Bangladesh declines in freedom index, improves in prosperity: Atlantic Council

Bangladesh falls behind its neighbours in political and legal freedom, but marks noteworthy progress in prosperity which has helped it reduce gap with others in South and Central Asia, says an American think tank.

In its report released today, Atlantic Council places Bangladesh in the categories of "mostly unfree" and "mostly unprosperous" countries.

Of the 164 countries reviewed, Bangladesh has been positioned 141st on the Freedom Index and 99th on the Prosperity Index of the Washington-based independent organization that reviews political, security and economic issues of countries.

It highlights Bangladesh's progress in economic sub-index.

"Thankfully, there is progress. The country improved its economic score 5.6 points over the 2009–2022 period," it points out, giving credit to primarily to the 2009–2011 reforms when the country was recognized by the World Bank as one of the top ten reformers worldwide in starting a business.

It explains how this progress has enabled Bangladesh to narrow the gap with the rest of the region significantly.

Back in 1995, Bangladesh lagged behind the South and Central Asia average by 9.6 points. However, it has made substantial strides since then, closing that gap to just 3.4 points, achieving an overall score of 40.3.

"Despite this commendable progress, there is still much work to do," it stresses as Bangladesh continues to fall far below the global average of 61.7 in Atlantic Council's scorecard.

It says Bangladesh's pursuit of a prosperous future is undeniably intertwined with the level of its freedoms.

"However, recent events paint a complex picture. The January parliamentary elections solidified a shift toward a "dominant-party" system," says the report.

"The Awami League capitalized on an opposition boycott to extend its fifteen-year rule, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina poised to become the world's longest-serving female head of government," the report continues.

"While this signifies stability," it observes, "dominant-party systems often face challenges that can undermine good governance."

Among 12 South and Central Asian countries reviewed, Bangladesh has been ranked among seven "mostly unprosperous" countries along with Bhutan, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Only two countries in the region—Sri Lanka and Kazakhstan—have been rated "mostly prosperous", while India, Pakistan and Afghanistan are ranked "unprosperous."

In Freedom Index, Atlantic Council places Bangladesh among five 'mostly unfree" countries along with Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

In the region, India, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Kyrgyzstan are ranked "mostly free," while Afghanistan and Turkmenistan are "unfree."

Ensuring healthy competition across politics, government, and the economy is crucial to mitigate these risks, it says, referring to Bangladesh's ambitious Vision 2041 which emphasizes economic growth alongside social progress. The plan underscores the nation's commitment to empowering its citizens and solidifying its democratic foundation, the American think tank points out in its report, titled 'Freedom and Prosperity in Bangladesh.'

Atlantic Council's Freedom and Prosperity Center ranks 164 countries around the world according to their levels of freedom and prosperity to see which type of government system yields the best results for its people. Its data indicates that freedom tends to lead to prosperity, pointing out that countries that granted their citizens more freedoms between 1995 and 2022 also saw significant increases in prosperity.

Its Freedom Index combines legal, economic and political sub-indexes, each covering several components to calculate country-specific aggregate score on a 0-100 scale. Countries are grouped in four categories: free, mostly free, mostly unfree, and unfree.

Despite an overall decline in freedom which certainly has impeded its progress, Bangladesh has demonstrated resilience in terms of prosperity, the report says, pinpointing opportunities for the government of Bangladesh to enact critical reforms aimed at supporting long-term prosperity.

Summarising its key findings, the centre finds countries with greater freedom tend to enjoy higher levels of prosperity, while those with less freedom tend to have low levels of prosperity.

It cites outliers such as Singapore and China, where economic prosperity has been achieved despite limited freedom in some areas, as "rare phenomena" with long-term sustainability remaining in question.

It refers to debates among economists and political scientists whether greater freedom paves the way for future prosperity, or prosperous societies may demand more freedom.

The think tank explains how the United Arab Emirates stands out with high prosperity by the able management of natural resources despite fewer freedoms initially.

However, it urges approaching outlier cases with caution as it finds although countries with limited political freedom may experience economic growth, they lag behind truly free nations in prosperity.

"For instance, despite China's economic growth since the 1980s, its prosperity level remains around 60 percent that of the freest countries," it reads.

How Bangladesh slips in Freedom index

It explains how Bangladesh slips from its peak in Freedom Index over the years.

In 2000, Bangladesh experienced its peak in freedom, outperforming neighboring countries with a score more than four points higher than the regional average for South and Central Asia. This marked a time of notable achievement and progress, it says.

"However, the trajectory has been less favorable since then, with a steady decline in freedom," it finds out, as the country presently finds itself trailing behind the regional and global average.

"Back in 2000, Bangladesh held the 116th position globally, but today it has slipped to 141st," it says, calling for a deeper investigation into the underlying causes.

In 2022, Bangladesh was positioned eighth among the twelve South and Central Asian countries included in the study, today countries like Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka all boast greater degrees of freedom than Bangladesh, the think tank compares.

For instance, Pakistan, which holds the seventh spot in the region, outpaces Bangladesh by a notable margin of 11.5 points. "This discrepancy translates into a twenty-eight-rank difference at the global level, underscoring the substantial gap in freedom between the two nations," it adds.