Tuvalu
How well is Tuvalu respecting people's human rights?
Use the tabs below to explore the scores.
Tuvalu at a glance
Quality of Life
Economic and Social Rights
(2019)
Summary score
N/A
How well is Tuvalu doing compared to what is possible at its level of income?
Right to
0
% of income adjusted benchmark achieved
HRMI score
100%
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Safety from the State
Civil and Political Rights
(2021)
Summary score
8.4
How well is Tuvalu's government respecting each right?
Right to freedom from
0
Score
10
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Empowerment
Civil and Political Rights
(2021)
Summary score
7.9
How well is Tuvalu's government respecting each right?
Right to
0
Score
10
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
Quality of Life
Compared with the other countries in the Pacific, Tuvalu is performing better than average when we look across the rights for which we have data (this comparison is calculated using the 'Income adjusted' benchmark).
To change the performance benchmark or assessment standard, please click on ‘Switch view’ above
Safety from the State
Tuvalu's Safety from the State score of 8.4 out of 10 suggests that a significant number of people are not safe from one or more of the following: arbitrary arrest, torture and ill-treatment, forced disappearance, execution or extrajudicial killing.
Compared with the other countries in the Pacific, Tuvalu is performing close to average on the right to be safe from the state.
Empowerment
Tuvalu's Empowerment score of 7.9 out of 10 suggests that while many people are enjoying their civil liberties and political freedoms (freedom of speech, assembly and association, and democratic rights), a significant number are not.
Compared with the other countries in the Pacific, Tuvalu is performing better than average on empowerment rights.
Quality of Life - overview
(2019)
How well is Tuvalu doing compared to what is possible at its level of income?
Summary score
0
% of income adjusted benchmark achieved
HRMI score
100%
Right to
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
Compared with the other countries in the Pacific, Tuvalu is performing better than average when we look across the rights for which we have data (this comparison is calculated using the 'Income adjusted' benchmark).
To change the performance benchmark or assessment standard, please click on ‘Switch view’ above
Quality of Life - full details
See more detail on how Tuvalu performs on the
?Right to
0
% of income adjusted benchmark achieved
HRMI score
100%
Right to
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
By sex
How does Tuvalu perform by sex for
?By sex
0
% of income adjusted benchmark achieved
HRMI score
100%
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
Over time
How does Tuvalu perform over time for
?Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
People at risk
Which people in Tuvalu were identified by human rights experts to be particularly at risk of having their
violated?Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
When asked to provide more context about who was particularly unlikely to enjoy their right to education in 2021, our respondents mentioned all of the following:
- Tuvalu students living abroad because of the Covid-19 pandemic
Safety from the State - overview
(2021)
How well is Tuvalu's government respecting each right?
Summary score
0
Score
10
Right to freedom from
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
Tuvalu's Safety from the State score of 8.4 out of 10 suggests that a significant number of people are not safe from one or more of the following: arbitrary arrest, torture and ill-treatment, forced disappearance, execution or extrajudicial killing.
Compared with the other countries in the Pacific, Tuvalu is performing close to average on the right to be safe from the state.
Over time
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
People at risk
Which people in Tuvalu were identified by human rights experts to be particularly at risk of having their
violated?Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
Expert respondents did not provide any specific information about who is especially vulnerable to violations of this right.
Empowerment - overview
(2021)
How well is Tuvalu's government respecting each right?
Summary score
0
Score
10
Right to
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
Tuvalu's Empowerment score of 7.9 out of 10 suggests that while many people are enjoying their civil liberties and political freedoms (freedom of speech, assembly and association, and democratic rights), a significant number are not.
Compared with the other countries in the Pacific, Tuvalu is performing better than average on empowerment rights.
Over time
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
People at risk
Which people in Tuvalu were identified by human rights experts to be particularly at risk of having their
violated?Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to restrictions on their rights to assembly and association by the government or its agents in 2021, our respondents mentioned all of the following:
- All people were at risk because of the Covid-19 pandemic
- People with particular religious beliefs or practices, especially those following a religious practice not followed by the majority
Which people are most at risk?
We asked human rights experts to choose from a list of options for which people were particularly at risk of having this right violated. The images below show their answers.
Highlight
in the word clouds below.Quality of Life
People at risk for
Right to education
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
People at risk for
Right to food
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
People at risk for
Right to health
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
People at risk for
Right to housing
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
People at risk for
Right to work
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Safety from the State
People at risk for
Right to freedom from arbitrary arrest
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
People at risk for
Right to freedom from forced disappearance
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
People at risk for
Right to freedom from the death penalty
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
People at risk for
Right to freedom from extrajudicial execution
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
People at risk for
Right to freedom from torture and ill-treatment
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Empowerment
People at risk for
Right to assembly and association
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
People at risk for
Right to opinion and expression
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
People at risk for
Right to participate in government
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
On this tab you can find data collected only in Pacific countries, on five themes.
Jump to:
Climate crisis
(2021)
How much has the climate crisis worsened human rights conditions in Tuvalu?
5.4
Not at All (1)
Slightly (2)
Somewhat (3)
Moderately (4)
Greatly (5)
Extremely (6)
When asked to provide more context about how the climate crisis has worsened rights conditions in 2021, respondents mentioned the following:
- Tuvalu is experiencing rising sea levels, soil erosion, drought, hot weather, and strong winds
- Rising sea levels and soil erosion are contributing to shrinking land mass
- The climate has affected food, water and housing security
- As a result, Tuvaluans are forced to migrate if they are able, separating families. The elderly and disabled are often left behind
Indigenous sovereignty
(2021)
To what extent are Indigenous and/or native communities in Tuvalu able to exercise self-determination?
4.6
Not at All (1)
Slightly (2)
Somewhat (3)
Moderately (4)
Highly (5)
Completely (6)
When asked to provide more context about Indigenous self-determination in 2021, respondents mentioned the following:
- Tuvalu governments have become more independent, protecting cultural and Indigenous rights in policy
- Falekaupule powers have been strengthened through the restriction of competing religious influences
- Sovereignty over land has been affected by erosion and rising sea levels
- A slow and weak judiciary system is discouraging for realising self-determination
Indigenous lands
(2021)
To what extent do Indigenous and/or native communities in Tuvalu have possession and enjoyment of their traditional lands?
5.2
Not at All (1)
Slightly (2)
Somewhat (3)
Moderately (4)
Highly (5)
Completely (6)
When asked to provide more context about Indigenous land rights in 2021, respondents mentioned the following:
- Falekaupule are the main decision-makers, with legislation protecting tradition and customs, and government consulting them on key legislations
- The government is still able to acquire land through the Native Land Act
- Women remain discriminated against with respect to land ownership
Cultural rights
(2021)
To what extent do people in Tuvalu enjoy their cultural rights?
5.0
Not at All (1)
Slightly (2)
Somewhat (3)
Moderately (4)
Highly (5)
Completely (6)
When asked to provide more context about the extent to which communities can practise their cultural rights in 2021, respondents mentioned the following:
- Modernisation has shifted Tuvaluan family structures from communal living to nuclear families
- Cultural rights are retained through continuous habitation of the land
- The use of Tuvaluan language remains encouraged in education and media
- Traditional medicine is not supported by the government
Violence
To what extent are people in Tuvalu free from violence in the community?
Violence against
0
Score
10
Less safe
More safe
Violence against children
When asked to provide more context about violence against children in 2021, respondents mentioned the following:
- Corporal punishment remains contentious due to cultural and religious perspectives, however it is not allowed in schools
- Children still experience domestic violence in the form of corporal punishment, verbal abuse, or neglect
- Neglect of children results in children committing crimes like theft, and there is no support dedicated to children in such situations
Violence against people with disabilities
When asked to provide more context about violence against people with disabilities in 2021, respondents mentioned the following:
- There is little data or knowledge on violence against people with disabilities
- There are organisations that provide services and education to those living with disabilities
- Some people with disabilities are well cared for by family
- Some people with disabilities experience verbal and psychological abuse
Violence against MVPFAFF+/LGBTQIA+
Due to limited responses, we are unable to provide additional information on this topic
Violence against women and girls
When asked to provide more context about violence against women in 2021, respondents mentioned the following:
- Domestic violence against women and girls is still a major concern, with unreported cases and a lack of preventative services
- There have been efforts to raise awareness and introduce measures to protect victims
- General violence against women is still present
Behind the numbers
Quality of Life
China is performing better than average in economic and social rights compared with other East Asian countries, according to our income-adjusted benchmark, though it still has significant challenges. We produce scores for China for the rights to food, health, housing and work.
Under the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, which China has signed, all countries agree to devote their maximum available resources to making things progressively better for their people in these areas.
HRMI has calculated what China could be achieving at its current level of income. The scores are given as a percentage of that realistic potential achievement.
China’s best scores are for the right to health, where it is achieving 98.4% of what we calculate should be possible, and for the right to food (96.4%). For these rights, China is doing nearly as well as it possibly could, given its level of income. It could still afford to make some gains now, but then would need to increase its income to make further improvements.
Of the four quality of life rights we measure, China needs to improve the most in the right to housing, where it is currently achieving only 87.2% of what we calculate should be possible at its level of income.
We further break the right to housing down into scores for the right to sanitation and the right to water.
With a GDP per capita of US$10,144 we calculate that China has the resources to ensure all of its people have running water and toilets in their homes. The good news is that China’s scores have been steadily improving since 2007, when the nation scored 74.5%.
However, China’s right to sanitation score of 83.9% shows that many people are missing out, even though China could afford to do better. If China efficiently used its available resources, it could achieve a score of 100%, which would mean that over 129 million additional Chinese would gain access to basic sanitation in their homes.
If China improved its performance for the right to water from 90.6% to 100%, over 106 million more people would have water on their premises.
When it comes to the right to food, if China lifted its score to 100%, over 2.5 million more children under five years old would have enough nutritious food to grow well – that would mean all children in China under five would have enough nutritious food to grow well. This is an achievable goal.
With a current score of 96.4%, China has improved only a little in respecting people’s right to food over the last 11 years.
On the right to work, China’s score has climbed up to 93.7% in 2019 from 62.2% in 2007, meaning many fewer people have been living in poverty over the last decade. Still, the latest score means 76 million Chinese are unnecessarily living in absolute poverty (living on less that $3.20 per day, measured in 2011 PPP$), and the government is only doing a ‘fair’ job at ensuring people have subsistence income.
China comes in second in the world in ensuring people’s right to health is fulfilled, with a score of 98.4%, when using the low and middle income assessment standard (when using the high income standard, China still comes in third in the world). For countries doing this well with their current level of income, an increase of income will be necessary to make significant further improvements. This is the right where China is most constrained by resources – for all of the other rights we measure, China should already be able to do nearly as well as any country in the world, at its current level of income.
People at risk
While China has room for improvement in all the rights we measure, a further consideration is inequity. There are several groups of people who our experts identified as being at higher risk of missing out. These include:
- People with lower social or economic status
- People from ethnic minorities, including Tibetans, Uyghurs, Mongolians, and Kazakhs
- Human rights advocates, protestors, and anyone who criticises the government
- People living in rural areas, particularly older people, and women
- Disabled people
- Detainees
- People from religious minorities, particularly those practising Falun Gong, Christianity, or Islam
- Internally displaced people
See the people at risk tab on the Rights Tracker for the full lists. The data also show a strong connection between political activity, especially criticism of the government, and lack of enjoyment of economic and social rights.
Room for improvement
All our Quality of Life scores show that China could make significant improvements to its people’s lives, even without more resources.
If China were using its resources more efficiently to ensure its people’s wellbeing, it could achieve 100% for all the rights we measure. Yet, while its best score is close to that mark—98.4% on the right to health — its worst score — 87.2% on the right to housing — is far from that level.
If China better upheld its rights obligations, and achieved a full 100% score on all the rights we measure, we would see millions more Chinese people living lives of dignity, even without income growth. For example, if China reached 100% we would see the following number of extra people benefitting:
- If China were to operate at its full potential given its current resources, we would expect an additional 2.5 million children under five to grow well and not be stunted.
- If China were operating at best practice, each year we would expect an extra 56,900 newborn babies to survive until their fifth birthday.
- If China were reaching its full potential, given its income constraints, an extra 343,300 15-year-olds could eventually reach the age of 60.
- If China used its resources efficiently, an additional 129 million people could have a toilet at home, and an extra 109 million people could have access to water in their homes.
- If China were operating at its full potential given its current resources, it could lift 76 million people out of absolute poverty.
Safety from the State
China scores 2.8 out of 10 for our overall Safety from the State category, telling us that many people are at risk of arbitrary or political arrest or detention, torture and ill-treatment, forced disappearance, execution, or extrajudicial killing. This is one of the lowest scores in our sample of 31 countries.
China’s worst score in this category is 1 out of 10 for freedom from the death penalty, the lowest score among all the countries we measure.
The human rights experts we surveyed said that agents of the state, particularly police, had total impunity to engage in torture of those detained.
Respondents overwhelmingly agreed that human rights advocates, protestors, and people who criticised the government were at particular risk of rights violations, especially arbitrary arrest and detention, forced disappearance, and torture and ill-treatment.
Survey respondents said that information about executions was deliberately obfuscated by the Chinese government, blurring the line between extrajudicial and judicial executions.
People from ethnic minorities were at extra risk of all five Safety from the State rights. Respondents noted that Uyghur people, and other ethnic minorities, were commonly detained incommunicado in concentration camps.
Other vulnerable groups include:
- People from ethnic minorities, including Tibetans, Uyghurs, Mongolians, and Kazakhs
- Human rights advocates, protestors, and anyone who criticises the government
- Detainees and those accused of crimes
- People from religious minorities, particularly those practising Falun Gong, Christianity, or Islam
- Internally displaced people
- People in Tibet, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong
Among other East Asian countries and territories where we measure these rights, China has the lowest scores for all five Safety from the State rights.
Right to Freedom from Arbitrary Arrest and Detention in East Asia
Summary score
0
Score
10
Right to Freedom from Forced Disappearance in East Asia
Summary score
0
Score
10
Right to Freedom from Death Penalty in East Asia
Summary score
0
Score
10
Right to Freedom from Extrajudicial Execution in East Asia
Summary score
0
Score
10
Right to Freedom from Torture and Ill-treatment in East Asia
Summary score
0
Score
10
Empowerment
The Chinese government limits civil liberties and political freedom, with China scoring a very low 2.1 out of 10 in empowerment rights. This is the lowest score in our sample of 30 countries.
For the rights to assembly and association, opinion and expression, and participation in government, all of China’s scores fall into the ‘very bad’ range. For all three rights, the human rights experts we surveyed agreed overwhelmingly that ‘all people’ were at risk of violations of these rights.
When it comes to the right to assembly and association, China scores 2 out of 10, and human rights experts identified a wide range of people not enjoying their rights, including human rights advocates, protestors, and people criticising or opposing the government, as well as those from ethnic and religious minorities. They also noted that people from religious minorities cannot freely gather, and that even small gatherings in homes have been broken up by authorities.
China’s score for the right to opinion and expression is a very low 2.3 out of 10, with no improvement from 2022. Respondents noted that there are no independent media organisations allowed in China, and that teachers, academics, and journalists cannot speak freely. Expression is also limited online, where content is censored by Chinese regulators.
China also scores in the ‘very bad’ range for the right to participate in government, with a score of 1.9 out of 10. Respondents noted that political participation is controlled and severely limited by the Chinese Communist Party, which selects legislators and other political representatives.
Other vulnerable groups include:
- People from ethnic minorities, including Tibetans, Uyghurs, Mongolians, and Kazakhs
- Human rights advocates, protestors, and anyone who criticises the government
- Detainees and those accused of crimes
- People from religious minorities, particularly those practising Falun Gong, Christianity, or Islam
- Internally displaced people
- People in Tibet and Xinjiang
Right to Assembly and Association in East Asia
Summary score
0
Score
10
Right to Opinion and Expression in East Asia
Summary score
0
Score
10
Right to Participate in Government in East Asia
Summary score
0
Score
10
Country details
Population
11.8k (2020)
GDP/capita
$4,143 (2020)
current US dollars
$4,411 (2020)
2017 PPP dollars