Mon Jun 02 14:30:03 UTC 2025: ## Global Democracy in Crisis: Report Reveals Stark Decline in Civil Liberties
**Berlin, Germany** – A new report paints a grim picture of global democracy, revealing that only a tiny fraction of the world’s population enjoys full civil liberties. The “Atlas of Civil Society,” published by German aid organization Brot fur die Welt (Bread for the World), warns of a severe decline in human rights and democratic freedoms worldwide, unprecedented in recent decades.
The study, which analyzes data from 197 countries and territories, finds that just 40 nations, representing a mere 3.5% of the global population (284 million people), can be considered “open.” These countries, including Austria, Estonia, Scandinavian nations, New Zealand, and Jamaica, guarantee unrestricted civil rights and liberties, allowing citizens to freely associate, demonstrate, and access information.
The report defines “open” societies as those without legal or practical barriers to forming associations, demonstrating in public, and receiving and disseminating information.
Alarmingly, the report highlights that 85% of the world’s population – nearly seven billion people – reside in countries where civil society is restricted, suppressed, or outright closed. These 115 nations severely limit civil liberties, resorting to harassment, arrest, and even the killing of dissenting voices.
While 42 countries (11.1% of the world’s population), including Germany, Slovakia, Argentina, and the United States, are classified as having “impaired” civil rights, experiencing violations in freedom of assembly and expression, the situation in other nations is far more dire.
Several European countries, including Greece, the United Kingdom, Hungary, and Ukraine, find themselves in the “restricted” category. In 51 countries, including Algeria, Mexico, and Turkey, civil society is considered “oppressed,” with governments actively monitoring, imprisoning, or killing critics and imposing censorship. Russia and 28 other nations are categorized as “closed,” characterized by an “atmosphere of fear” where criticism of the government is severely punished.
Despite the bleak overall trend, some positive developments were noted. Nine countries, including Jamaica, Japan, Slovenia, Trinidad and Tobago, Botswana, Fiji, Liberia, Poland, and Bangladesh, improved their freedom of expression ratings in the past year. However, nine others, including Georgia, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Peru, Ethiopia, Eswatini, the Netherlands, Mongolia, and the Palestinian territory, experienced a downgrade.
Dagmar Pruin, president of Brot fur die Welt, issued a stark warning, stating, “The rule of law, the separation of powers and protection against state arbitrariness are under threat or no longer exist in more and more countries.” The report serves as a critical call to action for the global community to address the escalating crisis of democratic decline and safeguard fundamental human rights.
First Piper 