Civil liberties rating in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Civil liberties rating was 1 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
155th
of 199 countries
All-time high
2
in 1990
All-time low
1
in 1972
Years of data
53
1972–2025
Civil liberties rating in United Kingdom, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 1 for civil liberties rating in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 53 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil liberties rating in United Kingdom peaked at 2 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1972.
That places United Kingdom 155th out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Civil liberties rating in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 1 | — |
| 1973 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 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 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 1991 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 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 | 1 | -50.0% |
| 2003 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 1 | +0.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 1 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1, 1.0× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 1 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2, 50% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 1980s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 1990s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.2 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 155 Andorra 1 compare
- 155 Australia 1 compare
- 155 Austria 1 compare
- 155 Barbados 1 compare
- 155 Belgium 1 compare
- 155 Belize 1 compare
- 155 Canada 1 compare
- 155 Cape Verde 1 compare
- 155 Chile 1 compare
- 155 Costa Rica 1 compare
- 155 Czechia 1 compare
- 155 Denmark 1 compare
- 155 Dominica 1 compare
- 155 Estonia 1 compare
- 155 Finland 1 compare
- 155 Germany 1 compare
- 155 Iceland 1 compare
- 155 Ireland 1 compare
- 155 Japan 1 compare
- 155 Kiribati 1 compare
- 155 Liechtenstein 1 compare
- 155 Luxembourg 1 compare
- 155 Malta 1 compare
- 155 Marshall Islands 1 compare
- 155 Micronesia (country) 1 compare
- 155 Monaco 1 compare
- 155 Netherlands 1 compare
- 155 New Zealand 1 compare
- 155 Norway 1 compare
- 155 Palau 1 compare
- 155 Portugal 1 compare
- 155 Puerto Rico 1 compare
- 155 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 compare
- 155 Saint Lucia 1 compare
- 155 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 compare
- 155 San Marino 1 compare
- 155 Slovakia 1 compare
- 155 Slovenia 1 compare
- 155 Spain 1 compare
- 155 Sweden 1 compare
- 155 Switzerland 1 compare
- 155 Taiwan 1 compare
- 155 Tuvalu 1 compare
- 155 Uruguay 1 compare
More reference data data for United Kingdom
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 59.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.48 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil liberties rating in United Kingdom?
- Civil liberties rating in United Kingdom was 1 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil liberties rating recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 2 in 1990.
- What is the lowest civil liberties rating recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1972.
- How does United Kingdom rank for civil liberties rating?
- United Kingdom ranks 155th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil liberties rating rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.