Serbia remains a partly free country, but it is one of 17 nations that recorded the largest decline in freedoms last year, placing it on the list between Russia and Sierra Leone, according to a report by the non-profit organization Freedom House titled “Freedom in the World 2024: The Mounting Damage of Flawed Elections and Armed Conflict.” In 2023, for the 18th consecutive year, a decline in global freedom was recorded, with 52 countries experiencing a drop in political rights and civil liberties, while improvements were noted in only 21 countries.
Regarding countries that recorded the largest decline in freedoms over the past 10 years, Serbia regressed compared to last year, when it ranked 16th, and now sits between Venezuela and Afghanistan.
The report states that nearly 38 percent of the world’s population lives in countries ranked as not free, 42 percent live in partly free countries, and only 20 percent live in free countries.
When it comes to Europe, 81 percent of its population lives in free countries, 17 percent in partly free, and two percent in not free countries. Among the former Yugoslav republics, all are partly free except Slovenia and Croatia, which are categorized as free countries.
Flawed Elections and Armed Conflicts
Freedom House cites flawed elections and armed conflicts as the primary drivers behind the global decline in freedom. Widespread issues with elections, including violence and manipulation, led to the erosion of rights and freedoms, the report assesses.
“Global freedom took a big step backward in 2023. The world faces another key test in 2024 as billions of people head to the polls and multiple armed conflicts—including in the Sahel, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and the Middle East—continue to threaten basic human rights. If democracies do not respond to these challenges, an even greater portion of the world’s population will be denied fundamental freedoms, though people in every type of political environment continue the struggle to preserve their rights and dignity, offering hope even in discouraging times,” said Freedom House President Michael J. Abramowitz.
Ecuador, the report adds, fell from the free category to partly free because its elections were disrupted by violent criminal organizations, resulting in the assassination of several public officials and political candidates.
Furthermore, in Cambodia, Guatemala, Poland, Turkey, and Zimbabwe, incumbents attempted to control the electoral contest by hampering political opponents or preventing them from taking power after election day, Freedom House points out. It adds, however, that such acts failed to block the transfer of power in Guatemala and Poland.
While Thailand advanced from the not free to the partly free category thanks to more competitive elections, the military-drafted constitution allowed non-elected entities “to distort the subsequent process of government formation.”
Military forces also ousted the elected government in Niger, making it the country with the second-worst score of the previous year, just behind Nagorno-Karabakh, and joining the wave of coups in the African Sahel region that began in 2020.
Armed conflicts and threats of authoritarian aggression made the world less secure and less democratic, Freedom House assesses.
Nagorno-Karabakh—a territory that Freedom House notes had its own chapter in the report for many years—recorded the largest decline in freedoms, falling from partly free to not free following a military offensive and blockade by the Azerbaijani regime, which led to the capitulation of its separatist government and the de facto expulsion of its Armenian population.
The organization also recalls that last year Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entered its second year, further eroding basic rights in occupied areas and provoking even more intense repression within Russia itself.
Civilians bore the brunt of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian extremist group Hamas, Freedom House points out, also citing the civil war stemming from the 2021 military coup in Myanmar, as well as brutal fighting between rival military and paramilitary factions in Sudan.
The denial of political rights and civil liberties in disputed territories diminished freedom in connected countries, including some democracies, Freedom House states.
People living in disputed territories without the possibility of self-determination were particularly targeted for abuse by authorities, Freedom House indicates, citing Beijing, which continued to suppress the few freedoms enjoyed by residents of Hong Kong and Tibet, while the Russian regime intensified its efforts to crush vulnerable populations in Crimea and draft local residents into its war effort.
While autocratic regimes were largely behind the repression in disputed territories, democratically elected governments in Israel and India were complicit in violations of basic rights in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Indian-administered Kashmir, respectively. These harmful policies were intertwined with threats to democratic principles and institutions within the larger countries, Freedom House states.
Pluralism Under Threat
Freedom House highlights that pluralism is also under attack, yet it remains a source of strength for all societies. The rejection of pluralism—the peaceful coexistence of people with differing political ideas, faiths, or ethnic identities—by authoritarian leaders and armed groups drove repression, violence, and a sharp decline in overall freedoms in 2023.
These trends create an environment hostile to democracy as the world enters another major election year.
Showing that not all news is bleak, countries that recorded the greatest progress last year include Fiji at the top, followed by Thailand (which moved from not free to partly free), Nepal, Liberia, Mauritania, and the Maldives.
“By drawing strength from diversity, protecting differences, and building international coalitions to support their own principles and values, democratic forces can still reverse the long-standing decline in global freedom,” the report concludes.
Yana Gorokhovskaia, report co-author and Freedom House research director for strategy and design, assessed that this year will be “pivotal for democratic societies and their efforts to advance freedom worldwide.”
“Upholding the rights of those living in disputed territories, strengthening safeguards for free and fair elections, and responding swiftly when anti-democratic leaders seek to overthrow elected governments are just some of the actions that must be consistently taken to halt the global decline,” she indicated.
Recommendations
In its recommendations for what democratic governments and donors can do, Freedom House emphasizes the necessity of providing continuous support and flexible funding for all those on the front lines of the fight against tyranny. It is also necessary to support and uphold the rights of people living in disputed territories.
There is a further need to protect free and fair elections in 2024, especially given that at least 40 countries—representing more than two-fifths of the world’s population—will hold national elections in 2024, with many more holding other types of elections.
“Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of any democracy, and an independent and transparent electoral process is essential for fostering genuine competition and public trust,” Freedom House stresses.
Additionally, governments must consistently respond to attempts to overthrow duly elected administrations, as well as protect human rights defenders in exile and support their work, Freedom House states.
Freedom in the World includes rankings and detailed reports on political rights and civil liberties in 195 countries and 15 territories worldwide. This year’s publication marks the 51st annual report, focusing on developments in 2023 and analyzing long-term trends.