Civil liberties rating in China
China: Civil liberties rating was 6 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Civil liberties rating in China, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
China recorded 6 for civil liberties rating in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 53 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil liberties rating in China peaked at 7 in 1972 and was at its lowest, 6, in 1977.
That places China 16th out of 198 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.62 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 1980s | 6.11 | 6 | 7 | 9 |
| 1990s | 6.8 | 6 | 7 | 10 |
| 2000s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
- 16 Bahrain 6 compare
- 16 Burundi 6 compare
- 16 Cameroon 6 compare
- 16 Chad 6 compare
- 16 Congo 6 compare
- 16 Cuba 6 compare
- 16 Democratic Republic of Congo 6 compare
- 16 Egypt 6 compare
- 16 Eswatini 6 compare
- 16 Ethiopia 6 compare
- 16 Iraq 6 compare
- 16 Laos 6 compare
- 16 Libya 6 compare
- 16 Nicaragua 6 compare
- 16 Russia 6 compare
- 16 Rwanda 6 compare
- 16 Saudi Arabia 6 compare
- 16 Syria 6 compare
- 16 Turkey 6 compare
- 16 United Arab Emirates 6 compare
- 16 Uzbekistan 6 compare
- 16 Venezuela 6 compare
- 16 Vietnam 6 compare
- 16 Yemen 6 compare
More reference data data for China
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.66 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.0991 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.15 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 0 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.34 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 2.06 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 132.6 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil liberties rating in China?
- Civil liberties rating in China was 6 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil liberties rating recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 1972.
- What is the lowest civil liberties rating recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 in 1977.
- How does China rank for civil liberties rating?
- China ranks 16th out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil liberties rating rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China 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.