Which Country has Least Human Rights? As per Human Rights Index Report

According to the most recent Human Rights Index report, North Korea has earned the worst score in human rights history with a figure of just 0.02. This is followed by Afghanistan, Eritrea and Nicaragua. Estonia, Sweden and Denmark have been the countries with the greatest human rights standing for the nations that have scored best in the index.

This is a full list of countries with too low scores and the highest Human Rights Index scores as well as valuable references that are helpful for exam preparation.

What does the Human Rights Index refer to?

The Human Rights Index is a worldwide ranking system for rating how countries safeguard their citizens’ fundamental rights. The information is sourced from the V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) Project and used by data repositories and organizations like Our World in Data and Statista.

The index measures how many rights a particular country affords its citizens and assigns it a score ranging from 0 (minimum rights protected) to 1 (maximum rights protected) using criteria such as:

•  Absence of torture and political killings

• Preventing forced labor

• Right to travel and freedom of religion and expression

• Right to own property

• Right to join associations

The Nation Where There Are Minimum Human Rights: North Korea

In most of the important human rights indexes, North Korea keeps its position at the very bottom. The latest report of Freedom House called "Freedom in the World" provided North Korea’s score as 3 out of 100 and classified it among the least free countries. Human rights organizations inform us about the following:

• A huge network of political prisons

• Constant monitoring of people

• The restriction of movement both inside and outside the country

• The censorship and monopoly on the media

• Forced labor and absence of law enforcement

Country With the Least Human Rights: Key Facts

North Korea ranks first in the list of countries with the worst human rights record primarily because of its autocratic rule, a system of political gulags, limitations of freedom of movement, strict control over media, and notable state surveillance.

Top 10 Nations with the Worst Human Rights 

The ratings published by Freedom House in its "Freedom in the World" Report also back these rankings as the organization ranks Turkmenistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Eritrea, and North Korea as the countries with the least political rights and civil liberties.

1. North Korea

2. Afghanistan

3. Eritrea

4. Syria

5. Turkmenistan

6. South Sudan

7. Sudan

8. Nicaragua

9. Myanmar

10. Equatorial Guinea

1. Afghanistan

With the Taliban’s return to power, rights have been severely rolled back in Afghanistan, particularly those related to women and girls. Severe restrictions on education, messaging, and movements, and strict media censorship have made Afghanistan one of the lowest scoring countries.

2. Eritrea

Often referred to as "North Korea of Africa," Eritrea has indefinite military service (effectively forced labor), has banned independent media, and has not conducted any national election since independence.

3. Syria

Every decade of civil war, displacement and documented use of chemical weapons has resulted in Syria’s poor humanitarian and human rights record, including mass arrests and torture.

4. Turkmenistan

A closed authoritarian country with government monopoly over media and restrictions on travel, Turkmenistan has virtually no tolerance for political opposition. 

5. South Sudan

Current conflict, absence of rule of law and reports of extra-judicial violence keep South Sudan at the lowest end of the freedom rankings in the world.

Countries With the Most Exceptional Records in Human Rights

Here is a list of countries that have scored high on the Human Rights Index.

What Makes These Countries Among the Worst?

Most of the countries ranking lowest in the Human Rights Index share a similar situation of inadequate independent institutions, such as the absence of a free press to report violations, independent courts to punish offenders and free elections to prevent abusive regimes from staying in power.

• Authoritarianism with no electoral democracy

• Media censorship and no press freedom

• Judicial independence is weak or absent

• Ongoing internal conflicts

• Using forced labour

Knowing which country has the least human rights status is not merely a matter of curiosity. It is also reflective of the areas where people live under regimes devoid of essential accountability and security. Despite North Korea representing an extreme case in this context, various independent sources indicate that many countries across the world do not meet even the most basic human rights criteria.