Civil liberties rating in Japan
Japan: Civil liberties rating was 1 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Civil liberties rating in Japan, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, civil liberties rating in Japan stood at 1. That is the lowest value across all 53 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil liberties rating in Japan peaked at 2 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1972.
Japan ranks 154th of 198 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 1980s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 1990s | 1.9 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.3 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 154 Andorra 1 compare
- 154 Australia 1 compare
- 154 Austria 1 compare
- 154 Barbados 1 compare
- 154 Belgium 1 compare
- 154 Belize 1 compare
- 154 Canada 1 compare
- 154 Cape Verde 1 compare
- 154 Chile 1 compare
- 154 Costa Rica 1 compare
- 154 Czechia 1 compare
- 154 Denmark 1 compare
- 154 Dominica 1 compare
- 154 Estonia 1 compare
- 154 Finland 1 compare
- 154 Germany 1 compare
- 154 Iceland 1 compare
- 154 Ireland 1 compare
- 154 Kiribati 1 compare
- 154 Liechtenstein 1 compare
- 154 Luxembourg 1 compare
- 154 Malta 1 compare
- 154 Marshall Islands 1 compare
- 154 Micronesia (country) 1 compare
- 154 Monaco 1 compare
- 154 Netherlands 1 compare
- 154 New Zealand 1 compare
- 154 Norway 1 compare
- 154 Palau 1 compare
- 154 Portugal 1 compare
- 154 Puerto Rico 1 compare
- 154 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 compare
- 154 Saint Lucia 1 compare
- 154 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 compare
- 154 San Marino 1 compare
- 154 Slovakia 1 compare
- 154 Slovenia 1 compare
- 154 Spain 1 compare
- 154 Sweden 1 compare
- 154 Switzerland 1 compare
- 154 Taiwan 1 compare
- 154 Tuvalu 1 compare
- 154 United Kingdom 1 compare
- 154 Uruguay 1 compare
More reference data data for Japan
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.7172 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.24 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.1053 °C (2026)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
- Free country 2 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil liberties rating in Japan?
- Civil liberties rating in Japan was 1 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil liberties rating recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 2 in 1991.
- What is the lowest civil liberties rating recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1972.
- How does Japan rank for civil liberties rating?
- Japan ranks 154th out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil liberties rating rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan 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.