IP

In fact, 2016 marked the 11th consecutive year of decline in global freedom.

According to the Freedom in the World 2017 report, a minority of the world’s countries can be considered free – just 45%.

Of the remaining nations, 30% are considered to be partly free, with some level of democracy and press that may be corrupt or heavily under the control of the ruling party.

Perhaps most alarmingly, data gathered by the report’s authors reveals that there were setbacks in political rights, civil liberties, or both, in a number of countries rated “free” by the report, including: Brazil, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Hungary, Poland, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Tunisia and the US.