Iran One Of World's Least Free Economies
January 04, 2006
The economies presided over by Iranian President Khatami and Turkmen President Niyazov are both considered "repressed" (file photo) (RFE/RL)
The findings come in the annual "Index of Economic Freedom" survey issued today by the conservative Heritage Foundation.
The index ranks nearly 160 countries according to factors such as tax rates, the protection of property rights, and the level of government intervention in the economy.
At the bottom of the rankings are Iran and North Korea, with two former Soviet states -- Turkmenistan and Belarus -- also rated as "repressed."
Among other former Soviet countries, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, and Armenia are rated "mostly free," while Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan, and much of Central Asia are "mostly unfree."
(AFP/heritage.org)