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Civil liberties rating in Kenya

Kenya: Civil liberties rating was 4 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
4
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
69th
of 199 countries
All-time high
6
in 1987
All-time low
3
in 2003
Years of data
53
1972–2025

Civil liberties rating in Kenya, 1972–2025

0246197219982025

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

Analysis

Kenya recorded 4 for civil liberties rating in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, civil liberties rating in Kenya peaked at 6 in 1987 and was at its lowest, 3, in 2003.

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

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

Civil liberties rating in Kenya, year by year

Year Value Change
1972 4 —
1973 4 +0.0%
1974 4 +0.0%
1975 5 +25.0%
1976 5 +0.0%
1977 5 +0.0%
1978 4 -20.0%
1979 4 +0.0%
1980 4 +0.0%
1982 5 +25.0%
1983 5 +0.0%
1984 5 +0.0%
1985 5 +0.0%
1986 5 +0.0%
1987 6 +20.0%
1988 6 +0.0%
1989 6 +0.0%
1990 6 +0.0%
1991 6 +0.0%
1992 5 -16.7%
1993 6 +20.0%
1994 6 +0.0%
1995 6 +0.0%
1996 6 +0.0%
1997 6 +0.0%
1998 5 -16.7%
1999 5 +0.0%
2000 5 +0.0%
2001 5 +0.0%
2002 4 -20.0%
2003 3 -25.0%
2004 3 +0.0%
2005 3 +0.0%
2006 3 +0.0%
2007 3 +0.0%
2008 3 +0.0%
2009 4 +33.3%
2010 3 -25.0%
2011 3 +0.0%
2012 4 +33.3%
2013 4 +0.0%
2014 4 +0.0%
2015 4 +0.0%
2016 4 +0.0%
2017 4 +0.0%
2018 4 +0.0%
2019 4 +0.0%
2020 4 +0.0%
2021 4 +0.0%
2022 4 +0.0%
2023 4 +0.0%
2024 4 +0.0%
2025 4 +0.0%

Kenya compared with similar countries

  • Kenya's 4 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5, 80% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Kenya's 4 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5, 80% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 4.38 4 5 8
1980s 5.22 4 6 9
1990s 5.7 5 6 10
2000s 3.6 3 5 10
2010s 3.8 3 4 10
2020s 4 4 4 6

Countries ranked near Kenya

  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 Hong Kong 4 compare
  11. 69 India 4 compare
  12. 69 Indonesia 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 Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is civil liberties rating in Kenya?
Civil liberties rating in Kenya was 4 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest civil liberties rating recorded in Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 6 in 1987.
What is the lowest civil liberties rating recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 3 in 2003.
How does Kenya rank for civil liberties rating?
Kenya ranks 69th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
Is civil liberties rating rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Kenya 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 Kenya. Statizoid, drawing on Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/civil-liberties-rating-fh/kenya/

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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.