Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday highlighted the ranking of the country “above all European Union membership candidate states" in the Human Freedom Index released by the United States-based Cato Institute and Canadian-based Fraser Institute on Tuesday.
Papuashvili pointed out the country had also been placed above three EU and seven NATO member states in the list, which indexed 165 countries and territories based on 83 criteria across 12 categories.
Georgia Rises 11 Spots and Ranks in the Top 10 for annual and long-term progress in the Latest Human Freedom Index by @CatoInstitute & @FraserInstitute, now Ranking 43rd globally, surpassing all EU candidate countries and 3 EU member countries, as well as 7 NATO Members. pic.twitter.com/cICquWpiL8
— Shalva Papuashvili ???????? (@shpapuashvili) February 2, 2023
Georgia was positioned 43rd with the score of 7.71, with the selection also marking the country’s rise in the Index by 11 spots, and also placing it in the top 10 for “annual and long-term progress”.
The eighth annual edition of the Index used 83 indicators of personal and economic freedom in areas ranging from rule of law to security and safety, and from freedom of assembly to expression and information.
The two organisations described the Index as “the most comprehensive” and said it covered 98.1 percent of the world's population.
Switzerland, New Zealand, Estonia, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg occupy the top 10 spots in the ranking.