Hong Kong remains world’s freest economy as Switzerland overtakes Singapore
Hong Kong has retained its status as the world’s freest economy in the latest annual ranking by a top Canadian think tank, although its score has declined in recent years.
Switzerland overtook Singapore to claim second place, pushing the city state down to third in the rankings released on Tuesday by the Fraser Institute.
The 2026 Economic Freedom of the World report, compiled by the Vancouver-based public policy research organisation using data from 2024, ranked Hong Kong first among 165 jurisdictions.
Hong Kong lost the top spot for the first time in 2023, before reclaiming it in 2024 and retaining it in 2025.
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