TORONTO—China continues to languish near the bottom of the annual Human Freedom Index released today by the Fraser Institute and a network of international public policy think-tanks.
New Zealand is the freest country in the world, followed by Switzerland (2nd).
China ranks 135th in this year’s index, which uses 79 indicators of personal, civil and economic freedoms to rank 162 countries and jurisdictions worldwide. Hong Kong, once the world’s freest jurisdiction several years running, continues its downward slide and this year ranks 3rd. Australia (4th) and Canada round out the top five.