howmuchworld

Home › Indicators › Political civil liberties index

Political civil liberties index

What this indicator measures

This 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.

How to read this?

The closer the index is to 1, the more these political liberties are respected; the closer to 0, the less so.

Ranking : ranked from highest to lowest

Ctrl + scroll: zoom · drag: pan
173countries with data
0.98maximum · Denmark
0.75median
0.02minimum · North Korea
2025data year(s)

In brief

Political civil liberties index: across 173 countries and territories, values range from 0.02 (North Korea) to 0.98 (Denmark), with a world median of 0.75. Data: 2025. The top 10% of countries exceed 0.93, while the bottom 10% stay below 0.12. By continent, the median is highest in Oceania (0.9) and lowest in Asia (0.43).

Median by continent

Lower Higher
  • Oceania 0.9 (6)
  • Europe 0.89 (39)
  • North America 0.88 (15)
  • South America 0.82 (12)
  • Africa 0.55 (51)
  • Asia 0.43 (47)

Why this indicator matters

Freedom of expression and association allows citizens to get informed, debate and organize. This index compares the extent to which these liberties enable participation in political life.

What makes this indicator vary

These liberties depend on the legal framework, the role of the media and civil society, the regime in place and political tensions. They change with reforms, crises and changes of power.

Reading precautions

The V-Dem index is based on expert opinion and on a scale from zero to one. It describes the observed situation, which may differ from legal texts. Small score differences should be read with caution.

Full ranking

ranked from highest to lowest

RankCountryValueYear
1er🇩🇰 Denmark0.982025
2e🇨🇭 Switzerland0.972025
3e🇮🇪 Ireland0.972025
4e🇪🇪 Estonia0.972025
5e🇧🇪 Belgium0.962025
6e🇸🇪 Sweden0.962025
7e🇱🇺 Luxembourg0.962025
8e🇳🇴 Norway0.962025
9e🇫🇷 France0.952025
10e🇺🇾 Uruguay0.952025
11e🇨🇱 Chile0.942025
11e🇱🇻 Latvia0.942025
13e🇫🇮 Finland0.942025
13e🇯🇲 Jamaica0.942025
15e🇨🇿 Czechia0.932025
16e🇧🇷 Brazil0.932025
17e🇨🇷 Costa Rica0.932025
18e🇮🇸 Iceland0.932025
18e🇵🇱 Poland0.932025
20e🇳🇿 New Zealand0.932025
21e🇦🇹 Austria0.932025
22e🇪🇸 Spain0.932025
23e🇧🇧 Barbados0.922025
23e🇨🇦 Canada0.922025
23e🇩🇴 Dominican Republic0.922025
23e🇬🇭 Ghana0.922025
23e🇲🇺 Mauritius0.922025
28e🇯🇵 Japan0.922025
28e🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago0.922025
30e🇸🇷 Suriname0.922025
31e🇵🇹 Portugal0.912025
32e🇰🇷 South Korea0.912025
33e🇦🇺 Australia0.912025
34e🇻🇺 Vanuatu0.912025
35e🇹🇼 Taiwan0.92025
36e🇳🇦 Namibia0.92025
37e🇱🇰 Sri Lanka0.92025
38e🇨🇻 Cape Verde0.892025
38e🇱🇹 Lithuania0.892025
38e🇸🇨 Seychelles0.892025
41e🇩🇪 Germany0.892025
41e🇳🇱 Netherlands0.892025
41e🇸🇧 Solomon Islands0.892025
44e🇲🇹 Malta0.892025
44e🇲🇪 Montenegro0.892025
46e🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea0.892025
47e🇵🇦 Panama0.892025
48e🇿🇦 South Africa0.882025
49e🇨🇾 Cyprus0.882025
50e🇭🇳 Honduras0.882025
51e🇮🇹 Italy0.872025
52e🇸🇱 Sierra Leone0.872025
53e🇹🇱 Timor-Leste0.872025
54e🇺🇸 United States0.872025
55e🇳🇬 Nigeria0.862025
55e🇳🇵 Nepal0.862025
57e🇰🇪 Kenya0.862025
58e🇬🇧 United Kingdom0.862025
59e🇱🇸 Lesotho0.862025
60e🇬🇹 Guatemala0.862025
61e🇬🇾 Guyana0.862025
62e🇬🇷 Greece0.852025
62e🇱🇷 Liberia0.852025
64e🇧🇼 Botswana0.842025
64e🇸🇹 São Tomé & Príncipe0.842025
66e🇨🇴 Colombia0.842025
67e🇷🇴 Romania0.842025
68e🇬🇲 Gambia0.842025
68e🇸🇳 Senegal0.842025
70e🇧🇬 Bulgaria0.832025
71e🇦🇲 Armenia0.822025
72e🇸🇰 Slovakia0.812025
73e🇵🇾 Paraguay0.82025
74e🇸🇮 Slovenia0.82025
74e🇿🇲 Zambia0.82025
76e🇭🇷 Croatia0.792025
77e🇭🇹 Haiti0.792025
78e🇦🇷 Argentina0.772025
79e🇮🇱 Israel0.772025
80e🇦🇱 Albania0.762025
80e🇲🇩 Moldova0.762025
82e🇫🇯 Fiji0.762025
82e🇵🇪 Peru0.762025
84e🇲🇳 Mongolia0.762025
85e🇲🇼 Malawi0.762025
86e🇲🇰 North Macedonia0.752025
87e🇬🇦 Gabon0.752025
87e🇳🇪 Niger0.752025
89e🇲🇬 Madagascar0.742025
90e🇧🇯 Benin0.742025
91e🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina0.742025
91e🇧🇴 Bolivia0.742025
93e🇱🇧 Lebanon0.732025
94e🇲🇻 Maldives0.722025
95e🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire0.72025
96e🇪🇨 Ecuador0.692025
97e🇲🇾 Malaysia0.692025
98e🇧🇹 Bhutan0.662025
99e🇲🇽 Mexico0.642025
100e🇵🇭 Philippines0.642025
101e🇧🇩 Bangladesh0.642025
102e🇹🇿 Tanzania0.612025
103e🇭🇺 Hungary0.612025
104e🇬🇪 Georgia0.612025
105e🇮🇩 Indonesia0.62025
106e🇦🇴 Angola0.582025
107e🇹🇳 Tunisia0.562025
108e🇨🇩 Congo - Kinshasa0.562025
109e🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau0.552025
109e🇯🇴 Jordan0.552025
109e🇲🇦 Morocco0.552025
109e🇷🇸 Serbia0.552025
113e🇹🇭 Thailand0.552025
114e🇮🇶 Iraq0.542025
115e🇸🇴 Somalia0.532025
116e🇸🇬 Singapore0.532025
117e🇲🇷 Mauritania0.532025
118e🇨🇫 Central African Republic0.532025
119e🇱🇾 Libya0.522025
120e🇰🇲 Comoros0.512025
121e🇺🇦 Ukraine0.512025
122e🇲🇿 Mozambique0.52025
123e🇵🇰 Pakistan0.52025
124e🇹🇬 Togo0.482025
125e🇮🇳 India0.472025
126e🇬🇳 Guinea0.452025
127e🇲🇱 Mali0.442025
128e🇸🇻 El Salvador0.432025
129e🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan0.432025
130e🇨🇲 Cameroon0.422025
131e🇩🇯 Djibouti0.412025
132e🇺🇬 Uganda0.372025
133e🇰🇼 Kuwait0.362025
134e🇰🇿 Kazakhstan0.362025
135e🇿🇼 Zimbabwe0.352025
136e🇧🇫 Burkina Faso0.352025
137e🇩🇿 Algeria0.342025
138e🇪🇹 Ethiopia0.342025
139e🇹🇩 Chad0.32025
140e🇨🇬 Congo - Brazzaville0.32025
141e🇾🇪 Yemen0.32025
142e🇸🇾 Syria0.282025
143e🇸🇩 Sudan0.272025
144e🇹🇷 Türkiye0.262025
145e🇺🇿 Uzbekistan0.252025
146e🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China0.232025
147e🇰🇭 Cambodia0.212025
148e🇷🇼 Rwanda0.172025
149e🇴🇲 Oman0.172025
150e🇮🇷 Iran0.162025
151e🇧🇮 Burundi0.162025
152e🇻🇪 Venezuela0.162025
153e🇧🇭 Bahrain0.152025
154e🇪🇬 Egypt0.152025
155e🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates0.122025
156e🇦🇿 Azerbaijan0.122025
157e🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea0.122025
158e🇷🇺 Russia0.12025
159e🇻🇳 Vietnam0.092025
160e🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia0.082025
161e🇶🇦 Qatar0.082025
162e🇹🇯 Tajikistan0.072025
163e🇸🇿 Eswatini0.062025
164e🇲🇲 Myanmar (Burma)0.062025
165e🇹🇲 Turkmenistan0.052025
166e🇱🇦 Laos0.052025
167e🇨🇺 Cuba0.042025
168e🇧🇾 Belarus0.042025
168e🇨🇳 China0.042025
170e🇪🇷 Eritrea0.022025
171e🇦🇫 Afghanistan0.022025
172e🇳🇮 Nicaragua0.022025
173e🇰🇵 North Korea0.022025

Frequently asked questions

Which country has the highest value for "Political civil liberties index"?

The highest value is in Denmark, at 0.98 (2025).

Which country has the lowest value for "Political civil liberties index"?

The lowest value is in North Korea, at 0.02 (2025).

What is the world median value of "Political civil liberties index"?

The world median is 0.75, calculated across 173 countries: half of the countries are above it, the other half below.

What is the value of "Political civil liberties index" for France?

France scores 0.95 (2025), ranking 9 out of 173 countries (ranked from highest to lowest).

Where does the "Political civil liberties index" 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.

What does this index look at?

It looks at the extent to which people can express themselves, associate and take part in political life without hindrance.

How should the values be read?

They range from zero to one. The closer the value is to one, the more these liberties are respected. Near zero, they are respected little.

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