Last year also saw "the emergence of a series of worrisome trends that present potentially serious threats to the expansion of freedom in the future", according to the report, entitled "Freedom in the World 2007".
The report, which was released on the organisation's web site, divides countries into three categories: Free, Partly Free and Not Free.
"According to the survey, the number of (193) countries judged by Freedom in the World as Free in 2006 stood at 90, representing 47 percent of the global population. Fifty-eight countries qualified as Partly Free, with 30 percent of the world"s population. The survey finds that 45 countries are Not Free, representing 23 percent of the world"s inhabitants".
Croatia is labelled as free with noted progress in the degree of political rights and civil freedoms.