Civil liberties rating in Western Sahara
Western Sahara: Civil liberties rating was 7 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Civil liberties rating in Western Sahara, 1989–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, civil liberties rating in Western Sahara stood at 7. That is the highest value across all 37 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil liberties rating in Western Sahara peaked at 7 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 4, in 1989.
That places Western Sahara 1st out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Civil liberties rating in Western Sahara, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 4 | — |
| 1990 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 1992 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 1994 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 2012 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 7 | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| 1990s | 5.6 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| 2000s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.9 | 6 | 7 | 10 |
| 2020s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Western Sahara
- 1 Afghanistan 7 compare
- 1 Azerbaijan 7 compare
- 1 Belarus 7 compare
- 1 Central African Republic 7 compare
- 1 Equatorial Guinea 7 compare
- 1 Eritrea 7 compare
- 1 Iran 7 compare
- 1 Myanmar 7 compare
- 1 North Korea 7 compare
- 1 Somalia 7 compare
- 1 South Sudan 7 compare
- 1 Sudan 7 compare
- 1 Tajikistan 7 compare
- 1 Turkmenistan 7 compare
More reference data data for Western Sahara
- Free country 0 (2025)
- Elected parliament and government, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Area of permanent meadows and pastures 5.00 million hectares (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 2.16 live births per woman (2023)
- Exposure to extreme temperature — Annual temperature change 1.35 Degrees celsius (2023)
- Average age of mothers at childbirth 29.99 years (2023)
- Exposure to extreme precipitation — Annual precipitation change 9.13 Millimetres per year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil liberties rating in Western Sahara?
- Civil liberties rating in Western Sahara was 7 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil liberties rating recorded in Western Sahara?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 2011.
- What is the lowest civil liberties rating recorded in Western Sahara?
- The lowest recorded value was 4 in 1989.
- How does Western Sahara rank for civil liberties rating?
- Western Sahara ranks 1st out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil liberties rating rising or falling in Western Sahara?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Western Sahara 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 — 37 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.