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Equality of civil liberties across social groups
What this indicator measures
This V-Dem score estimates the extent to which social groups (language, ethnicity, religion, race, region, caste) are protected from forced labor, and have property rights, access to justice and freedom of movement.
How to read this?
The higher the score, the more equal the liberties across social groups; the lower (negative) it is, the more some groups are disadvantaged.
Ranking : ranked from highest to lowest
In brief
The "Equality of civil liberties across social groups" ranking covers 173 countries and territories. Lowest value: Afghanistan (-2.95). Highest value: Germany (3.49). Median: 0.91 (data: 2025). The top 10% of countries exceed 2.27, while the bottom 10% stay below -0.93. By continent, the median is highest in Europe (1.65) and lowest in North America (-0.33).
Median by continent
- Europe 1.65 (39)
- Oceania 1.5 (6)
- Africa 0.88 (51)
- South America 0.84 (12)
- Asia 0.29 (47)
- North America -0.33 (15)
Why this indicator matters
Liberties are not always the same for everyone. This indicator compares the extent to which social groups (ethnicity, religion, language, caste, region) enjoy the same civil liberties.
What makes this indicator vary
Differences stem from history, the makeup of the population, the law, judicial institutions and tensions between groups. The situation can change quickly after a conflict or a reform.
Reading precautions
The score comes from assessments by V-Dem project experts, with a margin of uncertainty. It is a continuous scale with no strict maximum, around zero for an average situation. It summarizes without detailing each group.
Full ranking
ranked from highest to lowest
| Rank | Country | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1er | 🇩🇪 Germany | 3.49 | 2025 |
| 2e | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 3.1 | 2025 |
| 3e | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 2.86 | 2025 |
| 4e | 🇻🇺 Vanuatu | 2.81 | 2025 |
| 5e | 🇫🇮 Finland | 2.78 | 2025 |
| 6e | 🇸🇨 Seychelles | 2.73 | 2025 |
| 7e | 🇬🇭 Ghana | 2.72 | 2025 |
| 8e | 🇦🇹 Austria | 2.71 | 2025 |
| 9e | 🇯🇵 Japan | 2.65 | 2025 |
| 10e | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | 2.57 | 2025 |
| 11e | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | 2.54 | 2025 |
| 12e | 🇵🇱 Poland | 2.54 | 2025 |
| 13e | 🇮🇪 Ireland | 2.5 | 2025 |
| 14e | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 2.45 | 2025 |
| 15e | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 2.45 | 2025 |
| 16e | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 2.43 | 2025 |
| 17e | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 2.29 | 2025 |
| 18e | 🇧🇯 Benin | 2.28 | 2025 |
| 19e | 🇨🇿 Czechia | 2.27 | 2025 |
| 20e | 🇨🇻 Cape Verde | 2.23 | 2025 |
| 21e | 🇳🇪 Niger | 2.18 | 2025 |
| 22e | 🇮🇹 Italy | 2.18 | 2025 |
| 23e | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 2.17 | 2025 |
| 24e | 🇱🇻 Latvia | 2.13 | 2025 |
| 25e | 🇬🇦 Gabon | 2.03 | 2025 |
| 26e | 🇬🇲 Gambia | 1.98 | 2025 |
| 27e | 🇳🇴 Norway | 1.96 | 2025 |
| 28e | 🇮🇸 Iceland | 1.96 | 2025 |
| 29e | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 1.96 | 2025 |
| 30e | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | 1.89 | 2025 |
| 31e | 🇦🇲 Armenia | 1.89 | 2025 |
| 32e | 🇱🇸 Lesotho | 1.83 | 2025 |
| 33e | 🇲🇼 Malawi | 1.83 | 2025 |
| 34e | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 1.79 | 2025 |
| 35e | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | 1.78 | 2025 |
| 36e | 🇸🇳 Senegal | 1.77 | 2025 |
| 37e | 🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago | 1.76 | 2025 |
| 38e | 🇧🇾 Belarus | 1.75 | 2025 |
| 39e | 🇸🇧 Solomon Islands | 1.68 | 2025 |
| 40e | 🇲🇱 Mali | 1.67 | 2025 |
| 41e | 🇬🇷 Greece | 1.66 | 2025 |
| 41e | 🇲🇺 Mauritius | 1.66 | 2025 |
| 43e | 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | 1.65 | 2025 |
| 44e | 🇪🇸 Spain | 1.65 | 2025 |
| 45e | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | 1.63 | 2025 |
| 46e | 🇱🇹 Lithuania | 1.63 | 2025 |
| 47e | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 1.58 | 2025 |
| 48e | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | 1.58 | 2025 |
| 49e | 🇪🇪 Estonia | 1.57 | 2025 |
| 50e | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | 1.55 | 2025 |
| 51e | 🇲🇦 Morocco | 1.55 | 2025 |
| 52e | 🇲🇹 Malta | 1.54 | 2025 |
| 53e | 🇷🇸 Serbia | 1.49 | 2025 |
| 54e | 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau | 1.49 | 2025 |
| 55e | 🇦🇱 Albania | 1.46 | 2025 |
| 56e | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 1.45 | 2025 |
| 57e | 🇸🇹 São Tomé & Príncipe | 1.42 | 2025 |
| 58e | 🇲🇪 Montenegro | 1.37 | 2025 |
| 59e | 🇨🇲 Cameroon | 1.33 | 2025 |
| 60e | 🇦🇺 Australia | 1.33 | 2025 |
| 61e | 🇹🇱 Timor-Leste | 1.33 | 2025 |
| 62e | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | 1.32 | 2025 |
| 63e | 🇯🇲 Jamaica | 1.28 | 2025 |
| 64e | 🇮🇱 Israel | 1.26 | 2025 |
| 64e | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 1.26 | 2025 |
| 66e | 🇨🇱 Chile | 1.21 | 2025 |
| 66e | 🇩🇿 Algeria | 1.21 | 2025 |
| 68e | 🇱🇧 Lebanon | 1.18 | 2025 |
| 69e | 🇫🇯 Fiji | 1.16 | 2025 |
| 69e | 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone | 1.16 | 2025 |
| 71e | 🇯🇴 Jordan | 1.15 | 2025 |
| 72e | 🇱🇷 Liberia | 1.13 | 2025 |
| 73e | 🇧🇧 Barbados | 1.11 | 2025 |
| 74e | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 1.11 | 2025 |
| 75e | 🇲🇻 Maldives | 1.08 | 2025 |
| 76e | 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | 1.06 | 2025 |
| 76e | 🇸🇷 Suriname | 1.06 | 2025 |
| 78e | 🇫🇷 France | 1.04 | 2025 |
| 79e | 🇳🇵 Nepal | 1.04 | 2025 |
| 80e | 🇨🇺 Cuba | 1.01 | 2025 |
| 81e | 🇬🇪 Georgia | 0.97 | 2025 |
| 82e | 🇲🇰 North Macedonia | 0.97 | 2025 |
| 83e | 🇵🇹 Portugal | 0.96 | 2025 |
| 84e | 🇬🇳 Guinea | 0.96 | 2025 |
| 85e | 🇷🇴 Romania | 0.95 | 2025 |
| 86e | 🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire | 0.94 | 2025 |
| 87e | 🇹🇬 Togo | 0.91 | 2025 |
| 88e | 🇧🇼 Botswana | 0.9 | 2025 |
| 89e | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 0.89 | 2025 |
| 90e | 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea | 0.89 | 2025 |
| 91e | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | 0.88 | 2025 |
| 92e | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 0.87 | 2025 |
| 93e | 🇬🇾 Guyana | 0.86 | 2025 |
| 94e | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 0.82 | 2025 |
| 95e | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | 0.82 | 2025 |
| 96e | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | 0.8 | 2025 |
| 97e | 🇭🇺 Hungary | 0.8 | 2025 |
| 98e | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | 0.79 | 2025 |
| 99e | 🇭🇷 Croatia | 0.78 | 2025 |
| 100e | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | 0.77 | 2025 |
| 101e | 🇲🇩 Moldova | 0.76 | 2025 |
| 102e | 🇸🇿 Eswatini | 0.74 | 2025 |
| 103e | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | 0.7 | 2025 |
| 104e | 🇭🇳 Honduras | 0.7 | 2025 |
| 105e | 🇩🇯 Djibouti | 0.64 | 2025 |
| 106e | 🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina | 0.61 | 2025 |
| 107e | 🇨🇩 Congo - Kinshasa | 0.6 | 2025 |
| 108e | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 0.59 | 2025 |
| 109e | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 0.58 | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇮🇶 Iraq | 0.58 | 2025 |
| 111e | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China | 0.58 | 2025 |
| 112e | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | 0.57 | 2025 |
| 113e | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 0.53 | 2025 |
| 114e | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | 0.53 | 2025 |
| 115e | 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | 0.49 | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | 0.47 | 2025 |
| 117e | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | 0.46 | 2025 |
| 118e | 🇿🇲 Zambia | 0.43 | 2025 |
| 119e | 🇳🇦 Namibia | 0.39 | 2025 |
| 120e | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 0.36 | 2025 |
| 121e | 🇧🇮 Burundi | 0.33 | 2025 |
| 122e | 🇦🇴 Angola | 0.32 | 2025 |
| 123e | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 0.3 | 2025 |
| 124e | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 0.3 | 2025 |
| 125e | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 0.29 | 2025 |
| 126e | 🇨🇴 Colombia | 0.26 | 2025 |
| 127e | 🇺🇸 United States | 0.24 | 2025 |
| 128e | 🇰🇲 Comoros | 0.17 | 2025 |
| 129e | 🇴🇲 Oman | 0.09 | 2025 |
| 130e | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 0.08 | 2025 |
| 131e | 🇸🇴 Somalia | -0.01 | 2025 |
| 132e | 🇹🇯 Tajikistan | -0.03 | 2025 |
| 133e | 🇵🇪 Peru | -0.04 | 2025 |
| 134e | 🇹🇷 Türkiye | -0.17 | 2025 |
| 135e | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | -0.24 | 2025 |
| 136e | 🇸🇾 Syria | -0.28 | 2025 |
| 137e | 🇰🇵 North Korea | -0.29 | 2025 |
| 138e | 🇨🇦 Canada | -0.33 | 2025 |
| 139e | 🇲🇽 Mexico | -0.37 | 2025 |
| 140e | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | -0.39 | 2025 |
| 141e | 🇷🇺 Russia | -0.4 | 2025 |
| 142e | 🇭🇹 Haiti | -0.44 | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | -0.46 | 2025 |
| 144e | 🇰🇭 Cambodia | -0.48 | 2025 |
| 145e | 🇹🇭 Thailand | -0.52 | 2025 |
| 146e | 🇨🇬 Congo - Brazzaville | -0.55 | 2025 |
| 147e | 🇨🇫 Central African Republic | -0.56 | 2025 |
| 148e | 🇸🇩 Sudan | -0.56 | 2025 |
| 149e | 🇹🇩 Chad | -0.57 | 2025 |
| 150e | 🇱🇦 Laos | -0.69 | 2025 |
| 151e | 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan | -0.76 | 2025 |
| 152e | 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea | -0.79 | 2025 |
| 153e | 🇱🇾 Libya | -0.85 | 2025 |
| 154e | 🇮🇷 Iran | -0.88 | 2025 |
| 155e | 🇵🇦 Panama | -0.91 | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | -0.94 | 2025 |
| 157e | 🇪🇷 Eritrea | -0.94 | 2025 |
| 158e | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | -0.95 | 2025 |
| 159e | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | -1.02 | 2025 |
| 160e | 🇺🇬 Uganda | -1.09 | 2025 |
| 161e | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | -1.14 | 2025 |
| 162e | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | -1.18 | 2025 |
| 163e | 🇾🇪 Yemen | -1.29 | 2025 |
| 164e | 🇮🇳 India | -1.33 | 2025 |
| 165e | 🇶🇦 Qatar | -1.33 | 2025 |
| 166e | 🇲🇷 Mauritania | -1.4 | 2025 |
| 167e | 🇧🇭 Bahrain | -1.42 | 2025 |
| 168e | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | -1.43 | 2025 |
| 169e | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | -1.72 | 2025 |
| 170e | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | -1.82 | 2025 |
| 171e | 🇲🇲 Myanmar (Burma) | -1.85 | 2025 |
| 172e | 🇨🇳 China | -2.29 | 2025 |
| 173e | 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | -2.95 | 2025 |
Frequently asked questions
Which country has the highest value for "Equality of civil liberties across social groups"?
The highest value is in Germany, at 3.49 (2025).
Which country has the lowest value for "Equality of civil liberties across social groups"?
The lowest value is in Afghanistan, at -2.95 (2025).
What is the world median value of "Equality of civil liberties across social groups"?
The world median is 0.91, calculated across 173 countries: half of the countries are above it, the other half below.
What is the value of "Equality of civil liberties across social groups" for France?
France scores 1.04 (2025), ranking 78 out of 173 countries (ranked from highest to lowest).
Where does the "Equality of civil liberties across social groups" data come from?
It comes from V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy), version 16 – via Our World in Data. Site last updated: November 8, 2026. Each country is shown with the year of its most recent value.
How should this score be read?
It is a continuous scale around zero. The higher the score, the more equal the liberties across social groups. The lower it is, the more some groups are disadvantaged.
Which rights are taken into account?
The score looks at protection from forced labor, property rights, access to justice and freedom of movement, for different social groups.
Source and update
Source : V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy), version 16 – via Our World in Data. Site last updated: November 8, 2026.
Indicators in the same category : Civil Liberties & Human Rights
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- Freedom of association indexThis V-Dem index estimates the extent to which parties, including opposition parties, can form and run in elections, and the extent to which civil society organizations can be created and operate freely.
- Freedom of expression indexThis V-Dem index estimates the extent to which people can talk about politics in private and in public, whether the press and media are free and present diverse views, and whether academic and cultural freedom of expression is respected.
- Human rights index (V-Dem)This V-Dem index estimates the extent to which people are protected from torture, political killings and forced labor, have property rights, and enjoy freedom of movement, religion, expression and association.
- Political civil liberties indexThis V-Dem index estimates the extent to which people enjoy freedom of expression and freedom of association, which allow them to take part in political life.
- Private civil liberties indexThis V-Dem index estimates the extent to which people are protected from forced labor, have property rights, and enjoy freedom of movement and freedom of religion.
- Index of individual liberties and equality before the lawThis V-Dem index estimates the extent to which citizens enjoy physical integrity, freedom of religion and movement, freedom from forced labour, access to justice, transparent laws and an impartial administration.
- Protection from physical violence by the state (V-Dem)Measures the extent to which people are protected from political killings and torture by the state. Estimate by experts of the V-Dem project.