Civil Liberties Score in China
China: Civil Liberties Score was 11 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Civil Liberties Score in China, 2003–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
China recorded 11 for civil liberties score in 2025.
That represents a change of down 26.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil liberties score in China peaked at 16 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 10, in 2003.
China ranks 171st of 197 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Civil Liberties Score in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 10 | — |
| 2004 | 15 | +50.0% |
| 2005 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 16 | +6.7% |
| 2008 | 14 | -12.5% |
| 2009 | 16 | +14.3% |
| 2010 | 15 | -6.2% |
| 2011 | 14 | -6.7% |
| 2012 | 15 | +7.1% |
| 2013 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 14 | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 12 | -14.3% |
| 2019 | 11 | -8.3% |
| 2020 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 11 | +0.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 11 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 36, 31% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 11 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 43, 26% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14.43 | 10 | 16 | 7 |
| 2010s | 14 | 11 | 15 | 10 |
| 2020s | 11 | 11 | 11 | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More reference data data for China
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 49.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 75.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 18.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 165.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 206.2 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 350.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,480 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 102.37 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil liberties score in China?
- Civil liberties score in China was 11 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil liberties score recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 16 in 2007.
- What is the lowest civil liberties score recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 10 in 2003.
- How does China rank for civil liberties score?
- China ranks 171st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil liberties score rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Civil Liberties Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The variable identifies the fine-grained extent of freedom of expression and association, the rule of law, and personal autonomy. Higher scores indicate more liberties.