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Civil liberties rating in Hong Kong

Hong Kong: Civil liberties rating was 4 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
4
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
69th
of 199 countries
All-time high
4
in 2021
All-time low
2
in 1972
Years of data
52
1972–2025

Civil liberties rating in Hong Kong, 1972–2025

01234197219982025

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

Analysis

In 2025, civil liberties rating in Hong Kong stood at 4. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 100.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, civil liberties rating in Hong Kong peaked at 4 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2, in 1972.

Hong Kong ranks 69th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.

Civil liberties rating in Hong Kong, year by year

Year Value Change
1972 2 —
1974 2 +0.0%
1975 2 +0.0%
1976 2 +0.0%
1977 2 +0.0%
1978 2 +0.0%
1979 2 +0.0%
1980 2 +0.0%
1982 2 +0.0%
1983 2 +0.0%
1984 2 +0.0%
1985 2 +0.0%
1986 2 +0.0%
1987 2 +0.0%
1988 3 +50.0%
1989 3 +0.0%
1990 3 +0.0%
1991 3 +0.0%
1992 3 +0.0%
1993 2 -33.3%
1994 2 +0.0%
1995 2 +0.0%
1996 2 +0.0%
1997 3 +50.0%
1998 3 +0.0%
1999 3 +0.0%
2000 3 +0.0%
2001 3 +0.0%
2002 3 +0.0%
2003 3 +0.0%
2004 2 -33.3%
2005 2 +0.0%
2006 2 +0.0%
2007 2 +0.0%
2008 2 +0.0%
2009 2 +0.0%
2010 2 +0.0%
2011 2 +0.0%
2012 2 +0.0%
2013 2 +0.0%
2014 2 +0.0%
2015 2 +0.0%
2016 2 +0.0%
2017 2 +0.0%
2018 2 +0.0%
2019 3 +50.0%
2020 3 +0.0%
2021 4 +33.3%
2022 4 +0.0%
2023 4 +0.0%
2024 4 +0.0%
2025 4 +0.0%

Hong Kong compared with similar countries

  • Hong Kong's 4 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1, 4.0× the median. (66 countries reporting)
  • Hong Kong's 4 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3, 1.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 2 2 2 7
1980s 2.22 2 3 9
1990s 2.6 2 3 10
2000s 2.4 2 3 10
2010s 2.1 2 3 10
2020s 3.83 3 4 6

Countries ranked near Hong Kong

  1. 69 Armenia 4 compare
  2. 69 Bangladesh 4 compare
  3. 69 Cote d'Ivoire 4 compare
  4. 69 El Salvador 4 compare
  5. 69 Gambia 4 compare
  6. 69 Georgia 4 compare
  7. 69 Guatemala 4 compare
  8. 69 Guinea-Bissau 4 compare
  9. 69 Honduras 4 compare
  10. 69 India 4 compare
  11. 69 Indonesia 4 compare
  12. 69 Kenya 4 compare
  13. 69 Lebanon 4 compare
  14. 69 Liberia 4 compare
  15. 69 Madagascar 4 compare
  16. 69 Malaysia 4 compare
  17. 69 Mexico 4 compare
  18. 69 Mozambique 4 compare
  19. 69 Nepal 4 compare
  20. 69 Philippines 4 compare
  21. 69 Singapore 4 compare
  22. 69 Sri Lanka 4 compare
  23. 69 Togo 4 compare
  24. 69 Tunisia 4 compare
  25. 69 USSR 4 compare
  26. 69 Ukraine 4 compare
  27. 69 Zambia 4 compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Hong Kong

All data for Hong Kong →

Frequently asked questions

What is civil liberties rating in Hong Kong?
Civil liberties rating in Hong Kong was 4 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest civil liberties rating recorded in Hong Kong?
The highest recorded value was 4 in 2021.
What is the lowest civil liberties rating recorded in Hong Kong?
The lowest recorded value was 2 in 1972.
How does Hong Kong rank for civil liberties rating?
Hong Kong ranks 69th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
Is civil liberties rating rising or falling in Hong Kong?
Over the last ten years it is up 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Hong Kong 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.

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Civil liberties rating in Hong Kong. Statizoid, drawing on Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 October 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/civil-liberties-rating-fh/hong-kong-sar-china/

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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.