Economic Freedom of North America 2025

By Dean Stansel, José Torra, Matthew D. Mitchell and Ángel Carrión-Tavárez. From The Fraser Institute.

• The indices in the Economic Freedom of North America 2025 measure the degree to which governments in North America permit their citizens to make their own economic choices.
• They include data from the 10 Canadian provinces, 50 US states, 32 Mexican states, and the US territory of Puerto Rico.
• In the all-government index—which takes account of federal as well as state/provincial policies—the most economically free jurisdictions in North America are New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Idaho.
• The lowest-ranking jurisdictions are all Mexican states. In last place is Ciudad de México. Above that are Colima and Campeche.
• Alberta is the highest-ranking Canadian province, tied for 30th place with West Virginia. The next-highest Canadian province is British Columbia, tied with Rhode Island for 47th.
• Incomes in the most economically free 25 percent of North American jurisdictions were 19 times higher than in the least-free.
• From 2014 to 2023 the population of the freest US states grew nearly 18 times faster and statewide personal income grew nine times faster than in the least-free states.