Greece has climbed two places in a global ranking of economic freedom, but its performance against its European Union peers remains a weak spot, underscoring the structural challenges that persist despite the country’s economic recovery.
Greece ranks 61st among 165 countries and jurisdictions in the 2026 Economic Freedom of the World index, up from 63rd a year earlier. Its overall score rose to 7.17 out of 10 from 7.01, according to the report, published in Greece by the Center for Liberal Studies, or KEFiM, in cooperation with Canada’s Fraser Institute.
The index, based on 2024 data, attempts to measure how freely individuals and businesses can operate in an economy. It assesses five broad areas: size of government, legal systems and property rights, monetary stability, freedom to trade internationally and regulation.
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Greece improved in four of the five categories, with the biggest gain coming in the size-of-government measure. Its score there rose to 5.24 from 4.89.
Yet that category remains one of Greece’s biggest weaknesses. The country ranks just 144th globally for the size of government, reflecting the continued weight of the state in an economy that spent much of the previous decade undergoing painful fiscal adjustment following its sovereign-debt crisis.
Greece performs considerably better on international trade, ranking 30th globally with a score of 8.65. It ranks 49th for sound money, with 9.09, and 70th for regulation, at 6.64.
There was a slight deterioration in the legal-system and property-rights category, where Greece’s score slipped to 6.22 from 6.23, leaving it in 46th place.
The more uncomfortable comparison is with Europe. Despite its improved global score, Greece fell one position to 25th among the EU’s 27 members. Only Croatia and Poland rank lower globally.
That gap matters as Athens seeks to attract more foreign investment and transform an economy historically burdened by bureaucracy, a large state presence and institutional shortcomings.
Globally, Hong Kong retained the top position in the index, followed by Switzerland, Singapore, New Zealand and the U.S. Venezuela ranked last.
