Canada was just ranked as one of the most ‘free’ countries in the world

There’s a reason Canada is also known as the True North Strong and Free! A new ranking is out that names our lovely country number in the top ten when it comes to freedom around the world. The data was put together by a group called Freedom House, and they compiled the list using markers like access to political rights and civil liberties.

So where exactly do we stand? Right smack dab at number 7. Other countries to top the list are as follows:

1. Finland
2. Norway
3. Sweden
4. New Zealand
5. Netherlands
6. Uruguay
7. Canada
8. Australia
9. Ireland
10. Luxembourg

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So how exactly did we get our score? The Freedom House used a weighted scale methodology to come to their conclusions. They considered things like electoral process, political participation, functioning of the government,  freedom of expression, rule of law, and more. You can check out a full breakdown of the scoring system here.

In terms of global freedom, Canada earned a whopping 98/100 points. We scored a perfect 40/40 when it comes to political rights, but fell short two points (58/60) for civil liberties. You can read a more detailed breakdown for Canada here.

So there you have it! We didn’t need a list to tell us, but it looks like Canada’s a pretty darn great place. To see how other countries stacked up, check out the Freedom House website here.