Freedom in the World 2007, a survey of worldwide political rights and civil liberties done in New York, found that 45 countries are not free, representing 23 percent of the world's inhabitants.  About one-half of those living in Not Free conditions inhabit one country: China.

But the same survey said that the percentage of countries designated as free has remained flat for nearly a decade and suggests that a "freedom stagnation" may be developing.

The continued weakness of democratic institutions—even after holding democratic elections—in a number of countries continues to hamper further progress. According to the survey, the number of countries judged by Freedom in the World as free in 2006 stood at 90, representing 47 percent of the global population.  Fifty-eight countries qualified as partly free, with 30 percent of the world's population.

Regionally, major findings include a setback for freedom in a number of countries in the Asia-Pacific region, a more modest decline in Africa, and a solidification of authoritarian rule in the majority of countries of the former Soviet Union. Three countries experienced positive status changes:

Guyana moved from partly free to free, and Haiti and Nepal moved from Not Free to Partly Free. Two countries experienced negative status changes: both Thailand and Congo moved from partly free to not free.

Sixteen of Asia's 39 countries are Free (41 percent), while 12 are Partly Free (31 percent) and 11 are Not Free (28 percent).

Freedom House also noted that the trends reflected the growing push back against democracy driven by authoritarian regimes, including Russia, Venezuela, China, Iran, and Zimbabwe, threatening to further erode the gains made in the last thirty years. The pushback is targeted at organizations, movements, and media that advocate for the expansion of democratic freedoms.

Regionally, Asia experienced the largest proportion of lowered scores in 2006. While the dominant development was the military-led coup that ousted Thailand's democratically elected prime minister, other countries previously considered showcases of Asian freedom, including the Philippines and East Timor, also experienced setbacks.

The Nation