In total, 68 countries lost points in their democracy score in 2018, according to the annual Freedom House report. These outnumbered the 50 countries that achieved net gains. In total, 86 (44%) out of a total 195 countries received a “Free” rating, while 59 (30%) were rated “Partly Free,” and 50 (26%) scored “Not Free.” Hungary and Serbia dropped from “Free” to “Partly Free” while Nicaragua dropped from “Partly Free” to “Not Free.” The 13 lowest-scoring countries in 2018 include Syria, South Sudan, Eritrea, Turkmenistan, North Korea, Equatorial Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Central African Republic, and Libya.
Source: NEW REPORT: Freedom in the World 2019, featuring Special Release on United States | Freedom House
