Social Progress Insights: Personal Rights

Social Progress Insights is a series of short briefs aiming to provide insights on the current state of the world based on the Social Progress Index

Social Progress Insights: Personal Rights

In this series, we take a closer look into how the Personal Rights component performs given that the world population has faced a considerable recession in personal rights since 2011 (-5.3 points). The Social Progress Insights: Personal Rights report was made with data from the 2022 Social Progress Index. If you are interested in the latest results of the index, please visit our main page.

The 2022 Social Progress Index fully ranks 169 countries. Personal Rights is one of the twelve fundamental components of the Social Progress Index. Personal rights enable an individual to participate freely in society without the intrusion of government, social organizations, or private power over personal freedom. These rights include political rights, rights of association and expression, as well as the right to own property. All contribute to dignity and worth and facilitate the participation of individuals in building a free and democratic society where the people’s voices are valued in determining state and community affairs.

In this series, we take a closer look into how the Personal Rights component performs given that the world population has faced a considerable recession in personal rights since 2011 (-5.3 points). The Social Progress Insights: Personal Rights report was made with data from the 2022 Social Progress Index. If you are interested in the latest results of the index, please visit our main page.

The 2022 Social Progress Index fully ranks 169 countries. Personal Rights is one of the twelve fundamental components of the Social Progress Index. Personal rights enable an individual to participate freely in society without the intrusion of government, social organizations, or private power over personal freedom. These rights include political rights, rights of association and expression, as well as the right to own property. All contribute to dignity and worth and facilitate the participation of individuals in building a free and democratic society where the people’s voices are valued in determining state and community affairs.

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Key Insights

On average, the world is as protective of Personal Rights as Kazakhstan or Ethiopia. While Denmark offers the highest Personal Rights, North Korea is the worst performer by some margin.

Most significantly so for North America (-8.1 points), followed by South Asia (-7.9 points) and Europe (-6.7points) are the regions that have declined the most on personal rights. 

Overall, Personal Rights have deteriorated for 112 countries (66%) since 2011, including four G7 countries – the US, the UK, France, and Canada.

Most high-income countries are among the top-performers barring only Singapore and Middle East Arabian countries. Lower income countries have a more disparate access to Personal Rights.

Authoritarianism is a particular inhibitor for Personal Rights with liberal democracies having the highest median scores and closed autocracies having the lowest.

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According to the Global Social Progress Index, since 2011, the European Union has improved on social progress while the US has declined. However, this is largely due to the US backslide as opposed to the EU making great strides. As we see, social progress has stalled across Europe with the most significant decreases in Austria (-0.77), Lithuania (-0.62), Spain (-0.49), Slovakia (-0.47) and Croatia (-0.41).

In the UK the social progress has declined by 0.39 points since 2011 and it has fallen 8 places in the ranks since 2011 to 21st in 2023. As in the US, the UK decline is largely driven by declining rights and inclusiveness.

Key Insights

On average, the world is as protective of Personal Rights as Kazakhstan or Ethiopia. While Denmark offers the highest Personal Rights, North Korea is the worst performer by some margin.

Most significantly so for North America (-8.1 points), followed by South Asia (-7.9 points) and Europe (-6.7points) are the regions that have declined the most on personal rights. 

Overall, Personal Rights have deteriorated for 112 countries (66%) since 2011, including four G7 countries – the US, the UK, France, and Canada.

Most high-income countries are among the top-performers barring only Singapore and Middle East Arabian countries. Lower income countries have a more disparate access to Personal Rights.

Authoritarianism is a particular inhibitor for Personal Rights with liberal democracies having the highest median scores and closed autocracies having the lowest.

Download the insigths

Key Insights

On average, the world is as protective of Personal Rights as Kazakhstan or Ethiopia. While Denmark offers the highest Personal Rights, North Korea is the worst performer by some margin.

Most significantly so for North America (-8.1 points), followed by South Asia (-7.9 points) and Europe (-6.7points) are the regions that have declined the most on personal rights. 

Overall, Personal Rights have deteriorated for 112 countries (66%) since 2011, including four G7 countries – the US, the UK, France, and Canada.

Most high-income countries are among the top-performers barring only Singapore and Middle East Arabian countries. Lower income countries have a more disparate access to Personal Rights.

Authoritarianism is a particular inhibitor for Personal Rights with liberal democracies having the highest median scores and closed autocracies having the lowest.

Download the insigths

Key Insights

On average, the world is as protective of Personal Rights as Kazakhstan or Ethiopia. While Denmark offers the highest Personal Rights, North Korea is the worst performer by some margin.

Most significantly so for North America (-8.1 points), followed by South Asia (-7.9 points) and Europe (-6.7points) are the regions that have declined the most on personal rights. 

Overall, Personal Rights have deteriorated for 112 countries (66%) since 2011, including four G7 countries – the US, the UK, France, and Canada.

Most high-income countries are among the top-performers barring only Singapore and Middle East Arabian countries. Lower income countries have a more disparate access to Personal Rights.

Authoritarianism is a particular inhibitor for Personal Rights with liberal democracies having the highest median scores and closed autocracies having the lowest.

Download the insigths

Key Insights

On average, the world is as protective of Personal Rights as Kazakhstan or Ethiopia. While Denmark offers the highest Personal Rights, North Korea is the worst performer by some margin.

Most significantly so for North America (-8.1 points), followed by South Asia (-7.9 points) and Europe (-6.7points) are the regions that have declined the most on personal rights. 

Overall, Personal Rights have deteriorated for 112 countries (66%) since 2011, including four G7 countries – the US, the UK, France, and Canada.

Most high-income countries are among the top-performers barring only Singapore and Middle East Arabian countries. Lower income countries have a more disparate access to Personal Rights.

Authoritarianism is a particular inhibitor for Personal Rights with liberal democracies having the highest median scores and closed autocracies having the lowest.

Download the insigths

Key Insights

On average, the world is as protective of Personal Rights as Kazakhstan or Ethiopia. While Denmark offers the highest Personal Rights, North Korea is the worst performer by some margin.

Most significantly so for North America (-8.1 points), followed by South Asia (-7.9 points) and Europe (-6.7points) are the regions that have declined the most on personal rights. 

Overall, Personal Rights have deteriorated for 112 countries (66%) since 2011, including four G7 countries – the US, the UK, France, and Canada.

Most high-income countries are among the top-performers barring only Singapore and Middle East Arabian countries. Lower income countries have a more disparate access to Personal Rights.

Authoritarianism is a particular inhibitor for Personal Rights with liberal democracies having the highest median scores and closed autocracies having the lowest.

Download the insigths

Key Insights

On average, the world is as protective of Personal Rights as Kazakhstan or Ethiopia. While Denmark offers the highest Personal Rights, North Korea is the worst performer by some margin.

Most significantly so for North America (-8.1 points), followed by South Asia (-7.9 points) and Europe (-6.7points) are the regions that have declined the most on personal rights. 

Overall, Personal Rights have deteriorated for 112 countries (66%) since 2011, including four G7 countries – the US, the UK, France, and Canada.

Most high-income countries are among the top-performers barring only Singapore and Middle East Arabian countries. Lower income countries have a more disparate access to Personal Rights.

Authoritarianism is a particular inhibitor for Personal Rights with liberal democracies having the highest median scores and closed autocracies having the lowest.

Download the insights

Key Insights

On average, the world is as protective of Personal Rights as Kazakhstan or Ethiopia. While Denmark offers the highest Personal Rights, North Korea is the worst performer by some margin.

Most significantly so for North America (-8.1 points), followed by South Asia (-7.9 points) and Europe (-6.7points) are the regions that have declined the most on personal rights. 

Overall, Personal Rights have deteriorated for 112 countries (66%) since 2011, including four G7 countries – the US, the UK, France, and Canada.

Most high-income countries are among the top-performers barring only Singapore and Middle East Arabian countries. Lower income countries have a more disparate access to Personal Rights.

Authoritarianism is a particular inhibitor for Personal Rights with liberal democracies having the highest median scores and closed autocracies having the lowest.

DoWNLOAD THE INSIGHTS

Key Insights

On average, the world is as protective of Personal Rights as Kazakhstan or Ethiopia. While Denmark offers the highest Personal Rights, North Korea is the worst performer by some margin.

Most significantly so for North America (-8.1 points), followed by South Asia (-7.9 points) and Europe (-6.7points) are the regions that have declined the most on personal rights. 

Overall, Personal Rights have deteriorated for 112 countries (66%) since 2011, including four G7 countries – the US, the UK, France, and Canada.

Most high-income countries are among the top-performers barring only Singapore and Middle East Arabian countries. Lower income countries have a more disparate access to Personal Rights.

Authoritarianism is a particular inhibitor for Personal Rights with liberal democracies having the highest median scores and closed autocracies having the lowest.

Download the insigths

Key Insights

Key Insights

On average, the world is as protective of Personal Rights as Kazakhstan or Ethiopia. While Denmark offers the highest Personal Rights, North Korea is the worst performer by some margin.

Most significantly so for North America (-8.1 points), followed by South Asia (-7.9 points) and Europe (-6.7points) are the regions that have declined the most on personal rights. 

Overall, Personal Rights have deteriorated for 112 countries (66%) since 2011, including four G7 countries – the US, the UK, France, and Canada.

Most high-income countries are among the top-performers barring only Singapore and Middle East Arabian countries. Lower income countries have a more disparate access to Personal Rights.

Authoritarianism is a particular inhibitor for Personal Rights with liberal democracies having the highest median scores and closed autocracies having the lowest.

Our Findings

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Finding 2

On average, the world is as protective of Personal Rights as Kazakhstan or Ethiopia. While Denmark offers the highest Personal Rights, North Korea is the worst performer by some margin.

Most significantly so for North America (-8.1 points), followed by South Asia (-7.9 points) and Europe (-6.7points) are the regions that have declined the most on personal rights. 

Overall, Personal Rights have deteriorated for 112 countries (66%) since 2011, including four G7 countries – the US, the UK, France, and Canada.

Most high-income countries are among the top-performers barring only Singapore and Middle East Arabian countries. Lower income countries have a more disparate access to Personal Rights.

Authoritarianism is a particular inhibitor for Personal Rights with liberal democracies having the highest median scores and closed autocracies having the lowest.

Finding 2
Finding 3
Finding 4
Finding 5

In this brief interview, Sofía Ramírez, director of México ¿cómo vamos? highlights six key takeaways from their latest report and the lessons Mexico offers as a diverse country. She also shares how they collaborate with policymakers and leaders across sectors to track and amplify the impact of their work.  

Explore the full results and learn more about the work that México, ¿cómo vamos? is leading.

About the Social Progress Index

The Social Progress Index® (SPI) is a well-established measure, published since 2013, that is meant to catalyse improvement and drive action by presenting social outcome data in a useful and reliable way. Composed of twelve components and three dimensions, the Social Progress Index can be used to benchmark success and provide a holistic, transparent, outcome-based measure of a country’s wellbeing that is independent of economic indicators. 

About the Social Progress Index

The Social Progress Index® (SPI) is a well-established measure, published since 2013, that is meant to catalyse improvement and drive action by presenting social outcome data in a useful and reliable way. Composed of twelve components and three dimensions, the Social Progress Index can be used to benchmark success and provide a holistic, transparent, outcome-based measure of a country’s wellbeing that is independent of economic indicators. 

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In this series, we take a closer look into how the Personal Rights component performs given that the world population has faced a considerable recession in personal rights since 2011 (-5.3 points). The Social Progress Insights: Personal Rights report was made with data from the 2022 Social Progress Index. If you are interested in the latest results of the index, please visit our main page.

The 2022 Social Progress Index fully ranks 169 countries. Personal Rights is one of the twelve fundamental components of the Social Progress Index. Personal rights enable an individual to participate freely in society without the intrusion of government, social organizations, or private power over personal freedom. These rights include political rights, rights of association and expression, as well as the right to own property. All contribute to dignity and worth and facilitate the participation of individuals in building a free and democratic society where the people’s voices are valued in determining state and community affairs.

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