World Index of Moral Freedom
The World Index of Moral Freedom[1] is sponsored and published by the Foundation for the Advancement of Liberty, a libertarian think tank based in Madrid, Spain. The Index is an international index ranking one hundred and sixty countries on their performance on five categories of indicators:
- religious freedom (taking into account both the freedom to practice any religion or none, and the situation of religious control on the state);
- bioethical freedom (including the legal status of abortion, euthanasia and other practices pertaining to bioethics, like surrogacy or stem cell research);
- drugs freedom (including the legal status of cannabis and the country's general policy on hard drugs);
- sexual freedom (including the legal status of pornography and sex services among consenting adults, and the country's age of sexual consent), and
- family and gender freedom (including women's freedom of movement, the legal status of cohabitation of unmarried couples, same sex marriage and the situation of transgender people).
The WIMF's first edition was published on April 2, 2016, co-authored by Foundation researchers Andreas Kohl and Juan Pina. A second edition was published by the same foundation in July, 2018, this time authored by Juan Pina and Emma Watson.
Purpose
The World Index of Moral Freedom aims at completing the views presented by other international freedom indices measuring general freedom or aspects thereof (press freedom, economic freedom, etcetera). To do so, the Index aims at responding a simple question: how free from state-imposed moral constraints are human beings depending on their countries of residence? The research conducted tries to determine the degree of individual freedom to take decisions pertaining to the great moral debates of our time. The first edition of the WIMF includes a short note on the comparison between its country ranking and those of the other freedom indices.
Categories studied and classification of countries
Each category of indicators is worth twenty points (20% of the total score) and aims at responding the following questions:
- Category A. Religious indicators. How free is the practice of any religion or none, and how religious-controlled is the state.
- Category B. Bioethical indicators. How free is individual decision making on matters posing bioethical questions.
- Category C. Drugs indicators. How free is the production, trade and consumption of substances deemed harmful.
- Category D. Sexuality indicators. How free are sexual intercourse, pornography and sex services among consenting adults.
- Category E. Gender & family indicators. How free are women, LGBT individuals and unmarried couples living together.
Each category is made up of various indicators (normally one or two leading indicators adjusted by one or two lesser wheighted ones), the weight of which is set in view of their inferred relevance towards the category's overall score. Countries have been classified towards each category according to the information available in the sources reviewed. All category results and the general index itself are presented in a 0–100 point scale. Countries are classified according to the following intervals:
- 90–100 points – Highest moral freedom
- 80–90 points – Very high moral freedom
- 60–80 points – High moral freedom
- 50–60 points – Acceptable moral freedom
- 40–50 points – Insufficient moral freedom
- 20–40 points – Low moral freedom
- 10–20 points – Very low moral freedom
- 0–10 points – Lowest moral freedom
Findings of the WIMF's first edition
State of moral freedom around the world
Only one country, the Netherlands, is classified as having the "highest" level of moral freedom by scoring slightly over the 90 points required for that label. Just four countries make it into the upper twenty points, and only ten pass the 75 point threshold. Out of the 160 countries considered, only 64 "pass the exam" and score 50 points or more. And around 30% of all countries fall in the "low", "very low" or "lowest" moral freedom areas of the index. Technology and the cultural globalization that it produces are deemed by the authors to be the most powerful driving forces towards acceptance of individual moral freedom.
Netherlands
With a three-point (three per cent) advantage over their closest competitor and eight points over the third, the Netherlands top the 2016 country ranking. The Dutch score is twenty-one points higher than the average of all countries enjoying "high" or "very high" moral freedom. For many decades, whenever moral freedom was discussed, the Netherlands had the least interventionist policies. The first country to fight human trafficking by legalising sex services performed by consenting adults, or to normalize the use of cannabis, or to acknowledge same sex marriage already in 2001, performs remarkably high in most indicators considered towards the index.
Latin countries
A trend may be inferred towards international unification of the legal and political approach to moral issues. And that trend favours the Western world's predominant choice for low moral interference by the state. This is particularly noticeable when looking at the index performance of many Latin European and Latin American countries, which seem to reveal a fast cultural evolution from traditional, conservative values into a laissez-faire approach to morality. Five of the top ten countries are Romance-speaking, while nine other Romance-speaking countries in Europe and the Americas make it to the "high moral freedom" region of the index. The particular performance of countries like Portugal or Uruguay is much higher than their recent history would indicate. These and other Latin countries seem to have discarded their traditional background of religiously influenced governance. Greece, while not a Latin country, shares a Mediterranean heritage with Latin countries and also makes it to the "high moral freedom" region.
Islamic countries and other religious-influenced states
The fifteen lowest scoring countries at the World Index of Moral Freedom are Islamic and located in the Persian Gulf, North-Eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. This is also true for the region's economically free enclaves in the area. Saudi Arabia comes last (160th) in the ranking and doesn't even score ten points out of the one hundred potentially available. Only four predominantly Islamic countries obtain more than fifty points: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Turkey and Kazakhstan. A few non Islamic countries also show low levels of moral freedom which the authors consider likely to be due to a strong political leverage held by another religion.
Russia
In Russia, moral conservatism, derived from either the Orthodox faith or traditional culture, seems to have replaced Marxism as the basis for an ongoing, though softer, social engineering by the state. Russia's score is just in the middle of the classification, a position shared by some of her cultural and political allies, like Serbia or Moldova, while politically unfree Belarus falls further below. In all of these countries, the freedom of LGBT individuals is a matter of particular concern.
Communist countries
The remaining communist regimes coerce their citizens into abiding by a moral code based on allegedly scientific views. Freedom of conscience and the practice of any religion are repressed. In the case of the People's Republic of China, decades of limited economic liberalization have not resulted in an equally noticeable moral openness. Two other communist regimes, North Korea and Vietnam, fall further down into the low moral freedom area, while moral freedom is deemed insufficient in Laos and just slightly over the fifty point threshold in socialist Venezuela or in outright communist Cuba.
Other findings
For different reasons, often including abnormally low scores in a particular set of indicators, a few Western countries which perform reasonably high in other freedom indices rank rather low at the WIMF. Hungary and Norway fail to make it into the "high moral freedom" area, although just for under half a point. The British and Irish performance is particularly low within the moral freedom area, compared to the Anglo countries of North America and Australasia. Iceland, Japan, Poland and Romania barely manage to pass the fifty point mark, while Singapore, Israel or South Korea fall in the "insufficient moral freedom" part of the index. While most countries topping the WIMF in its first edition belong to the developed world, some countries with a lesser degree of development have also made their way into the higher classification areas. Cambodia, scoring just over seventy points, obtains the fifteenth place in the global classification and is the first developing country in the index. It is also worth noting that the four European micro-states considered −the principalities of Andorra and Monaco and the republics of San Marino and Malta− score surprisingly low in comparison with their bigger neighbours. In spite of their high living standards and economic freedom, these countries fail to perform similarly when it comes to moral freedom. A similar situation is observed in Caribbean and South Pacific island micro-states, which score poorly in most categories and rank in the lower areas of the WIMF classification. This similarity between very small countries in different regions, in spite of the cultural influence of their neighbours and allies, may lead to the conclusion that moral freedom is affected, among other relevant factors, by country size.
WIMF 2018 ranking
| COUNTRY | RANK | SCORE | CLASSIFICATION | Category A "RELIGIOUS" | Category B "BIOETHICAL" | Category C "DRUGS" | Category D "SEXUAL" | Category E "GENDER & FAMILY" |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherland | 1 | 91.33 | Highest moral freedom | 98.13 | 80.00 | 98.50 | 90.00 | 90.00 |
| Portugal | 2 | 86.93 | Very high moral freedom | 98.13 | 62.50 | 91.00 | 93.00 | 90.00 |
| Canada | 3 | 86.58 | Very high moral freedom | 98.13 | 75.00 | 88.75 | 81.00 | 90.00 |
| Uruguay | 4 | 84.50 | Very high moral freedom | 88.75 | 81.25 | 67.50 | 95.00 | 90.00 |
| Czech Republic | 5 | 83.63 | Very high moral freedom | 98.13 | 72.50 | 89.50 | 88.00 | 70.00 |
| Germany | 6 | 83.03 | Very high moral freedom | 98.13 | 67.50 | 62.00 | 100.00 | 87.50 |
| Spain | 7 | 81.60 | Very high moral freedom | 96.25 | 67.50 | 71.25 | 83.00 | 90.00 |
| Mexico | 8 | 81.33 | Very high moral freedom | 98.13 | 77.50 | 56.00 | 95.00 | 80.00 |
| Switzerland | 9 | 80.88 | Very high moral freedom | 98.13 | 75.00 | 71.25 | 90.00 | 70.00 |
| United States of America | 10 | 79.15 | High moral freedom | 97.13 | 89.38 | 45.75 | 73.50 | 90.00 |
| Belgium | 11 | 78.98 | High moral freedom | 86.88 | 85.00 | 50.00 | 83.00 | 90.00 |
| Colombia | 12 | 76.15 | High moral freedom | 80.00 | 52.50 | 80.25 | 93.00 | 75.00 |
| Luxembourg | 13 | 72.23 | High moral freedom | 98.13 | 75.00 | 15.00 | 83.00 | 90.00 |
| Austria | 14 | 72.13 | High moral freedom | 98.13 | 62.50 | 32.50 | 100.00 | 67.50 |
| Argentina | 15 | 71.08 | High moral freedom | 86.88 | 62.50 | 32.50 | 86.00 | 87.50 |
| Denmark | 16 | 71.08 | High moral freedom | 94.38 | 72.50 | 22.50 | 81.00 | 85.00 |
| Cambodia | 17 | 70.50 | High moral freedom | 77.50 | 62.50 | 85.00 | 60.00 | 67.50 |
| Slovenia | 18 | 69.63 | High moral freedom | 98.13 | 62.50 | 57.50 | 60.00 | 70.00 |
| Estonia | 19 | 69.03 | High moral freedom | 98.13 | 62.50 | 31.00 | 86.00 | 67.50 |
| Brazil | 20 | 68.93 | High moral freedom | 98.13 | 31.25 | 34.75 | 93.00 | 87.50 |
| France | 21 | 68.15 | High moral freedom | 88.75 | 67.50 | 13.50 | 81.00 | 90.00 |
| Australia | 22 | 66.48 | High moral freedom | 98.13 | 43.75 | 32.50 | 68.00 | 90.00 |
| Italy | 23 | 66.38 | High moral freedom | 89.38 | 72.50 | 34.00 | 86.00 | 50.00 |
| New Zealand | 24 | 66.38 | High moral freedom | 98.13 | 41.25 | 15.00 | 87.50 | 90.00 |
| Sweden | 25 | 65.95 | High moral freedom | 81.25 | 82.50 | 21.00 | 55.00 | 90.00 |
| Greece | 26 | 65.88 | High moral freedom | 71.88 | 62.50 | 32.50 | 95.00 | 67.50 |
| Finland | 27 | 65.83 | High moral freedom | 94.38 | 46.25 | 22.50 | 76.00 | 90.00 |
| Bolivia | 28 | 65.30 | High moral freedom | 96.25 | 31.25 | 51.50 | 100.00 | 47.50 |
| Ecuador | 29 | 65.13 | High moral freedom | 86.88 | 31.25 | 40.00 | 100.00 | 67.50 |
| Hungary | 30 | 64.75 | High moral freedom | 81.25 | 67.50 | 15.00 | 100.00 | 60.00 |
| Ireland | 31 | 64.05 | High moral freedom | 94.38 | 51.88 | 22.50 | 64.00 | 87.50 |
| Chile | 32 | 63.28 | High moral freedom | 81.25 | 15.63 | 66.00 | 86.00 | 67.50 |
| Norway | 33 | 62.50 | High moral freedom | 85.00 | 62.50 | 22.50 | 55.00 | 87.50 |
| Slovakia | 34 | 61.95 | High moral freedom | 88.75 | 62.50 | 13.50 | 95.00 | 50.00 |
| South Africa | 35 | 61.33 | High moral freedom | 96.63 | 72.50 | 7.50 | 40.00 | 90.00 |
| United Kingdom | 36 | 60.63 | High moral freedom | 94.38 | 50.00 | 18.75 | 52.00 | 88.00 |
| Peru | 37 | 60.58 | High moral freedom | 75.63 | 31.25 | 38.50 | 100.00 | 57.50 |
| Montenegro | 38 | 59.65 | Acceptable moral freedom | 88.75 | 62.50 | 13.50 | 86.00 | 47.50 |
| Croatia | 39 | 59.50 | Acceptable moral freedom | 85.00 | 62.50 | 32.50 | 60.00 | 57.50 |
| Latvia | 40 | 59.25 | Acceptable moral freedom | 88.75 | 62.50 | 7.50 | 90.00 | 47.50 |
| Romania | 41 | 56.50 | Acceptable moral freedom | 85.00 | 62.50 | 15.00 | 60.00 | 60.00 |
| India | 42 | 56.35 | Acceptable moral freedom | 73.25 | 77.50 | 53.75 | 46.00 | 31.25 |
| Paraguay | 43 | 55.63 | Acceptable moral freedom | 85.00 | 15.63 | 40.00 | 100.00 | 37.50 |
| Malta | 44 | 55.33 | Acceptable moral freedom | 90.63 | 0.00 | 32.50 | 66.00 | 87.50 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 45 | 55.25 | Acceptable moral freedom | 88.75 | 62.50 | 22.50 | 65.00 | 37.50 |
| Iceland | 46 | 54.08 | Acceptable moral freedom | 89.13 | 31.25 | 40.00 | 20.00 | 90.00 |
| Russia | 47 | 54.00 | Acceptable moral freedom | 57.50 | 62.50 | 67.50 | 35.00 | 47.50 |
| Macedonia | 48 | 53.75 | Acceptable moral freedom | 88.75 | 62.50 | 15.00 | 65.00 | 37.50 |
| Jamaica | 49 | 53.50 | Acceptable moral freedom | 88.75 | 31.25 | 67.50 | 55.00 | 25.00 |
| Costa Rica | 50 | 53.45 | Acceptable moral freedom | 62.50 | 31.25 | 25.00 | 81.00 | 67.50 |
| Cyprus | 51 | 53.35 | Acceptable moral freedom | 82.00 | 31.25 | 15.00 | 71.00 | 67.50 |
| Albania | 52 | 53.13 | Acceptable moral freedom | 98.13 | 62.50 | 15.00 | 65.00 | 25.00 |
| Serbia | 53 | 53.13 | Acceptable moral freedom | 75.63 | 62.50 | 15.00 | 65.00 | 47.50 |
| Poland | 54 | 52.70 | Acceptable moral freedom | 81.25 | 31.25 | 15.00 | 81.00 | 55.00 |
| Moldova | 55 | 52.50 | Acceptable moral freedom | 65.00 | 62.50 | 32.50 | 55.00 | 47.50 |
| Bulgaria | 56 | 52.45 | Acceptable moral freedom | 66.25 | 62.50 | 32.50 | 66.00 | 35.00 |
| Lithuania | 57 | 52.25 | Acceptable moral freedom | 88.75 | 62.50 | 7.50 | 55.00 | 47.50 |
| Panama | 58 | 51.75 | Acceptable moral freedom | 92.50 | 31.25 | 7.50 | 80.00 | 47.50 |
| Guyana | 59 | 51.45 | Acceptable moral freedom | 88.75 | 62.50 | 13.50 | 55.00 | 37.50 |
| Japan | 60 | 50.85 | Acceptable moral freedom | 95.25 | 52.50 | 24.00 | 35.00 | 47.50 |
| Kazakhstan | 61 | 50.70 | Acceptable moral freedom | 65.00 | 67.50 | 7.50 | 76.00 | 37.50 |
| Israel | 62 | 50.53 | Acceptable moral freedom | 74.13 | 36.25 | 15.00 | 76.00 | 51.25 |
| Venezuela | 63 | 50.38 | Acceptable moral freedom | 81.25 | 15.63 | 15.00 | 90.00 | 50.00 |
| Armenia | 64 | 49.95 | Insufficient moral freedom | 53.75 | 67.50 | 15.00 | 76.00 | 37.50 |
| Mozambique | 65 | 49.70 | Insufficient moral freedom | 88.75 | 31.25 | 22.50 | 81.00 | 25.00 |
| San Marino | 66 | 49.55 | Insufficient moral freedom | 90.63 | 15.63 | 15.00 | 79.00 | 47.50 |
| Georgia | 67 | 49.25 | Insufficient moral freedom | 81.25 | 67.50 | 7.50 | 55.00 | 35.00 |
| Cuba | 68 | 49.00 | Insufficient moral freedom | 41.50 | 72.50 | 7.50 | 76.00 | 47.50 |
| Guinea | 69 | 49.00 | Insufficient moral freedom | 88.75 | 31.25 | 22.50 | 65.00 | 37.50 |
| Monaco | 70 | 48.95 | Insufficient moral freedom | 62.50 | 31.25 | 22.50 | 81.00 | 47.50 |
| Nepal | 71 | 48.83 | Insufficient moral freedom | 85.38 | 62.50 | 22.50 | 55.00 | 18.75 |
| Ghana | 72 | 48.63 | Insufficient moral freedom | 98.13 | 31.25 | 22.50 | 60.00 | 31.25 |
| Malawi | 73 | 48.45 | Insufficient moral freedom | 98.13 | 15.63 | 22.50 | 81.00 | 25.00 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 74 | 48.38 | Insufficient moral freedom | 98.13 | 31.25 | 15.00 | 60.00 | 37.50 |
| Turkey | 75 | 48.03 | Insufficient moral freedom | 32.13 | 72.50 | 15.00 | 73.00 | 47.50 |
| Seychelles | 76 | 47.88 | Insufficient moral freedom | 98.13 | 31.25 | 7.50 | 65.00 | 37.50 |
| Mongolia | 77 | 47.70 | Insufficient moral freedom | 70.00 | 62.50 | 13.50 | 55.00 | 37.50 |
| Ukraine | 78 | 47.58 | Insufficient moral freedom | 55.38 | 66.25 | 60.00 | 15.00 | 41.25 |
| Tajikistan | 79 | 47.50 | Insufficient moral freedom | 70.00 | 62.50 | 15.00 | 55.00 | 35.00 |
| Senegal | 80 | 47.25 | Insufficient moral freedom | 98.13 | 15.63 | 15.00 | 95.00 | 12.50 |
| Ivory Coast | 81 | 46.70 | Insufficient moral freedom | 94.38 | 15.63 | 22.50 | 76.00 | 25.00 |
| Korea, South | 82 | 46.38 | Insufficient moral freedom | 93.13 | 41.25 | 22.50 | 25.00 | 50.00 |
| Madagascar | 83 | 46.33 | Insufficient moral freedom | 70.00 | 15.63 | 22.50 | 86.00 | 37.50 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 84 | 46.00 | Insufficient moral freedom | 51.50 | 62.50 | 15.00 | 76.00 | 25.00 |
| Cameroon | 85 | 45.88 | Insufficient moral freedom | 98.13 | 31.25 | 15.00 | 60.00 | 25.00 |
| Saint Lucia | 86 | 45.88 | Insufficient moral freedom | 98.13 | 31.25 | 7.50 | 55.00 | 37.50 |
| Solomon Islands | 87 | 45.75 | Insufficient moral freedom | 98.13 | 15.63 | 22.50 | 55.00 | 37.50 |
| Belarus | 88 | 45.70 | Insufficient moral freedom | 56.00 | 62.50 | 7.50 | 55.00 | 47.50 |
| Singapore | 89 | 45.70 | Insufficient moral freedom | 65.00 | 72.50 | 7.50 | 36.00 | 47.50 |
| Bahamas, The | 90 | 45.50 | Insufficient moral freedom | 88.75 | 31.25 | 15.00 | 55.00 | 37.50 |
| Liberia | 91 | 45.50 | Insufficient moral freedom | 88.75 | 31.25 | 15.00 | 55.00 | 37.50 |
| Gambia, The | 92 | 45.43 | Insufficient moral freedom | 84.63 | 31.25 | 15.00 | 65.00 | 31.25 |
| Mauritius | 93 | 45.38 | Insufficient moral freedom | 88.75 | 15.63 | 15.00 | 60.00 | 47.50 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 94 | 45.38 | Insufficient moral freedom | 98.13 | 31.25 | 15.00 | 45.00 | 37.50 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 95 | 45.25 | Insufficient moral freedom | 98.13 | 15.63 | 15.00 | 60.00 | 37.50 |
| Andorra | 96 | 45.00 | Insufficient moral freedom | 71.88 | 15.63 | 22.50 | 55.00 | 60.00 |
| Suriname | 97 | 45.00 | Insufficient moral freedom | 98.13 | 15.63 | 15.00 | 55.00 | 41.25 |
| Laos | 98 | 44.25 | Insufficient moral freedom | 70.00 | 31.25 | 22.50 | 60.00 | 37.50 |
| Uzbekistan | 99 | 43.93 | Insufficient moral freedom | 49.63 | 62.50 | 15.00 | 55.00 | 37.50 |
| Guatemala | 100 | 43.83 | Insufficient moral freedom | 77.50 | 15.63 | 22.50 | 66.00 | 37.50 |
| Haiti | 101 | 43.75 | Insufficient moral freedom | 98.13 | 15.63 | 22.50 | 45.00 | 37.50 |
| Zimbabwe | 102 | 43.70 | Insufficient moral freedom | 88.75 | 31.25 | 13.50 | 60.00 | 25.00 |
| Papua New Guinea | 103 | 43.25 | Insufficient moral freedom | 98.13 | 15.63 | 22.50 | 55.00 | 25.00 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 104 | 43.13 | Insufficient moral freedom | 86.88 | 31.25 | 15.00 | 45.00 | 37.50 |
| Dominica | 105 | 42.75 | Insufficient moral freedom | 98.13 | 15.63 | 7.50 | 55.00 | 37.50 |
| Tunisia | 106 | 42.58 | Insufficient moral freedom | 27.38 | 62.50 | 15.00 | 83.00 | 25.00 |
| Honduras | 107 | 42.45 | Insufficient moral freedom | 75.63 | 15.63 | 15.00 | 81.00 | 25.00 |
| Azerbaijan | 108 | 42.30 | Insufficient moral freedom | 51.50 | 62.50 | 7.50 | 55.00 | 35.00 |
| Tuvalu | 109 | 41.93 | Insufficient moral freedom | 77.50 | 15.63 | 15.00 | 64.00 | 37.50 |
| Uganda | 110 | 41.88 | Insufficient moral freedom | 75.63 | 31.25 | 22.50 | 55.00 | 25.00 |
| Swaziland | 111 | 41.50 | Insufficient moral freedom | 88.75 | 31.25 | 15.00 | 60.00 | 12.50 |
| Dominican Republic | 112 | 40.78 | Insufficient moral freedom | 86.88 | 0.00 | 13.50 | 66.00 | 37.50 |
| Tonga | 113 | 40.38 | Insufficient moral freedom | 64.75 | 15.63 | 15.00 | 69.00 | 37.50 |
| Philippines, The | 114 | 39.63 | Low moral freedom | 92.50 | 15.63 | 15.00 | 25.00 | 50.00 |
| Botswana | 115 | 39.50 | Low moral freedom | 88.75 | 31.25 | 32.50 | 20.00 | 25.00 |
| China | 116 | 39.30 | Low moral freedom | 39.00 | 72.50 | 15.00 | 25.00 | 45.00 |
| Mali | 117 | 39.30 | Low moral freedom | 84.25 | 31.25 | 22.50 | 46.00 | 12.50 |
| El Salvador | 118 | 39.20 | Low moral freedom | 85.00 | 0.00 | 7.50 | 66.00 | 37.50 |
| Central African Republic | 119 | 37.23 | Low moral freedom | 59.50 | 15.63 | 22.50 | 76.00 | 12.50 |
| Kenya | 120 | 36.95 | Low moral freedom | 87.25 | 31.25 | 15.00 | 20.00 | 31.25 |
| Turkmenistan | 121 | 36.88 | Low moral freedom | 15.88 | 62.50 | 13.50 | 55.00 | 37.50 |
| Nicaragua | 122 | 36.33 | Low moral freedom | 75.63 | 0.00 | 15.00 | 66.00 | 25.00 |
| Rwanda | 123 | 36.20 | Low moral freedom | 68.50 | 31.25 | 7.50 | 55.00 | 18.75 |
| Angola | 124 | 36.13 | Low moral freedom | 70.00 | 15.63 | 15.00 | 55.00 | 25.00 |
| Jordan | 125 | 35.88 | Low moral freedom | 34.38 | 31.25 | 57.50 | 25.00 | 31.25 |
| Vietnam | 126 | 35.38 | Low moral freedom | 59.38 | 62.50 | 15.00 | 5.00 | 35.00 |
| Korea, North | 127 | 34.50 | Low moral freedom | 37.50 | 62.50 | 15.00 | 20.00 | 37.50 |
| Ethiopia | 128 | 34.25 | Low moral freedom | 70.25 | 31.25 | 15.00 | 36.00 | 18.75 |
| Lebanon | 129 | 33.90 | Low moral freedom | 80.13 | 15.63 | 15.00 | 40.00 | 18.75 |
| Thailand | 130 | 29.38 | Low moral freedom | 59.75 | 20.63 | 1.50 | 20.00 | 45.00 |
| Comoros | 131 | 29.25 | Low moral freedom | 32.50 | 31.25 | 11.25 | 40.00 | 31.25 |
| Djibouti | 132 | 29.13 | Low moral freedom | 32.50 | 15.63 | 11.25 | 55.00 | 31.25 |
| Mauritania | 133 | 28.73 | Low moral freedom | 20.50 | 15.63 | 22.50 | 60.00 | 25.00 |
| Bangladesh | 134 | 28.53 | Low moral freedom | 32.00 | 15.63 | 22.50 | 60.00 | 12.50 |
| Nigeria | 135 | 27.28 | Low moral freedom | 57.63 | 31.25 | 22.50 | 15.00 | 10.00 |
| Eritrea | 136 | 26.80 | Low moral freedom | 41.50 | 31.25 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 31.25 |
| Malaysia | 137 | 26.20 | Low moral freedom | 46.00 | 31.25 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 23.75 |
| Morocco | 138 | 26.20 | Low moral freedom | 41.00 | 31.25 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 28.75 |
| Myanmar | 139 | 26.13 | Low moral freedom | 10.00 | 15.63 | 15.00 | 65.00 | 25.00 |
| Maldives | 140 | 25.75 | Low moral freedom | 25.00 | 31.25 | 7.50 | 40.00 | 25.00 |
| Syria | 141 | 23.30 | Low moral freedom | 30.88 | 15.63 | 18.75 | 20.00 | 31.25 |
| Indonesia | 142 | 22.93 | Low moral freedom | 28.38 | 31.25 | 22.50 | 0.00 | 32.50 |
| Somalia | 143 | 22.25 | Low moral freedom | 34.38 | 15.63 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 31.25 |
| Sri Lanka | 144 | 21.90 | Low moral freedom | 38.88 | 15.63 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 25.00 |
| Sudan | 145 | 21.43 | Low moral freedom | 13.38 | 31.25 | 22.50 | 15.00 | 25.00 |
| Bahrain | 146 | 21.25 | Low moral freedom | 15.00 | 67.50 | 11.25 | 0.00 | 12.50 |
| Libya | 147 | 21.00 | Low moral freedom | 25.00 | 31.25 | 22.50 | 0.00 | 26.25 |
| Oman | 148 | 20.63 | Low moral freedom | 43.13 | 31.25 | 22.50 | 0.00 | 6.25 |
| Algeria | 149 | 20.25 | Low moral freedom | 28.75 | 31.25 | 15.00 | 20.00 | 6.25 |
| Brunei | 150 | 19.88 | Very low moral freedom | 32.50 | 15.63 | 11.25 | 15.00 | 25.00 |
| Pakistan | 151 | 18.05 | Very low moral freedom | 14.00 | 31.25 | 22.50 | 0.00 | 22.50 |
| Iran | 152 | 17.75 | Very low moral freedom | 5.63 | 35.63 | 25.00 | 0.00 | 22.50 |
| Egypt | 153 | 17.25 | Very low moral freedom | 26.88 | 15.63 | 22.50 | 15.00 | 6.25 |
| Afghanistan | 154 | 16.50 | Very low moral freedom | 23.13 | 15.63 | 18.75 | 0.00 | 25.00 |
| Kuwait | 155 | 15.93 | Very low moral freedom | 33.38 | 31.25 | 15.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Qatar | 156 | 15.63 | Very low moral freedom | 31.88 | 31.25 | 15.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Iraq | 157 | 12.63 | Very low moral freedom | 32.50 | 15.63 | 15.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| United Arab Emirates | 158 | 11.50 | Very low moral freedom | 22.13 | 15.63 | 13.50 | 0.00 | 6.25 |
| Yemen | 159 | 11.23 | Very low moral freedom | 18.00 | 15.63 | 22.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Saudi Arabia | 160 | 10.13 | Lowest moral freedom | 5.63 | 31.25 | 7.50 | 0.00 | 6.25 |
Reception
In Portugal and, to a lesser extent, in Spain, many mainstream media and a number of other online media reported on the World Index of Moral Freedom 2016. All in all, just over ninety media carried the story.[2] Generally speaking, reception was positive in Portugal and both positive and negative in Spain. The following are some of the main media carrying the story:
- Expresso (Portugal, mainstream news magazine), "Portugal é o terceiro país com mais liberdade moral do mundo" (Portugal is the third country in the world with the highest moral freedom). Positive reception.[3] A similar news story, as disseminated by news agencies, was also carried by TVI24 television outlet and regional newspapers like Diário de Notícias de Madeira, Açoriano Oriental, Algarve Notícias and others. Some media in other Portuguese speaking countries also reproduced the story, like Bissau Resiste (Guinea Bissau) or Awure news portal (Brazil). The story was published in Tetum language by East Timor news blog Timor Agora.[4]
- Cuatro (Spain, mainstream TV outlet), "España, sexto país del mundo en libertad moral" (Spain, sixth country in the world in terms of moral freedom). Positive reception.[5] A similar story, as disseminated by news agencies, was also reproduced by mainstream newspapers La Vanguardia (Barcelona), El Español (Madrid), El Día (Tenerife) or El Economista (Madrid), to mention but a few. The same story was also carried by major TV outlet Telecinco.
- Actuall (Spain, large catholic online newspaper), "Drogas, prostitución, pornografía… España, a la cabeza mundial en 'corrupción' moral" (Drugs, prostitution, pornography ... Spain is a world leader in moral corruption). Negative reception.[6]
- Diario de Sevilla (Spain, regional newspaper), "Paradójica España" (Paradoxal Spain). Negative mention.[7]
- Radio Inter (Spain, nationwide radio station), news report on the World Index of Moral Freedom, broadcast on April 21, 2016.[8]
- Stiri.com.ro (Romania, news portal), "Indexul Mondial al Libertatii Morale a fost publicat" (World Index of Moral Freedom published).[9]
See also
Notes and references
- World Index of Moral Freedom (WIMF)
- Media clipping on the launching of the World Index of Moral Freedom 2016
- Expresso (Portugal, mainstream news magazine)
- Timor Agora (East Timor, news blog)
- Cuatro (Spain, mainstream TV outlet)
- Actuall (Spain, large catholic online newspaper)
- Diario de Sevilla (Spain, regional newspaper)
- Radio Inter audio file at Ivoox (in Spanish)
- Stiri.com.ro (Romania, news portal)
External links
World Index of Moral Freedom 2016 (WIMF) 2016, published by the Foundation for the Advancement of Liberty, Madrid, Spain, on April 2, 2016.
World Index of Moral Freedom 2018 (WIMF) 2018, published by the Foundation for the Advancement of Liberty, Madrid, Spain, in July, 2018.