Freedom in the World
Freedom in the World is an annual global report on political rights and civil liberties, published by Freedom House - an independent watchdog organization dedicated to the expansion of freedom and democracy around the world. The report’s methodology is derived in large measure from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948. Freedom in the World is based on the premise that these standards apply to all countries and territories, irrespective of geographical location, ethnic or religious composition, or level of economic development. Freedom in the World operates from the assumption that freedom for all people is best achieved in liberal democratic societies.
Freedom in the World assesses the real-world rights and freedoms enjoyed by individuals, rather than governments or government performance per se. Political rights and civil liberties can be affected by both state and non-state actors, including insurgents and other armed groups. Freedom House does not believe that legal guarantees of rights are sufficient for on-the-ground fulfillment of those rights. While both laws and actual practices are factored into scoring decisions, greater emphasis is placed on implementation.
Disputed territories (such as Kashmir) are sometimes assessed separately if they meet certain criteria, including boundaries that are sufficiently stable to allow year-on-year comparisons.
The Freedom in the World report is produced each year by a team of in-house and external analysts and expert advisers from the academic, think tank, and human rights communities. The team includes over 100 analysts and 40 advisers. A country or territory is awarded 0 to 4 points for each of 10 political rights indicators and 15 civil liberties indicators, which take the form of questions; a score of 0 represents the smallest degree of freedom and 4 the greatest degree of freedom. The scores in each year's report are based on observations made in the preceding year.
Freedom in the World is an annual global report on political rights and civil liberties, published by Freedom House - an independent watchdog organization dedicated to the expansion of freedom and democracy around the world. The report’s methodology is derived in large measure from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948. Freedom in the World is based on the premise that these standards apply to all countries and territories, irrespective of geographical location, ethnic or religious composition, or level of economic development. Freedom in the World operates from the assumption that freedom for all people is best achieved in liberal democratic societies.
Freedom in the World assesses the real-world rights and freedoms enjoyed by individuals, rather than governments or government performance per se. Political rights and civil liberties can be affected by both state and non-state actors, including insurgents and other armed groups. Freedom House does not believe that legal guarantees of rights are sufficient for on-the-ground fulfillment of those rights. While both laws and actual practices are factored into scoring decisions, greater emphasis is placed on implementation.
Disputed territories (such as Kashmir) are sometimes assessed separately if they meet certain criteria, including boundaries that are sufficiently stable to allow year-on-year comparisons.
The Freedom in the World report is produced each year by a team of in-house and external analysts and expert advisers from the academic, think tank, and human rights communities. The team includes over 100 analysts and 40 advisers. A country or territory is awarded 0 to 4 points for each of 10 political rights indicators and 15 civil liberties indicators, which take the form of questions; a score of 0 represents the smallest degree of freedom and 4 the greatest degree of freedom. The scores in each year's report are based on observations made in the preceding year.
SUBJECT Variables
OVERALL SCORE
The Freedom in the World Index is a sum of the scores of Political Rights and Civil Liberties. The score in each of these 2 groups, after being equally weighted, determines the status of 'Free', 'Partly Free' and 'Not Free' for each country. The scores in each year's report are based on observations made in the preceding year.
Disputed territories (such as Kashmir) are sometimes assessed separately if they meet certain criteria, including boundaries that are sufficiently stable to allow year-on-year comparisons.
The scores in each year's report are based on observations made in the preceding year.
- India is classified as a "Partly Free" state in 2024 while Kashmir is classified as "Not free"
- India scored 66 on the Freedom in the World Index 2024, similar to its score in 2023.
- Kashmir scores 26 on the Freedom in the World Index 2024, in comparison to 27 in 2022.
- India's overall score on the Index has declined by 14% from 2017 to 2023 while that of Kashmir has declined by 47% during the same period.
- As quoted in the Freedom in the World report in 2024, "While India is a multiparty democracy, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has presided over discriminatory policies and a rise in persecution affecting the Muslim population. The constitution guarantees civil liberties including freedom of expression and freedom of religion, but harassment of journalists, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and other government critics has increased significantly under Modi. Muslims, scheduled castes (Dalits), and scheduled tribes (Adivasis) remain economically and socially marginalized."
POLITICAL RIGHTS
Political Rights contains 3 indicators that are made up of 10 assessment criteria (each of which multiplied by a max score of 4 gives a total score of 40 equating to its 40% weightage on the Freedom in the World Index.)
The scores in each year's report are based on observations made in the preceding year.
- India's record on Political Rights in 2024 remained the same as in the previous year.
- Kashmir's record on Political Rights in 2024 is at its lowest point since 2017.
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