Atlantic Council's Global Freedom and Prosperity Index: Taiwan Rises Significantly in Rankings

(Central News Agency reporter Liao Han-yuan, Washington, D.C., Special Report, July 15) The Washington D.C. think tank 'Atlantic Council' today released the 2026 Global Freedom and Prosperity Index. Among 171 evaluated countries, Taiwan ranked 21st in freedom with a score of 84.8 and 19th in prosperity with a score of 86.1—both classified as high-tier rankings. This marks an improvement from last year, when Taiwan ranked 23rd in freedom and 28th in prosperity, with the prosperity index rising by 9 positions.

The Atlantic Council’s 'Center for Freedom and Prosperity' published the 2026 Global Freedom and Prosperity Index on the 15th. The report concludes that new data shows global political freedom and rule of law continued to decline in 2025. While there was an economic rebound after the pandemic, economic prosperity has gradually slowed.

The report warns that the judicial foundations sustaining prosperity are rapidly eroding, with global average scores at 62.2 for freedom and 66.5 for prosperity.

Among the 171 evaluated countries, Taiwan scored 84.8 in freedom (21st) and 86.1 in prosperity (19th), both high-tier rankings. In the East Asia and Pacific region, Japan ranked 14th and 25th, South Korea 25th and 28th, Singapore 30th and 18th, and China 147th and 93rd—classified as least free and low prosperity.

Last year, with 164 countries evaluated, Taiwan ranked 23rd in freedom and 28th in prosperity. This year, both rankings improved, with prosperity rising sharply by 9 positions.

The Atlantic Council established the Center for Freedom and Prosperity in 2022, using political and economic data since 1995. It annually updates the index with new data and countries, aiming to serve as a reference for policy-making worldwide.

The freedom index evaluates political, economic, and judicial dimensions, including elections, civil rights, investment and trade freedom, judicial independence, and corruption levels. The prosperity index assesses six areas: income, health, income equality, environment, opportunities for minority communities, and education. (Editor: Chen Hui-ping) 1150716

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