Civil liberties rating in Turkey
Turkey: Civil liberties rating was 6 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Civil liberties rating in Turkey, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, civil liberties rating in Turkey stood at 6. That is the highest value across all 53 years on record.
That represents a change of up 50.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil liberties rating in Turkey peaked at 6 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 3, in 1974.
That places Turkey 16th out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.
Civil liberties rating in Turkey, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 4 | — |
| 1973 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 1975 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 5 | +66.7% |
| 1982 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 1987 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 1990 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 1991 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 1995 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 2003 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 2005 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 2013 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 2017 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 2018 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 | +0.0% |
Turkey compared with similar countries
- Turkey's 6 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3, 2.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Turkey's 6 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2, 3.0× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.25 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| 1980s | 4.44 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
| 1990s | 4.6 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.6 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.5 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Turkey
- 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 Nicaragua 6 compare
- 16 Russia 6 compare
- 16 Rwanda 6 compare
- 16 Saudi Arabia 6 compare
- 16 Syria 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 Turkey
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.815 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 10.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 22.31 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 22.31 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 53.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 103 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 9.35 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil liberties rating in Turkey?
- Civil liberties rating in Turkey was 6 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil liberties rating recorded in Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 2017.
- What is the lowest civil liberties rating recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 in 1974.
- How does Turkey rank for civil liberties rating?
- Turkey ranks 16th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil liberties rating rising or falling in Turkey?
- Over the last ten years it is up 50.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Turkey 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.