human rights

Andrei Sakharov designed the Soviet hydrogen bomb in 1953, then spent three decades fighting for human rights — enduring exile, hunger strikes, and KGB surveillance.

Norway, Denmark, and Finland have the world's freest press. North Korea and Eritrea are last. The United States ranks 57th — below Samoa and Timor-Leste. Here's the full Reporters Without Borders index, what press freedom actually measures, and why its decline matters for everyone.

Turkey hosts more refugees than any country — 3.6 million registered Syrian refugees. Germany hosts the most in Europe with 2.2 million refugees. Iran and Pakistan each host over 3 million Afghan refugees. The global refugee population exceeded 35 million in 2024 — the highest ever recorded.

India, China, and North Korea have the largest populations in modern slavery. The ILO estimates 50 million people are in forced labour or forced marriage globally. Thailand and Mexico are major transit and destination countries. The Gulf's kafala sponsorship system has enabled widespread labour exploitation.

China executes more people than the rest of the world combined — an estimated 1,000+ per year. Iran executed 972+ people in 2024. The US carried out 24 executions. 55 countries retain the death penalty; 112 have abolished it. Saudi Arabia executed 345+ people in 2024 — its highest total in decades.

The United States reports 11,000+ hate crimes annually — but reporting rates are low. Germany reports 40,000+ politically motivated crimes. Sweden and UK lead European hate crime reporting. Most countries have no systematic hate crime data at all. Here's what we know about hate crime globally.

Germany received 351,000 new asylum applications in 2023 — the most of any country. The US received 620,000 but most are processed differently. UNHCR counts 117 million forcibly displaced people globally — the highest ever recorded. Here's who receives the most asylum seekers and what determines where people flee.