Labor freedom - Country rankings
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
Labor freedom index (0-100), 2026:
The average for 2026 based on 182 countries was 55 points. The highest value was in Austria: 82 points and the lowest value was in North Korea: 5 points. The indicator is available from 2005 to 2026. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.Measure: points; Source: The Heritage Foundation
Select indicator
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
| Countries | Labor freedom, 2026 | Global rank | Available data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 82 | 1 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Singapore | 77 | 2 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Guyana | 76 | 3 | 2005 - 2026 |
| USA | 76 | 4 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Brunei | 75 | 5 | 2014 - 2026 |
| Nigeria | 75 | 6 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Samoa | 74 | 7 | 2009 - 2026 |
| Micronesia | 73 | 8 | 2009 - 2026 |
| Italy | 71 | 9 | 2005 - 2026 |
| South Africa | 71 | 10 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Mauritius | 70 | 11 | 2005 - 2026 |
| New Zealand | 69 | 12 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Norway | 69 | 13 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Suriname | 69 | 14 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Taiwan | 69 | 15 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Canada | 68 | 16 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Mongolia | 68 | 17 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Bahamas | 67 | 18 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Fiji | 67 | 19 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Japan | 66 | 20 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Sweden | 66 | 21 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Denmark | 65 | 22 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Finland | 65 | 23 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Kiribati | 65 | 24 | 2009 - 2026 |
| Papua N.G. | 65 | 25 | 2009 - 2026 |
| Peru | 65 | 26 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Saint Lucia | 65 | 27 | 2009 - 2026 |
| Georgia | 64 | 28 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Kazakhstan | 64 | 29 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Romania | 64 | 30 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Bosnia & Herz. | 63 | 31 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Malta | 63 | 32 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Namibia | 63 | 33 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Slovenia | 63 | 34 | 2005 - 2026 |
| UA Emirates | 63 | 35 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Australia | 62 | 36 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Bulgaria | 62 | 37 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Burkina Faso | 62 | 38 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Serbia | 62 | 39 | 2009 - 2026 |
| Spain | 62 | 40 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Tanzania | 62 | 41 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Uruguay | 62 | 42 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Botswana | 61 | 43 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Iraq | 61 | 44 | 2013 - 2026 |
| Ireland | 61 | 45 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Latvia | 61 | 46 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Panama | 61 | 47 | 2005 - 2026 |
| UK | 61 | 48 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Benin | 60 | 49 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Bhutan | 60 | 50 | 2009 - 2026 |
| Cape Verde | 60 | 51 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Cyprus | 60 | 52 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Greece | 60 | 53 | 2005 - 2026 |
| St. Vincent & ... | 60 | 54 | 2009 - 2026 |
| Solomon Isl. | 60 | 55 | 2009 - 2026 |
| Switzerland | 60 | 56 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Armenia | 59 | 57 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Colombia | 59 | 58 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Croatia | 59 | 59 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Estonia | 59 | 60 | 2005 - 2026 |
| France | 59 | 61 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Iceland | 59 | 62 | 2005 - 2026 |
| India | 59 | 63 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Jamaica | 59 | 64 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Montenegro | 59 | 65 | 2009 - 2026 |
| Netherlands | 59 | 66 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Qatar | 59 | 67 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Russia | 59 | 68 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Belgium | 58 | 69 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Belize | 58 | 70 | 2005 - 2026 |
| China | 58 | 71 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Djibouti | 58 | 72 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Lithuania | 58 | 73 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Philippines | 58 | 74 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Azerbaijan | 57 | 75 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Brazil | 57 | 76 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Chile | 57 | 77 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Ecuador | 57 | 78 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Hungary | 57 | 79 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Indonesia | 57 | 80 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Israel | 57 | 81 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Ivory Coast | 57 | 82 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Kenya | 57 | 83 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Lesotho | 57 | 84 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Luxembourg | 57 | 85 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Mexico | 57 | 86 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Tr.&Tobago | 57 | 87 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Bahrain | 56 | 88 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Comoros | 56 | 89 | 2009 - 2026 |
| Costa Rica | 56 | 90 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Guinea | 56 | 91 | 2005 - 2026 |
| G.-Bissau | 56 | 92 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Madagascar | 56 | 93 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Thailand | 56 | 94 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Tonga | 56 | 95 | 2009 - 2026 |
| Tunisia | 56 | 96 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Uganda | 56 | 97 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Czechia | 55 | 98 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Gabon | 55 | 99 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Ghana | 55 | 100 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Haiti | 55 | 101 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Malawi | 55 | 102 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Malaysia | 55 | 103 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Niger | 55 | 104 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Portugal | 55 | 105 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Slovakia | 55 | 106 | 2005 - 2026 |
| South Korea | 55 | 107 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Swaziland | 55 | 108 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Vietnam | 55 | 109 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Argentina | 54 | 110 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Barbados | 54 | 111 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Chad | 54 | 112 | 2005 - 2026 |
| DR Congo | 54 | 113 | 2009 - 2026 |
| Maldives | 54 | 114 | 2009 - 2026 |
| Mali | 54 | 115 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Mauritania | 54 | 116 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Poland | 54 | 117 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Senegal | 54 | 118 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Sri Lanka | 54 | 119 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Burma | 53 | 120 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Domin. Rep. | 53 | 121 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Guatemala | 53 | 122 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Algeria | 52 | 123 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Bolivia | 52 | 124 | 2005 - 2026 |
| El Salvador | 52 | 125 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Germany | 52 | 126 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 52 | 127 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Liechtenstein | 52 | 128 | 2017 - 2026 |
| Pakistan | 52 | 129 | 2005 - 2026 |
| R. of Congo | 52 | 130 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Seychelles | 52 | 131 | 2009 - 2026 |
| Togo | 52 | 132 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Angola | 51 | 133 | 2006 - 2026 |
| Bangladesh | 51 | 134 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Jordan | 51 | 135 | 2005 - 2026 |
| North Macedonia | 51 | 136 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Burundi | 50 | 137 | 2006 - 2026 |
| Dominica | 50 | 138 | 2009 - 2026 |
| C.A. Republic | 49 | 139 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Kuwait | 49 | 140 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Rwanda | 49 | 141 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Zambia | 49 | 142 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Belarus | 48 | 143 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Cambodia | 48 | 144 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Lebanon | 48 | 145 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Libya | 48 | 146 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Moldova | 48 | 147 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Mozambique | 48 | 148 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Nepal | 48 | 149 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Oman | 48 | 150 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Uzbekistan | 48 | 151 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Nicaragua | 47 | 152 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Ukraine | 47 | 153 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Albania | 46 | 154 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Cameroon | 46 | 155 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Gambia | 46 | 156 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Morocco | 46 | 157 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Eq. Guinea | 45 | 158 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Afghanistan | 44 | 159 | 2013 - 2026 |
| Paraguay | 44 | 160 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Turkey | 44 | 161 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Egypt | 43 | 162 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Eritrea | 43 | 163 | 2009 - 2026 |
| Liberia | 43 | 164 | 2009 - 2026 |
| Tajikistan | 43 | 165 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Iran | 42 | 166 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Saudi Arabia | 42 | 167 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Laos | 41 | 168 | 2005 - 2026 |
| S.T.&Principe | 41 | 169 | 2009 - 2026 |
| Vanuatu | 41 | 170 | 2009 - 2026 |
| Ethiopia | 38 | 171 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Honduras | 38 | 172 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Sierra Leone | 38 | 173 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Syria | 37 | 174 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Venezuela | 36 | 175 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Sudan | 34 | 176 | 2013 - 2026 |
| Zimbabwe | 33 | 177 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Yemen | 31 | 178 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Turkmenistan | 29 | 179 | 2005 - 2026 |
| Somalia | 27 | 180 | 2017 - 2026 |
| Cuba | 20 | 181 | 2005 - 2026 |
| North Korea | 5 | 182 | 2005 - 2026 |
Definition: The Labor freedom index is composed of six quantitative factors: ratio of minimum wage to the average value added per worker, hindrance to hiring additional workers, rigidity of hours, difficulty of firing redundant employees, legally mandated notice period, and mandatory severance pay. The index is based on data collected in connection with the World Bank’s Doing Business study.
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Labor freedom in Europe Labor freedom in Asia Labor freedom in Africa Labor freedom in North America Labor freedom in South America Labor freedom in Australia/Oceania Labor freedom in the European union Labor freedom in Sub Sahara Africa Labor freedom in MENA Labor freedom in South East Asia Labor freedom in Latin America