Costa Rica and Panama, preceded by Chile and El Salvador, share the
third position in the Latin American ranking of free economies. Costa
Rican economy is also 30th among 141 nations. These data are part of
those recorded in the 2007 Annual Report on Economic Freedom in the
World, issued by the Cato Institute in the United States and the Fraser
Institute in Canada. According to the report Hong Kong is at the top of
the world ranking, followed by Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland, and
the United States. On the opposite side, Venezuela, which used to be at
the top of free economies in Latin America, has dropped to position
135th, surpassing only five African countries and an Asian one.
Source: La Nacion