HF-2018全球经济自由度指数（英文版）-2018-492页-22mb

2018 Index of Economic Freedom Summary

Core Content

The 2018 Index of Economic Freedom is an annual report by The Heritage Foundation that ranks countries based on their economic freedom scores. It evaluates 186 countries across 12 key indicators, including property rights, judicial effectiveness, government integrity, tax burden, government spending, fiscal health, business freedom, labor freedom, monetary freedom, trade freedom, investment freedom, and financial freedom. The report emphasizes that economic freedom is essential for human well-being and long-term prosperity.

Key Findings

• Global Economic Freedom Trends:

  • Economic freedom has been on an upward trend for six consecutive years.
  • The global average score of 61.1 is the highest ever recorded.
  • The world average is more than three points higher than in 1995, the first year of the Index.

• Country Rankings:

  • Hong Kong is ranked 1st with an overall score of 90.2.
  • Singapore is 2nd with a score of 88.8.
  • New Zealand is 3rd with 84.2.
  • Switzerland is 4th with 81.7.
  • Australia is 5th with 80.9.
  • Ireland is 6th with 80.4.
  • Estonia is 7th with 78.8.
  • United Kingdom is 8th with 78.0.
  • Canada is 9th with 77.7.
  • United Arab Emirates is 10th with 77.6.

• Regional Performance:

  • Europe has the highest average score at 68.8.
  • The Middle East/North Africa region has an average of 61.5.
  • The Asia-Pacific region scores 61.0.
  • The Americas region scores 60.1.
  • Sub-Saharan Africa scores significantly lower at 54.4.

• Economic Freedom Categories:

  • Very Free: 6 countries with scores of 80 or more.
  • Mostly Free: 28 countries with scores between 70 and 80.
  • Moderately Free: 62 countries with scores between 60 and 70.
  • Mostly Unfree: 63 countries with scores between 50 and 60.
  • Repressed: 21 countries with scores below 50.

Main Points

• Economic Freedom and Prosperity:

  • Countries with higher economic freedom scores have significantly higher incomes.
  • Economies rated "free" or "mostly free" have incomes more than twice the average of other countries.
  • Economic freedom is closely linked to entrepreneurship, innovation, and social progress.

• Policy Implications:

  • Government stimulus should focus on reducing spending and regulation, which limit economic freedom.
  • Policy reforms that promote smaller government and open markets lead to greater economic growth and development.
  • Economic freedom is a vital factor in reducing poverty and improving human development.

• Challenges and Opportunities:

  • Despite progress, many countries still have low levels of economic freedom.
  • The Index highlights the need for continued efforts to promote and preserve economic freedom globally.
  • The report calls for bold actions to expand the frontiers of freedom, inspired by the success of economically free societies like Hong Kong and Australia.

Conclusion

The 2018 Index of Economic Freedom underscores the importance of economic freedom in fostering prosperity, innovation, and human development. It shows that while the global economy is becoming more open and free, there is still significant room for improvement, especially in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa. The report serves as a guide for policymakers to implement reforms that support free markets and limit government overreach.