Singapore led the Index of Economic Freedom in 2024, with an index score of 83.5 out of 100. Switzerland, Ireland, Taiwan, and Luxembourg rounded out the top five. Economic Freedom Index In order to calculate the Economic Freedom Index, the source takes 12 different factors into account, including the rule of law, government size, regulatory efficiency, and open markets. All 12 factors are rated on a scale of zero to 100 and are weighted equally. Every country is rated within the Index in order to provide insight into the health and freedom of the global economy. Singapore's economy Singapore is one of the four so-called Asian Tigers, a term used to describe four countries in Asia that saw a booming economic development from the 1950s to the early 1990. Today, the City-State is known for its many skyscrapers, and its economy continue to boom. It has one of the lowest tax-rates in the Asia-Pacific region, and continues to be open towards foreign direct investment (FDI). Moreover, Singapore has one of the highest trade-to-GDP ratios worldwide, underlining its export-oriented economy. Finally, its geographic location has given it a strategic position as a center connecting other countries in the region with the outside world. However, the economic boom has come at a cost, with the city now ranked among the world's most expensive.

India's performance data on Index of Economic Freedom - score and ranking across all indicators, in addition to comparison with global peers.

In 2023, India's score on the World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders dropped to ****. This placed South Asian democracy among countries where the freedom of the press was threatened and was a matter of concern. The Press Freedom Index score in 2023 was evaluated based on the political, economic, and sociocultural contexts as well as the legal framework and level of safety in a country.

Following a declining trend that emerged in 2017, India's press freedom rank dropped further to *** out of 180 countries surveyed in the World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders in 2024. With a score of ***** the South Asian democracy was among regions where the freedom of the press was seriously threatened. The Press Freedom Index score in 2024 was evaluated based on the political, economic, and sociocultural contexts as well as the legal framework and level of safety in a country. Perils of pursuing journalism in India  Despite constitutional guarantees such as the freedom of speech and expression, journalists and media organizations in India continue to face challenges in reporting issues crucial to upholding democratic values. In the last two decades, over ** journalists were killed in the country while several others were imprisoned under anti-state charges.  Press freedom in the APAC region The press freedom index varies widely in the Asia-Pacific region, with New Zealand being one of the highest-ranking countries globally. In contrast, the regimes in China and North Korea continue to exercise strict control over the media. Press freedom remains under threat due to censorship, violence against journalists, and government pressure on media outlets not just in the Asia-Pacific region, but around the world.

In 2024, Iceland was the worldwide leader in terms of internet freedom. The country ranked first with 94 index points in the Freedom House Index, where each country received a numerical score from 100 (the freest) to 0 (the least free). Estonia ranked second with a 92 index points, followed by Canada, with a score of 86 index points. Internet restrictions worldwide The decline of internet freedom in 2022 is mainly linked to political conflicts in different parts of the world. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian government intensified its attempts to control the online content in the country. The government placed restrictions on three different U.S.-based social media platforms at the same time, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. These restrictions made it to the top of the longest-lasting limitations on the web in 2022. Social protests rose in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022. The Iranian government decided to shut down the internet and various social media platforms in an attempt to minimize the communication between the protesters. In 2022, 11 new internet restrictions were recorded in Iran. However, residents in the Indian region of Jammu and Kashmir saw the highest number of new internet restrictions, which amounted to more than double than the ones in Iran. The impact of internet shutdowns In 2022, the economic impact of internet restrictions worldwide reached an estimated 23.79 billion U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, the highest financial losses due to internet shutdowns were caused by limitations in Russia, and more than seven thousand hours of restricted various online services had an economic impact of 21.59 billion U.S. dollars. The restrictions impacted around 113 million people in the country. Myanmar placed the most extended restriction on internet services, lasting 17,520 hours in total. Similar restrictions in India affected over 120 million people.