What is civil liberties rating in USSR?

Civil liberties rating in USSR was 4 in 1990, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest civil liberties rating recorded in USSR?

The highest recorded value was 7 in 1980.

What is the lowest civil liberties rating recorded in USSR?

The lowest recorded value was 4 in 1990.

How does USSR rank for civil liberties rating?

USSR ranks 1st out of 1 groups with data for 1990.

Is civil liberties rating rising or falling in USSR?

Over the last ten years it is down 42.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this USSR 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.

Civil liberties rating in USSR

Name: Civil liberties rating in USSR
Creator: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

USSR: Civil liberties rating was 4 in 1990. ▼ Falling

Latest (1990)

Change on year

down 20.0%

Rank

1st

of 1 groups

All-time high

in 1980

All-time low

in 1990

Years of data

1972–1990

Civil liberties rating in USSR, 1972–1990

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

Analysis

USSR recorded 4 for civil liberties rating in 1990. That is the lowest value across all 18 years on record.

That represents a change of down 20.0% on the previous year and down 42.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, civil liberties rating in USSR peaked at 7 in 1980 and was at its lowest, 4, in 1990.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1970s	6	6	6	8
1980s	6.44	5	7	9
1990s	4	4	4	1

Countries ranked near USSR

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for USSR

Universal right to vote in practice 2 (1990)
Free country 1 (1990)
Men's universal right to vote 1 (1990)
Elected parliament 1 (1990)
Competitive elections 0 (1990)
Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (1990)
Universal right to vote 2 (1990)
Democracy 3 (1990)
Milk production 101.33 million tonnes (1991)
Calorie supply by food group 2,197 kilocalories per day per capita (1991)

All data for USSR →

Frequently asked questions

What is civil liberties rating in USSR?: Civil liberties rating in USSR was 4 in 1990, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest civil liberties rating recorded in USSR?: The highest recorded value was 7 in 1980.
What is the lowest civil liberties rating recorded in USSR?: The lowest recorded value was 4 in 1990.
How does USSR rank for civil liberties rating?: USSR ranks 1st out of 1 groups with data for 1990.
Is civil liberties rating rising or falling in USSR?: Over the last ten years it is down 42.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this USSR 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 — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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: 07 August 2026

Identifies the extent of freedom of expression and association, the rule of law, and personal autonomy. Lower ratings indicate more liberties.