Morocco Climbs in Global Freedom Ranking Despite Poor LGBTQ+ Rights Score

With an overall score of 5.49 points, Morocco is ranked 130th out of 165 countries studied in the 2024 Human Freedom Index, gaining five places compared to 2022. As for the sub-indicators, the kingdom ranks 148th in terms of individual freedom with a score of 4.81 out of 10. It is 90th in terms of economic freedom with 6.46 out of 10. It scored 4 points for the rule of law, 8.6 points for security and safety, 3.6 points for religious freedom, 5.1 points for freedom of assembly and association, 5.7 points for freedom of movement and 3.6 points for freedom of expression and information.

However, Morocco receives a zero score on LGBTQ+ rights, lowering its "relationships" score to 3.1. In the same category, it received 2.5 points in the divorce index, zero points in succession rights and 10 points in female genital mutilation.

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At the regional level, it ranks ninth in North Africa and the Middle East (MENA), behind Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Tunisia, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain. In the Maghreb, Morocco occupies second place behind Tunisia and ahead of Libya (151st place worldwide) and Algeria (156th). Globally, Switzerland tops the ranking with 9.14 points. It is followed by New Zealand (9.08) and Denmark (9.04). Luxembourg (8.93) and Ireland (8.91) complete the top 5.

The Human Freedom Index is published annually by the Cato Institute in the United States and the Fraser Institute in Canada. This year’s edition (the tenth) evaluates freedom in 165 countries through 86 indicators covering the domains of individual freedom and economic freedom, highlighting the links between freedoms, well-being, and quality of life. According to the report, human freedom has deteriorated sharply worldwide following the Covid-19 pandemic. Freedom of movement, expression, association and assembly have declined in 2022. After 2022, freedom has somewhat recovered, but it has remained well below pre-pandemic levels. 87.4% of the world’s population experienced a decline in human freedom between 2019 and 2022, the data shows.