Only 3.5% of the global population lives in countries where civil rights and freedoms are fully upheld. This is among the key findings of the newly published “Civil Society Atlas,” released by the German humanitarian group "Bread for the World" (Brot für die Welt), using data from the CIVICUS alliance of human rights organizations. Bulgaria is part of a group where civil liberties such as freedom of speech and assembly are generally respected, but not without certain violations being noted.

The atlas assessed the state of civil rights in 197 countries and territories. According to the report, just 40 countries currently fall under the “open” category - meaning civil freedoms are fully guaranteed. These include 12 EU member states such as Austria, Estonia, and several Scandinavian nations, as well as countries like New Zealand and Jamaica.

Another 42 countries are labeled as having “impaired” civil freedoms. Bulgaria is listed here, along with Germany, Slovakia, Argentina, and the United States. In these countries, freedom of expression and assembly is broadly protected, though breaches of these rights do occur.

The third group, made up of 35 countries, is categorized as “restricted.” These are places where civil society is under pressure and public demonstrations often face police violence. This category includes Greece, Hungary, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

Fifty-one countries are described as having a “repressed” civil society space. In these states - such as Algeria, Mexico, and Turkey - activists face government surveillance, imprisonment, or worse, and censorship is common.

At the bottom of the ranking, 29 countries are marked as “closed,” including Russia. Life in these places is defined by repression and fear, where public criticism of the authorities can lead to severe punishment. Countries in this group include Belarus, the Palestinian Territories, the UAE, and Vietnam. According to the report, nearly 30% of the world’s population lives under such conditions.

Despite some improvements in civil rights protections in a few countries over the past year, the overall global trend is negative. In the words of Dagmar Pruin, president of Bread for the World: democracy and human rights are under assault in ways not seen in decades. She warned that the rule of law, checks and balances, and protection from state abuses are being eroded or disappearing in many places.