Political rights and civil liberties in Bangladesh have consistently declined in the last five years, said a report released by Freedom House, a US-based independent watchdog. The report puts the country in the ‘partly free’ category. 

Out of 100 scores, Bangladesh scored 39, registering a decline of 8 points in the last four years. It scored 47 in 2017. The report titled, "Freedom in the World: Democracy under siege" is an annual study of political rights and civil liberties worldwide. 

Bangladesh scored 15 out of 40 in the political rights category while it scored 24 out of 60 in the civil liberties category.

Among the South Asian countries, India, despite registering a decline and slipping into the ‘partly free’ category, remained the top performer, scoring 67 out of 100. Afghanistan, with a score of 27, falls in the status of not free. Bhutan scored 61, Sri Lanka and Nepal 56, and Maldives 40.

Countries that scored between 1 and 34 fall in the status of "not free", those that range between 35 and 71 fall in the "partly free" category, and countries that scored over 71 fall in the "free" category.

Finland, Norway, and Sweden topped the list, with each scoring full.