Civil liberties rating in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Civil liberties rating was 6 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
6
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
16th
of 198 countries
All-time high
7
in 1977
All-time low
4
in 1992
Years of data
53
1972–2025

Civil liberties rating in Ethiopia, 1972–2025

02468197219982025

Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for civil liberties rating in Ethiopia is 6, measured in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, civil liberties rating in Ethiopia peaked at 7 in 1977 and was at its lowest, 4, in 1992.

That places Ethiopia 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

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 6.25 5 7 8
1980s 7 7 7 9
1990s 5 4 7 10
2000s 5 5 5 10
2010s 6 6 6 10
2020s 6 6 6 6

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 16 Bahrain 6 compare
  2. 16 Burundi 6 compare
  3. 16 Cameroon 6 compare
  4. 16 Chad 6 compare
  5. 16 China 6 compare
  6. 16 Congo 6 compare
  7. 16 Cuba 6 compare
  8. 16 Democratic Republic of Congo 6 compare
  9. 16 Egypt 6 compare
  10. 16 Eswatini 6 compare
  11. 16 Iraq 6 compare
  12. 16 Laos 6 compare
  13. 16 Libya 6 compare
  14. 16 Nicaragua 6 compare
  15. 16 Russia 6 compare
  16. 16 Rwanda 6 compare
  17. 16 Saudi Arabia 6 compare
  18. 16 Syria 6 compare
  19. 16 Turkey 6 compare
  20. 16 United Arab Emirates 6 compare
  21. 16 Uzbekistan 6 compare
  22. 16 Venezuela 6 compare
  23. 16 Vietnam 6 compare
  24. 16 Yemen 6 compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is civil liberties rating in Ethiopia?
Civil liberties rating in Ethiopia was 6 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest civil liberties rating recorded in Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 7 in 1977.
What is the lowest civil liberties rating recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 4 in 1992.
How does Ethiopia rank for civil liberties rating?
Ethiopia ranks 16th out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
Is civil liberties rating rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ethiopia 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

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About this data

Indicator
Civil liberties rating
Source
Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 10,083 data points, 1972–2025
Last refreshed

Identifies the extent of freedom of expression and association, the rule of law, and personal autonomy. Lower ratings indicate more liberties.