Trade freedom statistics show how differently economies approach cross-border commerce. The 2025 Index of Economic Freedom gave the world a trade-freedom score of 70.3 out of 100, while World Trade Organization tariff tables show applied rates ranging from 0.0% to 17.0% among the selected economies below. These measures describe related but different features of trade policy, so they should be read together rather than treated as interchangeable.
Contents
- Global trade freedom benchmarks
- Highest trade-freedom scores
- Middle-ranked economies
- Lower trade-freedom scores
- Applied tariffs on all products
- Duty-free tariff-line shares
Global trade freedom benchmarks
The 2025 Index of Economic Freedom World Rankings assessed economic policies and conditions in 184 sovereign countries. Its reference period was July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024, while the published ranking is identified as the 2025 index. The index therefore describes a defined policy window, not a real-time reading of every border measure.
The global average trade-freedom score was 70.3 on a 0–100 scale. In the same index, the worldwide trade-weighted average applied tariff rate was 7.7%. The trade-freedom score exceeded the global investment-freedom score of 53.7 by 16.6 points. That comparison places trade freedom above investment freedom within the index’s own scoring framework, but it does not mean that the two scores use the same underlying policy instruments.
Only 3 of the 176 countries graded in the 2025 ranking were classified as economically free, using an overall score of at least 80. This is a different threshold from the trade-freedom component: a country can have a relatively high trade score without being classified economically free overall. The distinction matters because the overall classification combines several areas of economic policy.
The index’s 184-country assessment and 176-country ranking count are not identical. The first describes the scope of economic-policy assessment, while the second refers specifically to countries graded in the ranking. Keeping those counts separate avoids presenting them as one denominator.
Highest trade-freedom scores
The highest figures in the supplied 2025 Index examples are concentrated in economies with scores in the 80s and 90s. Singapore recorded 95 out of 100, and Australia recorded 90. Mauritius recorded 87.4, while Switzerland and Taiwan each recorded 86.6. Norway’s score was 85.
The following compact comparison keeps the measurement period consistent: each score is from the 2025 index, with policies and conditions from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024.
| Economy | Trade-freedom score |
|---|---|
| Singapore | 95.0 |
| Australia | 90.0 |
| Mauritius | 87.4 |
| Switzerland | 86.6 |
| Taiwan | 86.6 |
| Norway | 85.0 |
| Malaysia | 83.4 |
| Canada | 83.2 |
| Iceland | 80.4 |
The 2025 Index of Economic Freedom World Rankings also recorded trade-freedom scores of 79.6 for Ireland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Estonia, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, and Poland. These repeated values are useful as a reminder that a displayed score can group several economies at the same measured level; it does not establish that their tariff schedules, customs procedures, or non-tariff restrictions are identical.
Middle-ranked economies
Several economies in the supplied ranking sit between the very highest scores and the lower examples. South Korea recorded 73.2 out of 100, Chile 78.0, and Lithuania, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, and Poland each 79.6. Iceland recorded 80.4, Canada 83.2, and Malaysia 83.4. Mauritius, at 87.4, is higher than all of those examples but remains below Singapore’s 95.0.
These figures illustrate why “middle-ranked” is a useful descriptive grouping rather than a formal category in the source. The index values range from 73.2 to 83.4 across the named South Korean, Chilean, Lithuanian, Cypriot, Czech, Polish, Icelandic, Canadian, and Malaysian examples. The figures are component scores, not percentages of imports that face no restrictions.
A score of 79.6 appears repeatedly in the 2025 examples. Ireland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Estonia, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, and Poland all received that score. Because the source presents a common numerical result, it is appropriate to report the shared score; it is not appropriate to infer that these economies have the same product-level tariff rates or identical trade agreements.
Lower trade-freedom scores
The lower examples in the 2025 Index are also geographically varied. Nigeria recorded 59.9 out of 100 and India 61.0. Russia recorded 62.2, Nepal 68.2, and Togo 69.8. Chad recorded 72.0, Niger 72.6, Papua New Guinea 73.6, Cameroon 73.7, and Mali 77.2.
| Economy | Trade-freedom score |
|---|---|
| Nigeria | 59.9 |
| India | 61.0 |
| Russia | 62.2 |
| Nepal | 68.2 |
| Togo | 69.8 |
| Chad | 72.0 |
| Niger | 72.6 |
| Papua New Guinea | 73.6 |
| Cameroon | 73.7 |
| Mali | 77.2 |
The 2025 Index of Economic Freedom World Rankings assigns these scores to the same 2025 index framework and the same July 1, 2023–June 30, 2024 policy-and-conditions period used above. The list should not be read as a complete world ranking: it is a selection of reported country figures. It also should not be used to calculate a regional average, because the supplied figures do not provide the required regional weights or a complete regional sample.
Comparing the global average of 70.3 with these examples shows that Nigeria, India, Russia, Nepal, and Togo are below the global benchmark, while Chad, Niger, Papua New Guinea, Cameroon, and Mali are above it. That comparison uses only the published score values and does not identify the policy reasons for any country’s position.
Applied tariffs on all products
The WTO’s World Tariff Profiles 2024 provides a separate view: the MFN-applied simple average tariff on all products, using 2023 tariff data. Unlike the index score, this is a tariff-rate measure. It is a simple average, so it is not weighted by the value of imports.
| Economy | MFN-applied simple average tariff, all products |
|---|---|
| Singapore | 0.0% |
| New Zealand | 1.9% |
| Australia | 2.4% |
| United States | 3.3% |
| Japan | 3.7% |
| Canada | 3.8% |
| United Kingdom | 3.8% |
| Norway | 4.6% |
| Chile | 6.0% |
| Mexico | 6.8% |
| China | 7.5% |
| Indonesia | 8.0% |
| Argentina | 13.4% |
| India | 17.0% |
On this 2023 WTO measure, India had the highest listed average at 17.0%, followed by Argentina at 13.4%. Singapore had 0.0%, New Zealand 1.9%, and Australia 2.4%. The United States was listed at 3.3%, Japan at 3.7%, and Canada and the United Kingdom at 3.8% each. These are MFN-applied averages, not necessarily the rates paid under preferential trade agreements.
South Africa’s 2023 MFN-applied simple average tariff was 7.6% in the same WTO table. That places it just above China’s 7.5% and below Indonesia’s 8.0%. Because the source uses 2023 tariff data and was published in World Tariff Profiles 2024, the measurement year and publication year should not be conflated.
Duty-free tariff-line shares
The WTO summary also reports the share of all-product HS 6-digit tariff subheadings that were MFN duty-free in 2023. This is a coverage measure: it counts tariff lines, not the value or volume of trade. A high share of duty-free lines can coexist with duties on important traded products, while a low share does not by itself quantify the burden on a country’s total imports.
Singapore had the highest listed share, with 100.0% of all-product HS 6-digit tariff subheadings MFN duty-free. Norway recorded 89.9%, Canada 77.8%, New Zealand 66.1%, South Africa 60.6%, and Japan 53.9%. The United Kingdom recorded 53.0%, Australia 52.1%, Mexico 49.4%, and the United States 47.5%.
The lower listed shares were 13.3% for Indonesia, 9.7% for China, 6.2% for Argentina, 1.9% for India, and 0.4% for Chile. These observations describe tariff-line status under the WTO’s MFN measure and do not state that every shipment received the same treatment.
| Economy | MFN duty-free share of all-product HS 6-digit subheadings |
|---|---|
| Singapore | 100.0% |
| Norway | 89.9% |
| Canada | 77.8% |
| New Zealand | 66.1% |
| Japan | 53.9% |
| United Kingdom | 53.0% |
| Australia | 52.1% |
| Mexico | 49.4% |
| United States | 47.5% |
| Indonesia | 13.3% |
| China | 9.7% |
| Argentina | 6.2% |
| India | 1.9% |
| Chile | 0.4% |
The two WTO measures answer different questions. The simple average tariff gives the average MFN rate across products, while the duty-free share gives the proportion of tariff subheadings with no MFN duty. For example, Singapore is listed at 0.0% for the simple average and 100.0% for duty-free tariff lines. India is listed at 17.0% and 1.9%, respectively. Those paired observations show why one tariff statistic cannot substitute for the other.
The WTO source labels these figures as MFN measures, and the index source supplies component scores for a separate policy framework. Together, they provide a structured snapshot of trade openness across the stated periods, while leaving tariff preferences, product composition, import weights, and non-tariff measures outside the specific quantified comparisons reported here.