Civil liberties rating in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Civil liberties rating was 6 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
6
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
16th
of 199 countries
All-time high
6
in 1986
All-time low
3
in 1972
Years of data
53
1972–2025
Civil liberties rating in Nicaragua, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Nicaragua recorded 6 for civil liberties rating in 2025. That is the highest value across all 53 years on record.
The figure is up 100.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil liberties rating in Nicaragua peaked at 6 in 1986 and was at its lowest, 3, in 1972.
That places Nicaragua 16th out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
Civil liberties rating in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 3 | — |
| 1973 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 1974 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 1977 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 1987 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 1988 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 1989 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 1990 | 3 | -40.0% |
| 1991 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 5 | +66.7% |
| 1994 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 1996 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 1997 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 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 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 2010 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 2014 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 2017 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 2019 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 2023 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 | +0.0% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 6 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 6 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2, 3.0× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.38 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| 1980s | 5 | 4 | 6 | 9 |
| 1990s | 3.5 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.1 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.9 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.67 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
- 16 Bahrain 6 compare
- 16 Burundi 6 compare
- 16 Cameroon 6 compare
- 16 Chad 6 compare
- 16 China 6 compare
- 16 Congo 6 compare
- 16 Cuba 6 compare
- 16 Democratic Republic of Congo 6 compare
- 16 Egypt 6 compare
- 16 Eswatini 6 compare
- 16 Ethiopia 6 compare
- 16 Iraq 6 compare
- 16 Laos 6 compare
- 16 Libya 6 compare
- 16 Russia 6 compare
- 16 Rwanda 6 compare
- 16 Saudi Arabia 6 compare
- 16 Syria 6 compare
- 16 Turkey 6 compare
- 16 United Arab Emirates 6 compare
- 16 Uzbekistan 6 compare
- 16 Venezuela 6 compare
- 16 Vietnam 6 compare
- 16 Yemen 6 compare
More reference data data for Nicaragua
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4575 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0819 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.4557 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.61 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4457 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil liberties rating in Nicaragua?
- Civil liberties rating in Nicaragua was 6 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil liberties rating recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 1986.
- What is the lowest civil liberties rating recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 in 1972.
- How does Nicaragua rank for civil liberties rating?
- Nicaragua ranks 16th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil liberties rating rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is up 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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.