Iraq has been excluded for the second consecutive year from the 2025 Index of Economic Freedom, published by the US-based Heritage Foundation.
The annual report, which evaluates economic conditions in 184 countries from July 2023 to June 2024, identified Iraq as one of eight countries not ranked globally. The exclusion was due to “inadequate transparency and incomplete economic data.” Other excluded countries include Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Liechtenstein, and Ukraine.
Economist Mohammed Al-Hassani attributed Iraq’s exclusion to a “lack of government transparency and incomplete data” in critical areas such as fiscal health, labor freedom, government spending, monetary freedom, and property rights.
Singapore ranked first on the 2025 Economic Freedom Index with 84.1 points, followed by Switzerland (83.7), Ireland (83.1), Taiwan (79.7), and New Zealand (78.9).
In the Arab world, the UAE led with 71.6 points, followed by Qatar (70.2), Bahrain (65.6), Oman (65.4), and Saudi Arabia (64.4).
The Index assesses economic openness based on twelve indicators across four categories: rule of law, government size, regulatory efficiency, and market openness. Scores range from zero to 100, categorizing economies from “free” to “economically repressed.”