Civil liberties rating in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico: Civil liberties rating was 1 in 2015. ▲ Rising

Latest (2015)
1
Change on year
down 50.0%
World rank
155th
of 199 countries
All-time high
2
in 1972
All-time low
1
in 1974
Years of data
42
1972–2015

Civil liberties rating in Puerto Rico, 1972–2015

00.511.521972199320151972: 21974: 11975: 11976: 11977: 11978: 11979: 11980: 11982: 11983: 11984: 11985: 11986: 11987: 11988: 11989: 11990: 11991: 11992: 11993: 11994: 11995: 21996: 21997: 21998: 21999: 22000: 22001: 22002: 22003: 22004: 22005: 12006: 12007: 12008: 12009: 12010: 12011: 22012: 22013: 22014: 22015: 1

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

Analysis

In 2015, civil liberties rating in Puerto Rico stood at 1. That is the lowest value across all 42 years on record.

That represents a change of down 50.0% on the previous year and unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, civil liberties rating in Puerto Rico peaked at 2 in 1972 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1974.

That places Puerto Rico 155th out of 199 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.

Civil liberties rating in Puerto Rico, year by year

Annual values for Civil liberties rating in Puerto Rico, 1972 to 2015.
Year Value Change
1972 2 —
1974 1 -50.0%
1975 1 +0.0%
1976 1 +0.0%
1977 1 +0.0%
1978 1 +0.0%
1979 1 +0.0%
1980 1 +0.0%
1982 1 +0.0%
1983 1 +0.0%
1984 1 +0.0%
1985 1 +0.0%
1986 1 +0.0%
1987 1 +0.0%
1988 1 +0.0%
1989 1 +0.0%
1990 1 +0.0%
1991 1 +0.0%
1992 1 +0.0%
1993 1 +0.0%
1994 1 +0.0%
1995 2 +100.0%
1996 2 +0.0%
1997 2 +0.0%
1998 2 +0.0%
1999 2 +0.0%
2000 2 +0.0%
2001 2 +0.0%
2002 2 +0.0%
2003 2 +0.0%
2004 2 +0.0%
2005 1 -50.0%
2006 1 +0.0%
2007 1 +0.0%
2008 1 +0.0%
2009 1 +0.0%
2010 1 +0.0%
2011 2 +100.0%
2012 2 +0.0%
2013 2 +0.0%
2014 2 +0.0%
2015 1 -50.0%

Puerto Rico compared with similar countries

  • Puerto Rico's 1 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1, 1.0× the median. (66 countries reporting)
  • Puerto Rico's 1 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2, 50% of the median. (34 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.14 1 2 7
1980s 1 1 1 9
1990s 1.5 1 2 10
2000s 1.5 1 2 10
2010s 1.67 1 2 6

Countries ranked near Puerto Rico

  1. 155 Andorra 1 compare
  2. 155 Australia 1 compare
  3. 155 Austria 1 compare
  4. 155 Barbados 1 compare
  5. 155 Belgium 1 compare
  6. 155 Belize 1 compare
  7. 155 Canada 1 compare
  8. 155 Cape Verde 1 compare
  9. 155 Chile 1 compare
  10. 155 Costa Rica 1 compare
  11. 155 Czechia 1 compare
  12. 155 Denmark 1 compare
  13. 155 Dominica 1 compare
  14. 155 Estonia 1 compare
  15. 155 Finland 1 compare
  16. 155 Germany 1 compare
  17. 155 Iceland 1 compare
  18. 155 Ireland 1 compare
  19. 155 Japan 1 compare
  20. 155 Kiribati 1 compare
  21. 155 Liechtenstein 1 compare
  22. 155 Luxembourg 1 compare
  23. 155 Malta 1 compare
  24. 155 Marshall Islands 1 compare
  25. 155 Micronesia (country) 1 compare
  26. 155 Monaco 1 compare
  27. 155 Netherlands 1 compare
  28. 155 New Zealand 1 compare
  29. 155 Norway 1 compare
  30. 155 Palau 1 compare
  31. 155 Portugal 1 compare
  32. 155 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 compare
  33. 155 Saint Lucia 1 compare
  34. 155 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 compare
  35. 155 San Marino 1 compare
  36. 155 Slovakia 1 compare
  37. 155 Slovenia 1 compare
  38. 155 Spain 1 compare
  39. 155 Sweden 1 compare
  40. 155 Switzerland 1 compare
  41. 155 Taiwan 1 compare
  42. 155 Tuvalu 1 compare
  43. 155 United Kingdom 1 compare
  44. 155 Uruguay 1 compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Puerto Rico

All data for Puerto Rico →

Frequently asked questions

What is civil liberties rating in Puerto Rico?
Civil liberties rating in Puerto Rico was 1 in 2015, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest civil liberties rating recorded in Puerto Rico?
The highest recorded value was 2 in 1972.
What is the lowest civil liberties rating recorded in Puerto Rico?
The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1974.
How does Puerto Rico rank for civil liberties rating?
Puerto Rico ranks 155th out of 199 countries with data for 2015.
Is civil liberties rating rising or falling in Puerto Rico?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico. Statizoid, drawing on Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 28 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/civil-liberties-rating-fh/puerto-rico-us/

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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.