NEW REPORT: Freedom in the Americas Declined in 2023 amid Crackdowns against the Political Opposition and Escalating Criminal Violence

WASHINGTON—Freedom faced considerable challenges in the Americas in 2023, as nine countries recorded overall score declines and none registered improvements, according to a new report released today by Freedom House.

The new report, Freedom in the World 2024: The Mounting Damage of Flawed Elections and Armed Conflict, found that global freedom declined for an 18th consecutive year in 2023 as political rights and civil liberties deteriorated in 52 countries, representing a fifth of the world’s population. The declines were both widespread and severe, eclipsing the improvements observed in 21 other countries.

The negative trend in the Americas was driven by crackdowns against the political opposition and escalating criminal violence, which continued to corrode democratic institutions. Nevertheless, 22 of the 35 countries in the Americas were still classified as Free, making the region one of the freest in the world. The ballot box proved to be a powerful tool for democratic renewal, and more countries moved to lift harsh historical restrictions on reproductive health care. In Guatemala, Indigenous voters helped propel anticorruption candidate Bernardo Arévalo to a resounding presidential election victory and were instrumental in blocking dubious attempts by incumbent officials to overturn the results. Following a turbulent campaign period marred by political violence, more than 80 percent of registered voters in Ecuador participated in the country’s relatively well-administered snap elections.

Freedom in the World includes scores and detailed country reports on political rights and civil liberties for 195 countries and 15 territories around the globe. Scores are based on a 100-point scale, with 0 representing the lowest level of freedom. This report, the 51st annual edition, covers developments in 2023 and provides a brief analysis of long-term trends.

Key regional findings include the following:

• Overall, freedom in the Americas declined as 9 countries recorded score declines, and 0 countries registered improvements. 
• Peru suffered the largest score drop (−4 points) in the Americas, due in part to authorities’ excessive use of force against antigovernment protesters.
• Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Ecuador all recorded a loss of 3 points.
• Ecuador experienced a status decline from Free to Partly Free.
• Canada (97), Uruguay (96), Barbados (94), and Chile (94) have the highest scores in the Americas.
• Cuba (12) and Venezuela (15) are the lowest rated countries in the Americas.
• Seventy percent of people in the region live in Free countries, while 6 percent live in Not Free countries.

The report identifies a number of steps that democratic governments can take to protect and expand political rights and civil liberties around the globe. The recommendations include:

• Provide steady support and flexible funding to those on the front lines of the struggle against tyranny. Democratic governments and donors must increase and sustain support for those working to defend and promote fundamental freedoms around the world. Failure to do so emboldens autocrats and can result in the loss of hard-won progress.
• Uphold the rights of people living in disputed territories. The events of the past year in places such as Nagorno-Karabakh and the Gaza Strip provided stark evidence that populations without self-determination are at greater risk of extreme human rights abuses or atrocities.  
• Protect free and fair elections in 2024. At least 40 countries—representing more than two-fifths of the world’s population—are holding national-level elections in 2024, with many more conducting other types of balloting. Free and fair elections are a cornerstone of any democracy, and independent and transparent electoral processes are necessary to foster genuine competition and public trust.

View the report’s complete recommendations here.

Click here to read the global and other regionally focused press releases: Global, Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eurasia, Europe, Middle East.

To schedule an interview with Freedom House experts, please contact Maryam Iftikhar at [email protected].

Freedom House is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to create a world where all are free. We inform the world about threats to freedom, mobilize global action, and support democracy’s defenders.