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Against a global backdrop of uncertainty, fragmentation, and shifting priorities, we invited leading economists and scholars to dive deep into the state of freedom and prosperity in ten countries around the world. Drawing on our thirty-year dataset covering political, economic, and legal developments, this year’s Atlas is the evidence-based guide to better policy in 2026.
The volatilities of 2025 may be new, but the fixes are not: Reforms that strengthen the rule of law, inclusive economic strategies, and accountable governance are time-tested ways to rebuild faith in democratic values, boost growth, and unlock human potential. That’s the key takeaway from a deep dive into the state of political freedom and prosperity in ten different countries—including some that saw major changes this year, such as Colombia, Serbia, and Syria—alongside Ghana, Singapore, and others.
Global turbulence and shifting priorities across international development, foreign affairs, and trade marked the past year. But the economists and scholars who analyzed the Freedom and Prosperity Indexes data saw clear patterns over the past decade, including that:
These patterns surfaced in the ten case studies profiled in the 2026 Atlas of Freedom and Prosperity, the Atlantic Council’s annual collection of analyses on the rule of law, economic wellbeing, and political openness in selected countries.
Another trend is starting to take shape as the developing world increasingly disentangles from traditional economic and political alliances and new centers of influence reshape the balance between freedom, governance, and prosperity. The Atlas highlights diverging paths, with some governments strengthening institutions to sustain growth and others tightening control in response to crises in ways that undermine trust and opportunity. But the data are clear: Fair institutions and individual liberties remain the strongest foundations for a country’s population to achieve well-being and lasting prosperity.
The 2026 Atlas is both a guide and a call to action—for innovative, principled policies that balance freedom with stability and enable societies to thrive in an increasingly multipolar world.
Explore the methodology behind the Freedom and Prosperity Indexes.
Development aid requires local political commitment, careful project selection, and long-term focus, or it can worsen the problems it seeks to solve. When aid becomes a pawn of geopolitical competition, those conditions for effective aid become more elusive.
By Ignacio Campomanes, Nina Dannaoui-Johnson, Annie (Yu-Lin) Lee, and James Mazzarella
Institutional strength drives prosperity, but aggregate scores can hide key differences—what ultimately shapes development outcomes is how political, legal, and economic systems interact.
Vigilant media and active civil society sustain Ghana’s democracy, but weak judicial independence erodes public trust. Rising youth joblessness calls for reforms to strengthen industry, modernize agriculture, and align skills training to labor-market needs.
Colombia’s institutions brought stability, yet corruption, insecurity, and informality still undermine trust and limit prosperity. Renewed fiscal discipline, stronger territorial governance, and revived institutional dialogue are essential for translating Colombia’s freedoms into inclusive and enduring growth.
After a full year of antigovernment protests, Belgrade faces a sustained challenge to the status quo. The corruption that drew protestors to the streets also stifle growth and imperil political freedom in the country. Restoring a credible path to EU accession would be the single most powerful external incentive for change.
Singapore’s GDP has tripled since the 1990s. Now the city-state needs a new social compact that matches its high-income status. Creating space for productivity, entrepreneurship, and open debate will decide whether Singapore’s prosperity benefits more Singaporeans—or becomes increasingly fragile.
In Syria, relief coexists with unease about what comes next. How can Ahmed al-Sharaa restore a state devastated by a quarter century of authoritarianism, corruption, and civil war? Building a government and economy that work for all Syrians is the only way forward.
Tunisia was one of the Arab Spring’s success stories, with dramatic increases in political freedom after the 2011 uprising. Fifteen years on, the country’s experience shows how intertwined freedom and prosperity are. With economic opportunity not matching the increases in political voice, frustration and unrest has followed.
Economic growth in the Philippines has largely taken place in the absence of sustained political stability. Political rights and accountability swing sharply with changes in leadership. The task ahead is to ensure that economic progress deepens democratic accountability rather than reinforcing personalized and clientelistic politics, by realigning incentives through information and institutions.
Benin’s democratic gains since 1990 have eroded over the past decade amid growing executive centralization, shrinking political competition, and rising insecurity. Renewing strong institutions and political openness is key to shared prosperity.
Giorgia Meloni’s three-year tenure as prime minister is unusually long by recent Italian standards. As her government faces its biggest test yet with a referendum on judicial reforms, what explains Meloni’s relative stability—and the frequent turnover that preceded it? A deep dive into economic and political indicators sheds light on Italy’s path forward.
Over three decades, the Dominican Republic has consolidated stable electoral competition and built a diversified, open economy delivering the fastest GDP growth in Latin America. To escape the middle-income trap, the country must now confront deferred structural reforms—especially in education, institutional effectiveness, and fiscal capacity—turning stability into sustained convergence.
Sri Lanka’s trajectory is marked by volatility rather than steady progress. Gains in political rights, economic openness, and security proved episodic rather than transformative when not supported by a credible rule of law. Breaking from cycles of recovery and crisis requires institutional renewal, social reconciliation, and professional governance.
Get the Freedom and Prosperity Center’s latest reports, research, and events.
The Freedom and Prosperity Indexes rank 164 countries around the world according to their levels of freedom and prosperity. Use our award-winning site to explore twenty-nine years of data, compare countries and regions, and examine the sub-indexes and indicators that comprise our indexes.
Twenty leading economists, scholars, and diplomats analyze the state of freedom and prosperity in eighteen countries around the world, looking back not only on a consequential year but across twenty-nine years of data on markets, rights, and the rule of law.
Twenty leading economists and government officials from eighteen countries contributed to this comprehensive volume, which serves as a roadmap for navigating the complexities of contemporary governance.
Political, economic, and legal freedoms are the foundation of prosperity. The Freedom and Prosperity Center generates evidence to drive policy reform and advance human well-being, particularly in emerging markets and developing economies.
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