Freedom is a relative thing since there are no free countries on earth. But the state of US freedom is depressing for those of us who value freedom and human rights in this country.
There is good news for one group however;
Criminals and other groups who violate the rights of others have gained a lot of freedom to harm us with relative impunity.
This study doesn't touch on that but it's useful for your scorecard if you are keeping one.
This article is by Dan Mitchell. His blog comes highly recommended by me.
HFI23: The World’s Freest Nation Is…?
January 4, 2024 by Dan Mitchell
When I first started writing about the Human Freedom Index, Hong Kong was the best jurisdiction in the world. Then New Zealand regularly appeared in the top spot.
In recent years, though, Switzerland has been in first place.
And the world’s best-governed nation retained that position in the most recent edition. Though New Zealand deserves credit for being in second place, followed by Denmark, Ireland, Estonia, and Sweden.
https://danieljmitchell.wordpress.com/2024/01/04/hfi23-the-worlds-freest-nation-is/
Ireland?? I'd opt for Hungary if I spoke the language and didn't mind the cold.