Annual reports

The Path to Prosperity The 2024 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes

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.

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2024 Atlas: Freedom and Prosperity Around the World

Twenty leading economists and government officials from eighteen countries contributed to this comprehensive volume, which serves as a roadmap for navigating the complexities of contemporary governance. 

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Publications

Report

Mar 24, 2025

Why democracies stick together: The theory and empirics behind alliance formation

By Markus Jaeger

Democratic peace theory holds that democracies do not go to war with each other. The democratic alliance hypothesis suggests democracies prefer alliances with fellow democracies over nondemocratic powers. If both theories hold, US foreign policy should prioritize democratization, as prosperous, democratic nations are less likely to align with authoritarian states.

China Freedom and Prosperity
Cover photo for Changing the conversation about religious freedom: An integral human development approach

Report

Mar 17, 2025

Changing the conversation about religious freedom: An integral human development approach

By Fabio Petito, Scott Appleby, Silvio Ferrari, and Michael Driessen

Religious freedom is essential for human dignity and development. Persecution restricts minorities’ access to healthcare, education, and jobs. Integral Human Development offers a holistic, inclusive approach, fostering dialogue and collaboration. To combat discrimination effectively, policymakers must move beyond protection and empower all individuals to contribute to society’s common good.

Freedom and Prosperity Politics & Diplomacy

Report

Mar 10, 2025

How greater freedom empowers entrepreneurs and expands access to credit

By Jérémie Bertrand, Nina Dannaoui-Johnson, Annie (Yu-Lin) Lee, Caroline Perrin

Access to credit is vital for SMEs, yet barriers like high collateral and discriminatory lending hinder growth, especially for women-led firms. Data shows freer economies reduce borrower discouragement. Legal protections, economic deregulation, and gender-sensitive policies improve access. Case studies from New Zealand, Singapore, and Kenya highlight how strategic reforms bridge credit gaps and drive growth.

Corruption Freedom and Prosperity

Freedom and Prosperity Around the World

Mar 7, 2025

Mexico’s fork in the road: Rule of law or authoritarian shift? 

By Vanessa Rubio-Márquez

When freedom declines, prosperity tends to follow—a trend observed not only in Latin America but worldwide. Yet Mexico appears to be an exception. The country is experiencing rising prosperity despite increasing restrictions on freedom. However, further centralization of political power could ultimately hinder progress.

Economy & Business Elections

Freedom and Prosperity Around the World

Mar 5, 2025

Foreword: Protecting global freedom in an age of rising autocracy

By Edward L. Glaeser

Geopolitical shifts are weakening Western democracies, technology is reshaping governance, and authoritarianism is on the rise. How will these developments affect the world—and are there pockets of progress that remain? This foreword examines the state of global freedom, setting the stage for the country reports than follow.

Democratic Transitions Economy & Business

Freedom and Prosperity Around the World

Feb 28, 2025

Building balanced institutions for prosperity

By Ignacio Campomanes, Annie (Yu-Lin) Lee, Joseph Lemoine

This overview chapter explores the institutional evolution of each country and contextualizes these insights within the broader economic and political science literature on institutions and development. As global instability rose in 2024, longstanding governance challenges that had been intensifying over the past decade became increasingly evident.

Corruption Economy & Business

Issue Brief

Feb 24, 2025

From Tunis to Baghdad: Can platform-based politics take root?

By Carrie Schenkel and James Storen

This paper is the fifth in the Freedom and Prosperity Center’s “State of the Parties” series analyzing the strength of multi-party systems in different regions of the world.

Civil Society Corruption

Freedom and Prosperity Around the World

Feb 24, 2025

Demography and geopolitics put Japan’s strength to the test

By Kotaro Shiojiri

By almost all freedom and prosperity metrics, Japan is a model for stability and success. However, looming challenges threaten this narrative, including an aging population, outdated social laws, a rigid labor market, and growing security and geopolitical concerns.

East Asia Freedom and Prosperity

Freedom and Prosperity Around the World

Feb 18, 2025

Civil war, debt, and Ethiopia’s road to recovery

By Abbi Kedir

Strained by ongoing conflict, food insecurity, and economic strife, Ethiopia’s path forward hinges on strategic use of foreign assistance and the implementation of robust public policies that uplift its most vulnerable populations.

Africa Conflict

Freedom and Prosperity Around the World

Feb 11, 2025

Monopolization is stifling Kuwait’s economy—it’s time to rethink top-down policies

By Rabah Arezki

Since Emir Mishal dissolved parliament in May 2024, Kuwait has faced a political crisis. Meanwhile, economic challenges loom as the oil era wanes. To remain competitive, Kuwait must break up monopolies, foster innovation, and transition from top-down planning to a market-driven approach. In doing so, following regional models while empowering entrepreneurs and diversifying its economy will be crucial.

Corruption Economy & Business
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Events

Public Event Mon, March 6, 2023 • 1:00 pm ET

How free markets shape global development

What’s the connection between freedom and prosperity and how does it play out in development?

China East Asia Economy & Business Fiscal and Structural Reform
Public Event Thu, February 2, 2023 • 9:30 am ET

2023 Annual Research Conference

Scholars and policymakers from around the world present their research and analysis on the relationship between freedom and prosperity.
Africa Corruption Democratic Transitions Eastern Europe
Public Event Wed, November 2, 2022 • 2:30 pm ET

By the numbers: How China and Taiwan perform in country indexes

An event exploring how China and Taiwan fare in country indexes, and what this tells us about the contrasting development models they represent.

China Freedom and Prosperity Taiwan

About the Freedom and Prosperity Indexes

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Democracy Pulse

Democracy Pulse

Democracy Pulse breaks down the latest trends and data in democracy and human rights in a succinct shorts series. Available on YouTube and Atlantic Council TV.

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Media

Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party has won the election in Taiwan, and will be inaugurated as Taiwan’s next president on May 20. As his term commences, James Storen breaks down Taiwan’s performance in the Freedom and Prosperity Indexes, examining numerous indicators including political freedom and elections.
Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the economic bloc known as BRICS, convened for their annual summit in August. Ahead of the summit, James Storen breaks down the performance of these countries in the 2023 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes. Freedom has declined in all BRICS countries, which has slowed down their progress in achieving prosperity.
An overview of the methodologies and takeaways behind the 2023 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes, which measure freedom and prosperity for 164 countries around the world. The annual Freedom and Prosperity Indexes are a primary output of the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center.

Explore the data

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

Explore the indexes

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About the program

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.

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