By Human Rights Press Staff
June 3, 2025 | 6:30 PM ET
A new global report warns that only 3.5% of the world’s population—about 284 million people—live in countries that fully protect civil liberties, while nearly seven billion live under governments that restrict or suppress basic freedoms.
The 2025 Atlas of Civil Society, released by German relief group Brot für die Welt, highlights a deep erosion of democracy and human rights across the globe. Using CIVICUS Monitor data, the report ranks countries based on freedom of association, expression, and peaceful assembly.
Only 40 countries, including New Zealand and Nordic nations, are classified as “open.” Meanwhile, 85% of humanity lives under regimes where civil society is “restricted,” “suppressed,” or entirely “closed”—conditions that often involve surveillance, censorship, or violent repression of dissent.
Countries like the U.S., Germany, and Argentina are deemed “impaired,” where rights exist but violations persist. Others, like Turkey and Mexico, fall under “oppressed,” and Russia is among 29 nations labeled “closed,” where criticism is met with fear and punishment.
“The rule of law, separation of powers, and protection against state abuse are weakening or vanishing in many parts of the world,” said Brot für die Welt President Dagmar Pruin.
Nine countries improved their civil rights standings, but another nine, including Ethiopia and the Netherlands, saw declines—fueling concerns over the global future of democracy.