Civil liberties rating in Bhutan
Bhutan: Civil liberties rating was 3 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
3
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
97th
of 199 countries
All-time high
7
in 1993
All-time low
3
in 2024
Years of data
53
1972–2025
Civil liberties rating in Bhutan, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, civil liberties rating in Bhutan stood at 3. That is the lowest value across all 53 years on record.
The figure is down 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil liberties rating in Bhutan peaked at 7 in 1993 and was at its lowest, 3, in 2024.
Bhutan ranks 97th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Civil liberties rating in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 4 | — |
| 1973 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 1979 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 1993 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 1994 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 1999 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 2003 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 2014 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 2025 | 3 | +0.0% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 3 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5, 60% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 3 is below the median for South Asia, which is 4, 75% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.25 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
| 1980s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 9 |
| 1990s | 6.3 | 5 | 7 | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.2 | 5 | 6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.3 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.67 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
- 97 Albania 3 compare
- 97 Benin 3 compare
- 97 Bolivia 3 compare
- 97 Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 compare
- 97 Brazil 3 compare
- 97 Colombia 3 compare
- 97 Dominican Republic 3 compare
- 97 East Timor 3 compare
- 97 Ecuador 3 compare
- 97 Hungary 3 compare
- 97 Israel 3 compare
- 97 Lesotho 3 compare
- 97 Malawi 3 compare
- 97 Moldova 3 compare
- 97 Montenegro 3 compare
- 97 Nauru 3 compare
- 97 North Macedonia 3 compare
- 97 Papua New Guinea 3 compare
- 97 Paraguay 3 compare
- 97 Peru 3 compare
- 97 Senegal 3 compare
- 97 Serbia 3 compare
- 97 Sierra Leone 3 compare
More reference data data for Bhutan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0217 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0671 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.1192 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0167 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.1192 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0727 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0153 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.3489 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.5881 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0909 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil liberties rating in Bhutan?
- Civil liberties rating in Bhutan was 3 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil liberties rating recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 1993.
- What is the lowest civil liberties rating recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 in 2024.
- How does Bhutan rank for civil liberties rating?
- Bhutan ranks 97th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil liberties rating rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Civil liberties rating. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Identifies the extent of freedom of expression and association, the rule of law, and personal autonomy. Lower ratings indicate more liberties.