Bangladesh ranks 141 on the Freedom Index

A US-based think tank’s data shows that Bangladesh has ranked 141 out of 164 on the Freedom Index.

US Embassy Dhaka’s United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and The Asia Foundation jointly organised a ‘Prosperity and Good Governance Conference’ on Tuesday to share findings from the Atlantic Council’s new global Freedom and Prosperity Report.  

According to the report, Bangladesh’s ranking of 141 on the Freedom Index places it within the ‘mostly unfree’ category, said the US Embassy, adding that its ranking of 99 out of 164 on the Prosperity Index, categorizes it as ‘mostly unprosperous’.  

 “Every country grapples with issues like corruption and securing economic and political rights.  The key lies not in avoiding problems, but in actively acknowledging and tackling them,” said US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas speaking at the event.

The Prosperity and Good Governance Conference brought together representatives from government, civil society, business, donors, academia, and think tanks. 

Joseph Lemoine, Director of the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center, was the keynote speaker.

Lemoine highlighted key findings from the report, which measures and ranks countries’ democratic and governance indicators in its Freedom Index, as well as its Prosperity Index that measures a nations’ economic well-being.