TIRANA, March 19 – Albania received a “partly free” rating in Freedom House’s latest annual report, published on 19 March, leading the Western Balkans with 69 points. It is followed by Montenegro with 68 and North Macedonia with 67. Kosova also recorded a slight increase, reaching 61 points out of 100.

Albania improved by one point compared with last year. In the region, Serbia scored lowest with 53 points, and Bosnia and Herzegovina received 54 points.

The Freedom in the World report covers political rights and civil liberties in 195 countries and 13 territories worldwide. The 2026 edition assesses developments from 1 January to 31 December 2025. Military coups, violence against peaceful protesters, and attempts to weaken constitutional guarantees contributed to the twentieth consecutive year of global freedom decline.

In Kosova, courts issued decisions demonstrating independence despite intense political pressure. A prolonged caretaker government affected judicial progress. Globally, 54 countries experienced declines in political rights and civil liberties, while 35 showed improvements. Only 21% of the world’s population now lives in free countries, down from 46% two decades ago.

Guinea-Bissau, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Madagascar, and El Salvador recorded the largest declines, while Syria, Sri Lanka, Bolivia, and Gabon made the biggest gains. Bolivia, Fiji, and Malawi improved from “partly free” to “free” due to competitive elections, stronger judicial independence, and reinforced rule of law.

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