Civil Liberties Score in Iran
Iran: Civil Liberties Score was 6 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Civil Liberties Score in Iran, 2003–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for civil liberties score in Iran is 6, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.
That represents a change of down 14.3% on the previous year and down 40.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil liberties score in Iran peaked at 15 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 6, in 2025.
That places Iran 185th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Civil Liberties Score in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 15 | — |
| 2004 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 13 | -13.3% |
| 2007 | 14 | +7.7% |
| 2008 | 13 | -7.1% |
| 2009 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 11 | -15.4% |
| 2011 | 10 | -9.1% |
| 2012 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 11 | +10.0% |
| 2018 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 10 | -9.1% |
| 2020 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 8 | -20.0% |
| 2023 | 7 | -12.5% |
| 2024 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 | -14.3% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 6 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 36, 17% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iran's 6 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 18, 33% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14 | 13 | 15 | 7 |
| 2010s | 10.3 | 10 | 11 | 10 |
| 2020s | 8 | 6 | 10 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran
- 183 Afghanistan 7 compare
- 183 Western Sahara 7 compare
- 185 Azerbaijan 6 compare
- 185 Belarus 6 compare
- 185 Myanmar 6 compare
- 185 Somalia 6 compare
More reference data data for Iran
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 12.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 26.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 26.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 8.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Enteric Fermentation 35,629 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Crop Residues 1,936 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 34.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Burning - Crop residues 281.19 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil liberties score in Iran?
- Civil liberties score in Iran was 6 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil liberties score recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 15 in 2003.
- What is the lowest civil liberties score recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 in 2025.
- How does Iran rank for civil liberties score?
- Iran ranks 185th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil liberties score rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran 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.