India slipped 26 places to 105 among 162 countries and territories on the index of global economic freedom, according to the Economic Freedom of the World: 2020 report.
- The report was released by the Fraser Institute in Canada.
- India ranked 79th in the previous edition of this report. Hong Kong is again number one.
- The index measures the ‘economic freedom’, or the ability of individuals to make their own economic decisions in a country, by analysing policies and institutions of these countries.
- It does so by looking at indicators like regulation, the freedom to trade internationally, size of government, property rights, government spending and taxation. In India, the report was co-published by Delhi-based Centre for Civil Society.
- In 2018, India ranked 54 in size of government, compared with 11 in 2017.
- Its rank dropped to 122 in regulation from 108 during this time, while its rank in freedom to trade internationally also dropped to 137 from 131 previously.
