Which has higher political civil liberties index, Canada or New Zealand?

New Zealand, at 0.929 against 0.922 in Canada as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and New Zealand?

173 years are reported by both, from 1853 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.

Canada vs New Zealand: Political Civil Liberties Index

Canada

0.922

in 2025

New Zealand

0.929

in 2025

Canada rank

23rd

New Zealand rank

20th

Political Civil Liberties Index over time

Canada
New Zealand

How they compare

New Zealand currently reports 0.929 against 0.922 in Canada, a difference of 0.007.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 173 shared years of data; in 1853 it was New Zealand ahead.

Canada ranks 23rd and New Zealand ranks 20th of 176 countries.

New Zealand has averaged higher in every one of the 18 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Canada	New Zealand	Difference	Ahead
1850s	0.83	0.864	0.034	New Zealand
1860s	0.83	0.8954	0.0654	New Zealand
1870s	0.83	0.9	0.07	New Zealand
1880s	0.83	0.9	0.07	New Zealand
1890s	0.83	0.9029	0.0729	New Zealand
1900s	0.853	0.9276	0.0746	New Zealand
1910s	0.8368	0.8943	0.0575	New Zealand
1920s	0.841	0.9215	0.0805	New Zealand
1930s	0.8395	0.9138	0.0743	New Zealand
1940s	0.8312	0.8882	0.057	New Zealand
1950s	0.8923	0.9122	0.0199	New Zealand
1960s	0.9239	0.9414	0.0175	New Zealand
1970s	0.9283	0.9442	0.0159	New Zealand
1980s	0.933	0.9555	0.0225	New Zealand
1990s	0.9388	0.964	0.0252	New Zealand
2000s	0.9283	0.964	0.0357	New Zealand
2010s	0.9335	0.9594	0.0259	New Zealand
2020s	0.9345	0.9458	0.0113	New Zealand

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher political civil liberties index, Canada or New Zealand?: New Zealand, at 0.929 against 0.922 in Canada as of 2025.
What is the difference in political civil liberties index between Canada and New Zealand?: 0.007, with New Zealand ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and New Zealand?: 173 years are reported by both, from 1853 to 2025.
How do Canada and New Zealand rank globally for political civil liberties index?: Canada ranks 23rd and New Zealand ranks 20th 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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Canada vs New Zealand: Political Civil Liberties Index. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/political-civil-liberties-index/canada/new-zealand/

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<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/political-civil-liberties-index/canada/new-zealand/">Canada vs New Zealand: Political Civil Liberties Index</a> — Statizoid

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.