The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) released the 2025 edition of its annual Global Rights Index (June 2025). The index ranks the worst countries for workers’ rights, looking at developments in 151 countries. It ranks countries from 1 to 5, with 1 being the best (sporadic violations of rights) and 5 the worst (no guarantee of rights). The category of 5+ is given to countries with a full breakdown in rule of law due to conflict or military occupation.
Human Level’s Take:
- The ITUC’s 2025 Global Rights Index paints a grim picture about the state of workers’ rights the world over. Seven countries declined in their ratings from last year, and only three improved. In addition, workers’ rights declined across three of the five global regions, with Europe and the Americas receiving their worst scores to date.
- The top 10 worst countries for workers in 2025 were Bangladesh, Belarus, Ecuador, Egypt, Eswatini, Myanmar, Nigeria, the Philippines, Tunisia and Türkiye. Argentina, Costa Rica, Georgia, Italy, Mauritania, Niger and Panama declined since last year. Australia, Mexico and Oman improved their ratings.
- Other alarming findings from the report: Workers faced record-high restrictions, with workers deprived of access to justice in 72% of countries, attacks on free speech in 45% of countries, and violence in 29%. Union organisers were killed in five countries: Cameroon, Colombia, Guatemala, Peru and South Africa.
- Impacts on workers’ rights have a ripple effect: where workers lack a voice and trade unions are muzzled, workers will be less likely to speak up in workplaces or advocate for their rights, posing both human rights and business risks.
- This is important information for companies to take into account as they assess human rights risks across their value chains. Doing business in places where workers’ rights are routinely violated requires a closer look at how workers’ rights safeguards are implemented in practice and may indicate a need for worker protection policies and practices that go above and beyond local law.
Some key takeaways:
- Global declines: According to the index, the 10 worst countries for workers in 2025 were Bangladesh, Belarus, Ecuador, Egypt, Eswatini, Myanmar, Nigeria, the Philippines, Tunisia and Türkiye. In addition, seven countries declined in their ratings since last year: Argentina, Costa Rica, Georgia, Italy, Mauritania, Niger and Panama. Australia, Mexico and Oman improved their ratings. Workers faced record-high restrictions: Workers in 109 (72%) out of 151 countries had no or a reduced access to justice and 45% of countries seeing attacks on free speech and assembly. Workers experienced violence in 29% of countries and labour organisers were killed in five countries: Cameroon, Colombia, Guatemala, Peru and South Africa. Union rights remained severely restricted, with 74% of countries impeding legal registration, 80% limiting collective bargaining and three-quarters denying freedom of association.
- Three regions recorded their worst scores to date: In 2025, conditions for workers’ rights worsened across three of five global regions, with Europe and the Americas recording their worst scores to date. The Middle East and North Africa remained the worst region for workers’ rights, with widespread violations in all countries despite a slight improvement in average rating. The Asia-Pacific region saw a slight improvement in workers’ rights, but violence and crackdowns on free speech and assembly significantly increased. Africa recorded its second worst workers’ rights score, with over 90% of countries restricting key rights to strike, collective bargaining and to form or join a union. Nigeria entered the top 10 worst countries for the first time. The Americas recorded the worst-ever workers’ rights rating, with union registration restricted in 92% of countries and detentions in 60%. Finally, although Europe remains the top scorer on average, it has experienced deterioration over the past four years. in 2025 the region had it worst workers’ rights rating on record, with access to justice restricted in 52% of countries — a sharp increase from 32% in 2024.
- Workers’ rights in a state of emergency amidst global democratic decline: The Global Rights Index warns that rising inequality and concentrated wealth are undermining both democracy and labour rights. In authoritarian countries and countries in democratic decline, civil society is experiencing pressure under restrictive laws and policy decisions. An increasing number of authoritarian regimes are using laws to undermine unions, civil society and the media in order to silence dissent and restrict press freedom. As a result, civil and political rights — including workers’ rights — are impacted and channels for advocating for workers (for example, unionisation, strikes and demonstrations) are increasingly repressed. The ITUC emphasises the importance of supporting the rights of workers to advocate and to unionise in order to help promote democracies.
