Freedom House — publication: Freedom in the World 2026 report documented 20th consecutive year of global freedom decline. Assessed 195 countries and 13 territories. Only 21% of world's people live in Free countries, down from 46% two decades ago. 54 countries deteriorated vs 35 improved.

Note: The source text confirms three key claims: the 20th consecutive year of decline, the 54 vs 35 country comparison, and the report title/publication date. However, the provided excerpt does not contain information about the total number of countries and territories assessed (195 countries and 13 territories) or the specific statistics about the percentage of the world's population living in Free countries (21% down from 46%). These data points are unverifiable from the given source text, though they may appear elsewhere in the full report. The claim is partially confirmed but incomplete verification.