Which has higher political civil liberties index, Afghanistan or North Korea?

Afghanistan, at 0.021 against 0.015 in North Korea as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and North Korea?

203 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Political Civil Liberties Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Afghanistan vs North Korea: Political Civil Liberties Index

Afghanistan

0.021

in 2025

North Korea

0.015

in 2025

Afghanistan rank

174th

North Korea rank

176th

Political Civil Liberties Index over time

Afghanistan
North Korea

How they compare

Afghanistan currently reports 0.021 against 0.015 in North Korea, a difference of 0.006.

That makes Afghanistan's figure about 1.4 times North Korea's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 203 shared years of data; in 1789 it was North Korea ahead.

Afghanistan ranks 174th and North Korea ranks 176th of 176 countries.

Across the 23 decades both report, Afghanistan averaged higher in 10 and North Korea in 13.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Afghanistan	North Korea	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.109	0.121	0.012	North Korea
1790s	0.109	0.121	0.012	North Korea
1800s	0.109	0.121	0.012	North Korea
1810s	0.109	0.121	0.012	North Korea
1820s	0.109	0.121	0.012	North Korea
1830s	0.109	0.121	0.012	North Korea
1840s	0.109	0.121	0.012	North Korea
1850s	0.109	0.121	0.012	North Korea
1860s	0.109	0.121	0.012	North Korea
1870s	0.109	0.121	0.012	North Korea
1880s	0.102	0.1264	0.0244	North Korea
1890s	0.102	0.1614	0.0594	North Korea
1900s	0.1008	0.1042	0.0034	North Korea
1910s	0.124	0.052	0.072	Afghanistan
1940s	0.2232	0.0672	0.156	Afghanistan
1950s	0.2063	0.0375	0.1688	Afghanistan
1960s	0.3228	0.0246	0.2982	Afghanistan
1970s	0.2661	0.0118	0.2543	Afghanistan
1980s	0.0828	0.011	0.0718	Afghanistan
1990s	0.0742	0.011	0.0632	Afghanistan
2000s	0.5642	0.0116	0.5526	Afghanistan
2010s	0.6644	0.013	0.6514	Afghanistan
2020s	0.1405	0.0147	0.1258	Afghanistan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher political civil liberties index, Afghanistan or North Korea?: Afghanistan, at 0.021 against 0.015 in North Korea as of 2025.
What is the difference in political civil liberties index between Afghanistan and North Korea?: 0.006, with Afghanistan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and North Korea?: 203 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do Afghanistan and North Korea rank globally for political civil liberties index?: Afghanistan ranks 174th and North Korea ranks 176th of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Political Civil Liberties Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Afghanistan vs North Korea: Political Civil Liberties Index. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/political-civil-liberties-index/afghanistan/korea-dem-people-s-rep/

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About this data

Indicator: Political Civil Liberties Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 30,211 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which people enjoy the freedoms of expression and association.