🌏 Globally a record number of people are satisfied with the freedom to shape their lives

• 82 percent of adults across 138 countries are satisfied with their freedom to choose what they do with their lives, up from 71 percent two decades ago.
• The largest gains are in the Balkans, the Caucasus, and Eastern and Central Europe, where the share of satisfied adults has risen from 49 percent in 2009 to 82 percent in 2025.
• Kosovo, Albania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina are among the countries with the biggest increases.

The highest level on record

In 2025, 82 percent of adults across 138 countries said they were satisfied with their freedom to choose what they do with their lives, while 17 percent were dissatisfied. That is the highest level since Gallup began measuring, although the figure has stayed near 80 percent since 2017.

The share is well above the 71 percent recorded when the survey began two decades ago. The lowest level, 65 percent, was recorded in 2008 during the financial crisis.

What the survey measures

Gallup asks how satisfied people are with their personal, everyday freedom to choose what they do with their lives. That is different from political rights and institutions, which are measured in other ways. The figures therefore show how free people feel in their daily lives.

The biggest gains in the former Eastern Bloc

Between 2006 and 2025, the share of satisfied adults rose by double digits in 54 of the 108 countries measured in both years. Only eight countries saw declines of a similar size.

In 29 countries across the Balkans, the Caucasus, and Eastern and Central Europe, the increase has been the largest in the world. The median rose by 33 percentage points, from 49 percent in 2009 to 82 percent in 2025. The region is now in line with the global average, after having lagged well behind. Since 2017, at least half of adults in each of these 29 countries have been satisfied with their freedom.

The seven largest increases are all in this region: Kosovo by 54 percentage points, Albania by 42, Bosnia and Herzegovina by 39, Serbia by 38, Montenegro by 37, Georgia by 34, and Moldova by 34. Many of these countries previously placed major restrictions on people's freedom.

Freedom is linked to life satisfaction

The rise in satisfaction with personal freedom tracks a broader rise in life satisfaction in these countries. That is consistent with the World Happiness Report, which identifies freedom as one of six main drivers of people's wellbeing. The biggest global increases in how people rate their lives also come from this region.

The economy plays a role

Satisfaction with personal freedom is closely linked to how people view their own finances. In countries where many are satisfied with their freedom, few adults say they are finding it difficult or very difficult to get by on their incomes.

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