Global Freedom in Decline: Highlights from Freedom House’s 2024 Report
The Freedom House’s annual report for 2024 illustrates a concerning trend of declining global freedom for the 19th consecutive year. This decline is attributed to ongoing armed conflicts, political violence, and an unusually high number of elections worldwide. Despite this overall negative trajectory, several regions, particularly in South Asia, have shown significant improvements.
Notable Advances in Freedom:
- Senegal, Bhutan, and Syria: Despite the worldwide decline, Senegal and Bhutan achieved ‘free’ status, and Syria—though still among the lowest-scoring nations—saw improvements in liberties post-its regime change.
- Jordan and India-occupied Kashmir: Jordan’s reforms led to ‘partly free’ status, and India-occupied Kashmir witnessed the largest score increase in Freedom House’s index after conducting its first election post the revocation of its special status by Narendra Modi’s government.
- Bangladesh and Sri Lanka: Bangladesh experienced a change in leadership amid turmoil, while Sri Lanka elected a president on an anti-corruption platform.
Countries Experiencing Decline:
On the other hand, four countries—Kuwait, Niger, Tanzania, and Thailand—were downgraded from ‘partly free’ to ‘not free’. Tanzania faced a crackdown on protests, while Thailand saw its victorious party disbanded and its prime minister dismissed. El Salvador and Haiti experienced the largest declines in freedom, with Haiti’s capital plagued by gang violence, and Kuwait faced the disbandment of its parliament following elections.
Perfect Scores and Persistent Challenges:
Finland topped the report with a perfect 100 score, followed closely by Sweden, Norway, and New Zealand. The report underscores the institutional dependency of political rights and the difficulty in regaining freedom once lost. Nations like Turkmenistan, South Sudan, Sudan, and North Korea persist as some of the world’s least free countries.
Implications and Looking Ahead:
This year’s report highlights a dynamic yet concerning landscape for global freedom. It calls for awareness of the fragile nature of democratic rights and institutions, emphasizing the hard-fought gains in some regions and the stark setbacks in others. As freedom continues to erode globally, the report acts as a vital watchdog and a clarion call for action to protect and bolster democratic values worldwide.
