2024 is set to shape the global trajectory of freedom and prosperity for years to come, as nearly half of the world’s population is voting in elections in sixty-four countries, representing over half of the global gross domestic product. 

On June 25, the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center launched the 2024 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes, offering an analysis of how global conflict, democratic backsliding, and rising authoritarianism are impacting the world.

According to the Indexes, while economic freedom has generally improved over the past decade, two-thirds of countries have seen a decline in political freedom. In the meantime, the COVID-19 pandemic’s lasting impact is evident in the Prosperity Index, with health, income, and education indicators still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels.  

With today’s global challenges—including renewed armed conflicts, democratic backsliding, and rising authoritarianism—democratic institutions, individual liberties, prosperity, and well-being are under threat.

The event featured a fireside chat with Keith Kellogg, former national security advisor to the president and vice president of the United States, as well as a discussion on key findings from the 2024 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes and an overview of the Freedom and Prosperity Center’s reform grant program. The event also featured two panel discussions on regional trends towards freedom and prosperity and models of international development.

Read the report

Report

Jun 25, 2024

The path to prosperity: The 2024 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes

By Ignacio Campomanes, Nina Dannaoui, Joseph Lemoine, Dan Negrea

In this “year of election,” freedom continues to decline globally. Political rights, judicial independence, and checks and balances are eroding. Prosperity growth has slowed, particularly in developing countries. The data underscores a strong link between freedom and prosperity, highlighting the need for data-driven policy reforms.

Democratic Transitions Freedom and Prosperity

Trackers and Data Visualizations

Jun 15, 2023

Freedom and Prosperity Indexes

The indexes rank 164 countries around the world according to their levels of freedom and prosperity. Use our site to explore twenty-eight years of data, compare countries and regions, and examine the sub-indexes and indicators that comprise our indexes.

The Freedom and Prosperity Center aims to increase the prosperity of the poor and marginalized in developing countries and to explore the nature of the relationship between freedom and prosperity in both developing and developed nations.

Learn more