	1	24
Dem. Rep. of the Congo	6	6	139
Denmark	1	1	1
Dominican Republic	2	2	56
Ecuador	3	3	63
Egypt	5	5	95
El Salvador	3	3	54
Eritrea	6	6	145
Estonia	1	1	16
Ethiopia	5	5	121
Finland	1	1	4
France	1	1	17
Gabon	4	4	111
Gambia, The	4	4	123
Georgia	4	4q	81
Germany	1	1	11
Ghana	2	2	33
Greece	2	2	35
Guatemala	4	4	90
Guinea	5	5	120
Guinea-Bissau	4	4	97
Haiti	5	5	103
Honduras	3	3	67
Hungary	1	1	26
Country	2009 Civil Liberties Score	2007 Civil Liberties Score	Democracy Rank 2009
India	3	3	47
Indonesia	3	3	66
Iran	6	6	143
Iraq	6	6	126
Ireland	1	1	9
Israel	2	2	30
Italy	2q	1	34
Jamaica	3	3	41
Japan	2	2	29
Jordan	5q	4	77
Kazakhstan	5	5	125
Kenya	3	3	106
Korea, North	7	7	72
Korea, South	2	2	32
Kuwait	4	4	77
Kyrgyzstan	4	4	128
Laos	6	6	141
Latvia	1	1	38
Lebanon	4	4	93
Lesotho	3	3	58
Liberia	4	4	95
Libya	7	7	146
Lithuania	1	1	24
Macedonia	3	3	55
Madagascar	3	3	84
Malawi	4	4q	87
Malaysia	4	4	82
Mali	3	3q	45
Mauritania	5q	4	97
Mauritius	2	2	31
Mexico	3	3	63
Moldova	4	4	99
Mongolia	2	2	57
Morocco	4	4	93
Mozambique	3	3p	60
Myanmar	7	7	150
Namibia	2	2	41
Nepal	4	4	99
Netherlands	1	1	6
New Zealand	1	1	3
Nicaragua	3	3	82
Niger	4	4q	103
Nigeria	4	4	92
Norway	1	1	6
Country	2009 Civil Liberties Score	2007 Civil Liberties Score	Democracy Rank 2009
Oman	5	5	79
Pakistan	5	5	106
Panama	2	2	36
Papua New Guinea	3	3	74
Paraguay	3	3	70
Peru	3	3	53
Philippines	3	3	84
Poland	1	1	27
Portugal	1	1	18
Romania	2	2	51
Russia	5	5	134
Rwanda	5	5	126
Saudi Arabia	6	6	108
Senegal	3	3	65
Serbia	2	2	49
Sierra Leone	3	3	69
Singapore	4	4	71
Slovakia	1	1	28
Slovenia	1	1	18
Somalia	7	7	147
South Africa	2	2	40
Spain	1	1	22
Sri Lanka	4	4	108
Sudan	7	7	140
Sweden	1	1	2
Switzerland	1	1	5
Syria	6	6	132
Taiwan	1	1	37
Tajikistan	5	5	134
Tanzania	3	3	89
Thailand	4	4	87
Togo	5	5	118
Trinidad and Tobago	2	2	43
Tunisia	5	5	111
Turkey	3	3	51
Turkmenistan	7	7	149
Uganda	4	4	91
Ukraine	2	2	68
United Arab Emirates	5	5	73
United Kingdom	1	1	13
United States	1	1	15
Uruguay	1	1	20
Uzbekistan	7	7	148
Venezuela	4	4	129
Vietnam	5	5	131
Yemen	5	5	134
Zambia	3p	4	103
Zimbabwe	6	6	141

Are there free and independent media, literature and other cultural expressions?
(Note: In cases where the media are state-controlled but offer pluralistic points of view, the Survey gives the system credit.)

Are there free religious institutions and is there free private and public religious expression?

Is there freedom of assembly and demonstration?

Is there freedom of political or quasi-political organization?

Are there free trade unions and peasant organizations or equivalents, and is there effective collective bargaining? Are there free professional and other private organizations? (Note: This includes political parties, civic organizations, ad hoc issue groups, etc.)

Is there an independent judiciary?

Does the rule of law prevail in civil and criminal matters? Is the population treated equally under the law? Are police under direct civilian control?

Is there protection from political terror, and from unjustified imprisonment, exile or torture, whether by groups that support or oppose the system, and freedom from war and insurgency situations? (Note: Freedom from war and insurgencies enhances the liberties in a free society, but the absence of war and insurgencies does not in and of itself make a not free society free.)

Is there freedom from extreme government indifference and corruption?

Is there open public discussion and free private discussion?

Is there personal autonomy? Does the state control travel, choice of residence, or choice of employment? Is there freedom from indoctrination and excessive dependency on the state?

Are property rights secure? Do citizens have the right to establish private businesses? Is private activity unduly influenced by government officials, the security forces, or organized crime?

Are there free religious institutions and free private and public religious expressions?

Are there personal social freedoms, including gender equality, choice of marriage partners, and size of family?

Is there equality of opportunity, including freedom from exploitation by or dependency on landlords, employers, union leaders, bureaucrats or any other types of obstacles to a share of legitimate economic gains?