Hong Kong, which was once one of the freest places on earth, is now ranked 46th in the most recent Human Freedom Index report, which was released today by the Fraser Institute in Canada and the Cato Institute in the United States. This is due to growing restrictions on the city's liberties.

Hong Kong was the third-freest jurisdiction on earth as of 2010. Although China ranks 149th out of 165 jurisdictions this year, mainland China has always enjoyed greater freedom than the territory.

"Hong Kong's tragic descent into oppression offers important lessons about the value of freedom," stated Fred McMahon, co-author of this year's report and resident fellow at the Fraser Institute. "Freedom has suffered a precipitous decline in Hong Kong."

Together with economic freedom, or the capacity for people to make their own financial decisions, the index assesses personal freedoms such as the rule of law, safety and security, identity and relationships (i.e., the freedom to select a partner), freedom of movement, speech, assembly, and religion.

The report for this year ranks 165 jurisdictions globally. According to the most recent data available, 89.8% of the world's population saw a decrease in freedom between 2019 and 2021.

The areas in Hong Kong where this year's report demonstrates the most notable declines are the freedom of expression, the rule of law, and the freedom of association and assembly.

Ian Vásquez, co-author of the report and vice president of international studies at the Cato Institute, stated, "Suppression in Hong Kong continues to ramp up as the jailing of journalists and pro-freedom advocates grows, with arrest warrants issued for exiled activists to quash even overseas dissent."

This year's rankings for freedom are led once again by Switzerland, and are followed by New Zealand, Denmark, Ireland, Estonia, and Sweden (tied for fifth place). (In decreasing order) Iran, Myanmar, Sudan, Yemen, and Syria are the five least free nations.

Taiwan (12), Canada (13), Japan (16), the United States and the United Kingdom (tied at 17), Germany (21), South Korea (28), France (39), Ukraine (83) Mexico (95), and India (109) are among the other notable nations that rank highly throughout the world.

Most importantly, the wealthiest citizens reside in more liberal jurisdictions than in less liberal ones. For instance, in 2021, the average per-capita income in the top quartile of the index was US$47,421, while the least-free quartile's average was US$14,157.

“Human freedom increases prosperity and human well-being and has powered the growth of some of the most remarkable jurisdictions in the world, including Hong Kong,” McMahon said.

The complete index, a joint project of the Fraser Institute and the Cato Institute, is available as a free PDF download at www.fraserinstitute.org. The co-authors of the report are Ian Vásquez, Fred McMahon, Ryan Murphy, associate professor, Bridwell Institute for Economic Freedom, Southern Methodist University, and Guillermina Sutter Schneider, data scientist and former research and project director at the Cato Institute.

The 10 freest and the least-free countries in 2021:

The 10 freest jurisdictions1. Switzerland2. New Zealand3. Denmark4. Ireland5. Estonia6. Sweden7. Iceland8. Luxembourg9. Finland10. NorwayThe 10 least-free countries156. Iraq157. Saudi Arabia157. Somalia159. Egypt160. Venezuela161. Iran162. Myanmar163. Sudan164. Yemen165. Syria

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