(AFP) – A pro-democracy research group said Wednesday that freedom in the United States has declined to its lowest level since it started assessments, as President Donald Trump aggressively wields executive authority. Washington-based Freedom House stated that freedom eroded around the world in 2025 for the 20th straight year, marking what it called a “grim milestone.”
The United States remained rated free but fell to 81 points out of 100, its lowest score since the survey began in 1972 and the 100-point system was implemented in 2002. This score places the United States on par with South Africa and below a number of its European allies, as well as South Korea and Panama. Freedom House attributed the decline in the US to “both legislative dysfunction and executive dominance, growing pressure on people’s ability to engage in free expression, and efforts by the new administration to undermine anticorruption safeguards.”
Trump has aggressively asserted his power as president, ordering the closure of entire government agencies and deploying armed, masked anti-immigration agents around the country, with the White House promising them impunity. The United States declined by three points, a drop only mirrored by one other “free” country, Bulgaria, where 2024 elections were marred by allegations of fraud. Overall, only 21 percent of people live in countries rated as “free,” with much of the decline in Africa attributed to military coups, violence against protesters, and the weakening of constitutional protections, according to Freedom House.
Over the past two decades worldwide, “many more have fallen into the ‘not free’ category than have democratized or moved up to that free category,” said Cathryn Grothe, a senior research analyst at Freedom House who co-authored the report. “The world is getting less and less free and that middle area is shrinking, while the free countries are remaining relatively stable” despite the decline in the US score, she noted.
On a positive note, three countries were upgraded to “free” from “partly free” status: Bolivia and Malawi, which both held competitive elections, and Fiji, which strengthened the rule of law. The only country to receive a perfect 100 score was Finland, while South Sudan was rated at 0.
The biggest decline in score was found in Guinea-Bissau, where the military seized power last year and suspended an election process days after voting. Other countries that experienced steep falls in scores included Tanzania, Burkina Faso, and Madagascar, while Syria and Sri Lanka both saw gains. Freedom House, founded in 1941 with bipartisan US support, is independently administered but has historically received US government funding, which was sharply reduced by Trump as he slashed efforts at democracy promotion.
© 2024 AFP
