Civil liberties rating in North Korea
North Korea: Civil liberties rating was 7 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
7
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 199 countries
All-time high
7
in 1972
All-time low
7
in 1972
Years of data
53
1972–2025
Civil liberties rating in North Korea, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 7 for civil liberties rating in 2025. That is the highest value across all 53 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil liberties rating in North Korea peaked at 7 in 1972 and was at its lowest, 7, in 1972.
North Korea ranks 1st of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Civil liberties rating in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 7 | — |
| 1973 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 7 | +0.0% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 7 is above the median for low income countries, which is 6, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 7 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3, 2.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| 1980s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 |
| 1990s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 2000s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 2010s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 2020s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 1 Afghanistan 7 compare
- 1 Azerbaijan 7 compare
- 1 Belarus 7 compare
- 1 Central African Republic 7 compare
- 1 Equatorial Guinea 7 compare
- 1 Eritrea 7 compare
- 1 Iran 7 compare
- 1 Myanmar 7 compare
- 1 Somalia 7 compare
- 1 South Sudan 7 compare
- 1 Sudan 7 compare
- 1 Tajikistan 7 compare
- 1 Turkmenistan 7 compare
- 1 Western Sahara 7 compare
More reference data data for North Korea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Burning - Crop residues 3.54 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.838 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 6,873 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Manure Management 325.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Manure Management 11.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Agricultural 1,939 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Burning - Crop 24.3 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil liberties rating in North Korea?
- Civil liberties rating in North Korea was 7 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil liberties rating recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 1972.
- What is the lowest civil liberties rating recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 7 in 1972.
- How does North Korea rank for civil liberties rating?
- North Korea ranks 1st out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil liberties rating rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this North Korea 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.