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Civil liberties rating in Iran

Iran: Civil liberties rating was 7 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
7
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 199 countries
All-time high
7
in 1993
All-time low
5
in 1977
Years of data
53
1972–2025

Civil liberties rating in Iran, 1972–2025

02468197219982025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for civil liberties rating in Iran is 7, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 53 years on record.

That represents a change of up 16.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, civil liberties rating in Iran peaked at 7 in 1993 and was at its lowest, 5, in 1977.

That places Iran 1st out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.

Civil liberties rating in Iran, year by year

Year Value Change
1972 6 —
1973 6 +0.0%
1974 6 +0.0%
1975 6 +0.0%
1976 6 +0.0%
1977 5 -16.7%
1978 5 +0.0%
1979 5 +0.0%
1980 5 +0.0%
1982 6 +20.0%
1983 6 +0.0%
1984 6 +0.0%
1985 6 +0.0%
1986 6 +0.0%
1987 6 +0.0%
1988 6 +0.0%
1989 5 -16.7%
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 6 +0.0%
2003 6 +0.0%
2004 6 +0.0%
2005 6 +0.0%
2006 6 +0.0%
2007 6 +0.0%
2008 6 +0.0%
2009 6 +0.0%
2010 6 +0.0%
2011 6 +0.0%
2012 6 +0.0%
2013 6 +0.0%
2014 6 +0.0%
2015 6 +0.0%
2016 6 +0.0%
2017 6 +0.0%
2018 6 +0.0%
2019 6 +0.0%
2020 6 +0.0%
2021 6 +0.0%
2022 6 +0.0%
2023 7 +16.7%
2024 7 +0.0%
2025 7 +0.0%

Iran compared with similar countries

  • Iran's 7 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3, 2.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • Iran's 7 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 5, 1.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 5.62 5 6 8
1980s 5.78 5 6 9
1990s 6.3 5 7 10
2000s 6 6 6 10
2010s 6 6 6 10
2020s 6.5 6 7 6

Countries ranked near Iran

  1. 1 Afghanistan 7 compare
  2. 1 Azerbaijan 7 compare
  3. 1 Belarus 7 compare
  4. 1 Central African Republic 7 compare
  5. 1 Equatorial Guinea 7 compare
  6. 1 Eritrea 7 compare
  7. 1 Myanmar 7 compare
  8. 1 North Korea 7 compare
  9. 1 Somalia 7 compare
  10. 1 South Sudan 7 compare
  11. 1 Sudan 7 compare
  12. 1 Tajikistan 7 compare
  13. 1 Turkmenistan 7 compare
  14. 1 Western Sahara 7 compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Iran

All data for Iran →

Frequently asked questions

What is civil liberties rating in Iran?
Civil liberties rating in Iran was 7 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest civil liberties rating recorded in Iran?
The highest recorded value was 7 in 1993.
What is the lowest civil liberties rating recorded in Iran?
The lowest recorded value was 5 in 1977.
How does Iran rank for civil liberties rating?
Iran ranks 1st out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
Is civil liberties rating rising or falling in Iran?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iran 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 Iran. Statizoid, drawing on Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/civil-liberties-rating-fh/iran-islamic-rep/

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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.