Hong Kong widens lead over Singapore in free economy ranking

Hong Kong

HONG Kong has been ranked the world's freest economy for the 23rd straight year, climbing in overall points to widen the lead over second-placed Singapore, according to the 2017 Heritage Foundation index released on Thursday.

The US think tank's annual Index of Economic Freedom report, first published in 1995, grades 10 freedoms - from property rights to entrepreneurship - on a scale of zero to 100 in about 180 economies across four broad categories: rule of law, government size, regulatory efficiency and open markets.