Acknowledgements

Donors

This report was made possible by the generous support of The Dutch Postcode Lottery, Google, Inc., The Hurford Foundation, the Merrill Family Foundation, Meta Platforms, Inc., Robert Tuttle & Maria Hummer-Tuttle, and the generous donors to the Michael J. Abramowitz Fund for Freedom in the World.

Freedom House is committed to editorial independence. This report’s content is solely the responsibility of the staff of Freedom House and does not represent the views or opinions of its Board of Trustees or donors. No government sourced funds were used in the production of this report. The reporting period for Freedom in the World 2026 is January 1-December 31, 2025.

Research and Editorial Team

• Grant Baker, Research Analyst

• Yana Gorokhovskaia, Research Director, Strategy and Design

• Cathryn Grothe, Senior Research Analyst

• Shannon O’Toole, Editorial Director

• Tyler Roylance, Staff Editor

• Adrian Shahbaz, Vice President for Research and Analysis

• Amy Slipowitz, Research Manager

• Grady Vaughan, Research Associate

The Policy Recommendations were authored by Katie LaRoque.

Analysts

• Baba Adou, University of Florida (Sahel Research Group)

• Rasha Al Aqeedi, Independent researcher

• Fatimah Mohammad Alfareh, Independent researcher

• Ignacio Arana Araya, Carnegie Mellon University

• Bojan Baća, Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Montenegro

• Slava Balan, PhD candidate in Law, University of Ottawa

• Viviana Baraybar-Hidalgo, Nuffield College, University of Oxford

• Mariana Batista, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco

• Maxine Betteridge-Moes, Independent researcher

• Bruno Binetti, Chatham House

• Sebastian Bitar, Universidad de los Andes

• Aljaž Pengov Bitenc, Independent researcher

• Gustavo Bonifaz, Independent researcher

• Noah Bullock, Cristosal

• Brett Carter, Stanford University; University of Southern California

• Hannah Chapman, University of Oklahoma

• Vladimir Chlouba, University of Richmond

• Peter Clegg, University of the West of England, Bristol

• Costa Constanti, Independent researcher

• Neil DeVotta, Wake Forest University

• Boniface Dulani, University of Malawi

• Daniel Eizenga, Africa Center for Strategic Studies

• Anas El Gomati, Sadeq Institute

• Sebastian Elischer, University of Florida

• Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE/RL

• Connor M. Ewing, University of Toronto

• Lucas Olo Fernandes, Commission of Jurists of Equatorial Guinea

• Brady Flynn, Position Green                      

• Jon Fraenkel, Victoria University of Wellington

• Courtney Freer, Emory University

• Philippe M. Frowd, University of Ottawa

• Sergiu Gherghina, University of Glasgow

• Hamida Giyasbayli, Independent researcher

• Paulo Guilherme, Independent researcher

• Jamie Hitchen, Independent researcher

• Jonathan Hulland, Independent researcher

• Niklas Hultin, George Mason University

• Harry Hummel, Independent researcher

• Aryj Hussain, Independent researcher

• Salomé Ietter, University of Glasgow

• Rico Isaacs, University of Lincoln

• Faysal Itani, The New Lines Institute

• Kristen Kao, University of Gothenburg

• Karin Deutsch Karlekar, Writers at Risk, PEN America

• Weronika Kiebzak, Independent researcher

• Aleksandra Kjakste, University of Latvia

• Marko Kmezic, University of Graz

• Ágnes Kovács, Eötvös Loránd University

• Joshua Kurlantzick, Senior Fellow for Southeast Asia and South Asia, Council on Foreign Relations

• Leticia Kyere-Yeboah, Position Green

• Olena Lennon, University of New Haven

• Michael Lettieri, Center for US-Mexican Studies, University of California San Diego

• Seulgie Lim, Bates College

• Lone & Maria Lindholt, Independent researchers

• Amalia Perez Martin, Sacramento State University

• David McGrane, University of Saskatchewan

• Rachael McLellan, University of Glasgow

• Kuniaki Nemoto, Musashi University

• Franklin Oduro, Independent researcher

• Susan L. Ostermann, University of Notre Dame

• Ana Pastor, Independent researcher

• Andreas Pehr, Institute for Federalism

• Lucas Perelló, Florida Atlantic University

• Elizabeth M. Ramey, Independent researcher

• Adrien M. Ratsimbaharison, Benedict College, Columbia, South Carolina

• Milos Resimic, Independent researcher

• Elizabeth Rhoads, Lund University

• Tyson Roberts, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

• Maryia Rohava, Independent researcher

• Rashad Rolle, Independent researcher

• Marek Rybar, Masaryk University Brno, Czech Republic

• Erika Salojoki, Position Green

• Salvatore Sberna, University of Pisa

• Michael Semple, Queen’s University Belfast

• Debbie Sharnak, Rowan University       

• Maggie Shum, Penn State Erie, the Behrend College

• Olga Skrypnyk, Crimean Human Rights Group

• Natalia Slavney, Independent researcher

• Ruzha Smilova, Sofia University and the Centre for Liberal Strategies

• Marissa J. Smith, Independent researcher

• Nathan Stormont, Independent researcher

• Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice University

• Wouter Veenendaal, Leiden University

• Diego Velazquez, Independent researcher

• Franz von Bergen, Independent researcher

• Nikolaus von Twickel, Center for Liberal Modernity, Berlin

Advisers

• Alejandro Anaya-Muñoz, Universidad Iberoamericana Ciudad de México

• Sheri Berman, Barnard College, Columbia University

• Licia Cianetti, University of Birmingham, Centre for Elections, Democracy, Accountability and Representation (CEDAR)

• Javier Corrales, Amherst College

• Abel Abate Demissie, Chatham House

• Ingrid Eagly, UCLA School of Law

• Renan Fernandes, Policy consultant

• Nosmot Gbadamosi, Foreign Policy; Pulitzer Center Grantee

• Scott Greytak, Transparency International U.S.

• Rick Hasen, UCLA School of Law

• David Holiday, Independent researcher

• Peter Mandaville, George Mason University

• William McKenzie, George W. Bush Institute

• Andrew J. Nathan, Columbia University

• Catherine Putz, The Diplomat

• Aim Sinpeng, University of Sydney

• Mike Smeltzer, Independent researcher

• Maya Tudor, Oxford University

• Susanna Wing, Haverford College