Armenia ranked highest in the South Caucasus in political rights, civil liberties, and democratic standards in Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2026: The Mounting Shadow of Autocracy report, published on March 19, scoring 54 out of 100 and remaining in the “partly free” category, while maintaining its position without improvement since 2023, overtaking Georgia for the first time and far outpacing regional neighbors Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Iran as global freedom declined for the 20th consecutive year.
Freedom House, a D.C.-based nonprofit, ranks countries on a 100-point scale, with scores closer to 100 indicating higher levels of freedom and scores closer to 0 reflecting lower levels of freedom. In the 2026 report, Armenia received 23 out of 40 for political rights and 31 out of 60 for civil liberties.
Despite ongoing security challenges, Armenia has preserved key democratic gains and avoided regression over the past two years. Freedom House also cited strong political competition and active civil society as key pillars of the country’s resilience. In the digital sphere, Armenia scored 72 out of 100 and maintained its “free” status in internet freedom.
Armenia ranked ahead of Georgia, which received 51 points, down from 55 last year and 58 two years ago, amid concerns over democratic backsliding and the authorities’ response to anti-government protests.
Across the wider region, freedom levels remain significantly lower. Turkey scored 32 points and was classified as “not free,” while Azerbaijan received just 6 points, placing it among the lowest-ranked countries globally. Iran scored 10 points. Globally, the lowest-ranked country still classified as “free” was Lesotho, with 67 points.
Political rights and civil liberties deteriorated in 54 countries in 2025, while only 35 countries registered improvements, widening the gap between democratic and authoritarian systems worldwide.
The report painted a particularly stark picture of Azerbaijan, where Freedom House said an authoritarian system has consolidated under President Ilham Aliyev as the country’s score fell from 33 to 6 over the past 20 years. Freedom House said constitutional changes have expanded executive power, removed term limits, and weakened legislative and judicial independence, while enabling systemic corruption and allowing state resources and security structures to be used to suppress dissent.
Other international watchdogs have echoed a mixed picture in Armenia. Human Rights Watch recently praised anti-corruption efforts and reforms, but also flagged ineffective investigations into police abuse, excessive use of pre-trial detention, and limited progress in addressing domestic violence.
