Civil liberties rating in United States
United States: Civil liberties rating was 2 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Civil liberties rating in United States, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for civil liberties rating in United States is 2, measured 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 United States peaked at 2 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1972.
That places United States 120th out of 198 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 1980s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 1990s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 120 Antigua and Barbuda 2 compare
- 120 Argentina 2 compare
- 120 Bahamas 2 compare
- 120 Botswana 2 compare
- 120 Bulgaria 2 compare
- 120 Croatia 2 compare
- 120 Cyprus 2 compare
- 120 Fiji 2 compare
- 120 France 2 compare
- 120 Ghana 2 compare
- 120 Greece 2 compare
- 120 Grenada 2 compare
- 120 Guyana 2 compare
- 120 Italy 2 compare
- 120 Jamaica 2 compare
- 120 Latvia 2 compare
- 120 Lithuania 2 compare
- 120 Mauritius 2 compare
- 120 Mongolia 2 compare
- 120 Namibia 2 compare
- 120 Panama 2 compare
- 120 Poland 2 compare
- 120 Romania 2 compare
- 120 Samoa 2 compare
- 120 Sao Tome and Principe 2 compare
- 120 Seychelles 2 compare
- 120 Solomon Islands 2 compare
- 120 South Africa 2 compare
- 120 South Korea 2 compare
- 120 Suriname 2 compare
- 120 Tonga 2 compare
- 120 Trinidad and Tobago 2 compare
- 120 Vanuatu 2 compare
More reference data data for United States
- Spring temperature anomalies 2.51 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.5014 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0594 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.8696 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.9189 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 143.86 2010 = 100 (2024)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil liberties rating in United States?
- Civil liberties rating in United States was 2 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil liberties rating recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 2 in 2020.
- What is the lowest civil liberties rating recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1972.
- How does United States rank for civil liberties rating?
- United States ranks 120th out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil liberties rating rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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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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.