Global Satisfaction With Personal Freedom Reaches Record High

More than four in five adults worldwide are satisfied with their freedom to choose what they do with their lives, marking the highest level recorded across 138 countries.

“Most adults globally are satisfied with their personal freedom to choose what they do with their life, with many of the biggest increases over the past two decades coming from countries with memories of past restrictions on such freedoms,” said Benedict Vigers, researcher and author of the Gallup analysis.

In 2025, a median of 82 per cent of adults reported satisfaction with their personal freedom, up from 71 per cent in 2006. Some of the largest gains were recorded in former Eastern Bloc countries, where satisfaction rose sharply following decades of political and social change. Kosovo, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Georgia and Moldova all posted increases of more than 30 percentage points. The findings also showed a strong link between perceived freedom, financial security and overall life satisfaction, highlighting continued progress in wellbeing for millions of people around the world.