Central Asian Economic Opening Leaves Political Rights Unchanged, Freedom House Finds

Subheadline: Freedom House rates all five post-Soviet Central Asian states as “not free,” with Turkmenistan scoring lower than North Korea

Freedom House’s 2026 country assessment says economies across Central Asia are becoming more market-oriented, but political power remains tightly held. The U.S.-based watchdog classified every country in the region as “not free,” and none recorded an improvement in their overall freedom tally compared with the prior year. Kyrgyzstan slipped slightly, moving from 26/100 to 25/100, the report shows.

The survey gave Uzbekistan 12/100, reflecting gains on some economic and administrative fronts since President Shavkat Mirziyoyev took office in 2016, yet judged the state’s political institutions still firmly under centralized control. Kazakhstan received 23/100, with the assessment pointing to media outlets dominated by the state or by owners aligned with the executive, and noting persistent limits on public speech and assembly alongside widespread graft.

Turkmenistan remained at the bottom of the scale with 1/100, a ranking the report described as the most repressive in the world; by contrast, North Korea’s tally stood at 3/100. Tajikistan was rated 5/100. Freedom House compiles scores from 0 to 100 based on evaluations of political rights and civil liberties in each nation.

In the South Caucasus, the group recorded a sharp decline for Georgia, which now scores 51/100 and trails Armenia at 54/100; both countries are listed as partly free. The assessment singled out continued elite influence over politics in Tbilisi, ongoing corruption within government ranks and mounting pressure on journalists. Azerbaijan was rated 6/100, down from 7/100 the year before.

Analysts say the pattern — economic opening without parallel political loosening — carries risks. A regional specialist interviewed for this article argued that short-term investment inflows and privatization moves can coexist with tightened political controls, but warned this dual track may erode public trust and leave reforms fragile. Freedom House’s methodology, the specialist noted, measures how policies affect ordinary citizens’ ability to participate in politics and live with basic freedoms, not only macroeconomic indicators.

For people in the region, the report underscores a stark reality: market changes have not translated into greater political voice. Donor countries and investors face a choice between engaging with governments to encourage legal and institutional reform or accepting economically liberal but politically closed partners — a balancing act that could shape the trajectory of these states for years to come.