Capitalism statistics can be approached through measures of economic freedom, including a country ranking and an overall score. The 2026 Index of Economic Freedom places Singapore first among the 50 economies listed here, followed by Switzerland and Ireland. The ranking also includes advanced economies, smaller states, and emerging markets, making it a useful snapshot of how the index orders different economic systems.
Contents
- The highest-ranked economies
- Ranks 11 through 20
- Ranks 21 through 30
- Ranks 31 through 40
- Ranks 41 through 50
- What the ranking shows
The highest-ranked economies
The first ten positions in the 2026 Index of Economic Freedom are led by Singapore, which has a score of 84.4. Switzerland is second at 83.7, while Ireland is third at 83.3. Australia holds fourth place with 80.1, and Taiwan is fifth with 79.8. These are the five highest scores in the supplied ranking.
Luxembourg is sixth with a score of 79.7. Denmark follows in seventh place at 79.0, and Norway is eighth at 78.8. Estonia ranks ninth with 78.7, while the Netherlands completes the first ten at 78.5. The source for each of these observations is the 2026 Index of Economic Freedom.
| Rank | Economy | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore | 84.4 |
| 2 | Switzerland | 83.7 |
| 3 | Ireland | 83.3 |
| 4 | Australia | 80.1 |
| 5 | Taiwan | 79.8 |
| 6 | Luxembourg | 79.7 |
| 7 | Denmark | 79.0 |
| 8 | Norway | 78.8 |
| 9 | Estonia | 78.7 |
| 10 | Netherlands | 78.5 |
This top group is relatively concentrated at the upper end of the scale used by the index. Singapore is the only economy in the list with a score above 84, while Switzerland and Ireland are also above 83. The remaining seven economies in the top ten each have scores from 78.5 through 80.1. Those values describe the index’s ordering; they do not by themselves measure income, output, living standards, or the size of the private sector.
Ranks 11 through 20
Sweden and New Zealand share the same reported score, 77.8, but occupy separate positions: Sweden is 11th and New Zealand is 12th. Finland is 13th with 76.6, followed by Canada in 14th place with 75.6. Lithuania ranks 15th at 75.3, and Iceland is 16th at 75.0.
Chile is 17th with a score of 74.3, while Cyprus is 18th with 74.1. South Korea ranks 19th at 73.7. The Czech Republic completes this group in 20th place with 73.2. The source for all ten positions in this section is the 2026 Index of Economic Freedom.
The equal score for Sweden and New Zealand is a reminder that a rank and a score are different pieces of information. In the supplied results, the two economies have the same displayed score but are assigned consecutive ranks. Reading both fields is therefore important when comparing countries in the table rather than treating rank as a substitute for the underlying value.
Ranks 21 through 30
Mauritius holds 21st place with a score of 73.0. The United States is 22nd at 72.8, followed by the United Arab Emirates in 23rd place at 71.9. Germany ranks 24th with 71.7, and Latvia is 25th with 71.6.
Cabo Verde is ranked 26th at 71.4. Portugal follows at 27th with 71.2. Barbados and the United Kingdom share a displayed score of 70.4, ranking 28th and 29th respectively. Japan is 30th with a score of 70.3. Each of these figures is reported under the 2026 Index of Economic Freedom.
| Rank | Economy | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Mauritius | 73.0 |
| 22 | United States | 72.8 |
| 23 | United Arab Emirates | 71.9 |
| 24 | Germany | 71.7 |
| 25 | Latvia | 71.6 |
| 26 | Cabo Verde | 71.4 |
| 27 | Portugal | 71.2 |
| 28 | Barbados | 70.4 |
| 29 | United Kingdom | 70.4 |
| 30 | Japan | 70.3 |
The middle portion of the ranking includes economies from several regions and with different sizes and institutional histories. The list places the United States at 22nd, Germany at 24th, the United Kingdom at 29th, and Japan at 30th. It also places Mauritius, Cabo Verde, Barbados, and Latvia in the same 21st-to-30th range. The ranking is therefore best read as an index comparison, not as a simple list ordered by national population or economic scale.
Ranks 31 through 40
Qatar ranks 31st in the 2026 Index of Economic Freedom with a score of 70.2. Uruguay is 32nd at 69.8, and Austria is 33rd at the same displayed score of 69.8. Slovenia follows in 34th place with 69.7, while Georgia is 35th with 69.6.
Belgium is 36th with a score of 69.2. Costa Rica ranks 37th at 69.1, followed by Bulgaria in 38th place at 68.9. Oman is 39th with 68.5, and Poland is 40th with the same score of 68.5. The source label for these observations is the 2026 Index of Economic Freedom.
Two pairs in this section illustrate why the displayed rank should be retained alongside the displayed score. Uruguay and Austria both appear at 69.8 in the supplied results, while Oman and Poland both appear at 68.5. Nevertheless, the source lists each pair in consecutive ranking positions. The data supports reporting both the shared score and the separate rank, without assuming an additional reason for the ordering.
Ranks 41 through 50
Israel is ranked 41st with a score of 68.4. Jamaica is 42nd at 68.2, and Malta is 43rd with the same score. Samoa ranks 44th with 68.0, followed by Malaysia in 45th place with 68.0 and Albania in 46th place with 68.0.
Slovakia is 47th with a score of 67.7, while Botswana is 48th at 67.7. Croatia ranks 49th with 67.5, and Saint Lucia completes the 50-economy list in 50th place with 67.5. All of these results are attributed to the 2026 Index of Economic Freedom.
| Rank | Economy | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | Israel | 68.4 |
| 42 | Jamaica | 68.2 |
| 43 | Malta | 68.2 |
| 44 | Samoa | 68.0 |
| 45 | Malaysia | 68.0 |
| 46 | Albania | 68.0 |
| 47 | Slovakia | 67.7 |
| 48 | Botswana | 67.7 |
| 49 | Croatia | 67.5 |
| 50 | Saint Lucia | 67.5 |
The final ten positions cover scores from 68.4 to 67.5. Several displayed ties occur: Jamaica and Malta share 68.2; Samoa, Malaysia, and Albania share 68.0; Slovakia and Botswana share 67.7; and Croatia and Saint Lucia share 67.5. The supplied ranking still assigns each economy a distinct position, so a precise description should preserve the source’s rank rather than collapsing tied scores into one rank.
What the ranking shows
Taken together, the 2026 Index of Economic Freedom lists 50 economies from Singapore in first place through Saint Lucia in 50th place. The reported score at the top is Singapore’s 84.4, while the reported score at the bottom of this list is Saint Lucia’s 67.5. The ranking includes 50 distinct economy entries, with repeated displayed scores in multiple parts of the table.
The geographic range is broad. The list includes Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and Malaysia in East and Southeast Asia; European economies such as Switzerland, Ireland, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Portugal, and Croatia; and economies from the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and the Pacific. That range makes the table useful for identifying where individual economies appear within this particular index, while the score remains the relevant measurement for the index itself.
The source also places countries commonly discussed in capitalism debates at different points in the ranking. The United States appears 22nd with 72.8, Germany 24th with 71.7, the United Kingdom 29th with 70.4, and Japan 30th with 70.3. Those observations should be reported as index positions and scores rather than converted into broader claims about economic performance that are not quantified here.
Finally, the date matters. These are results identified as the 2026 Index of Economic Freedom. They describe the ranking associated with that edition, not an undated or permanent measure of capitalism. A later edition could use different measurements or produce different positions. For readers comparing capitalism statistics, the responsible comparison is therefore to keep the edition, the economy, the rank, and the displayed score together.