Civil Liberties Score in Japan
Japan: Civil Liberties Score was 56 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Civil Liberties Score in Japan, 2003–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, civil liberties score in Japan stood at 56. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil liberties score in Japan peaked at 56 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 51, in 2005.
Japan ranks 23rd of 197 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Civil Liberties Score in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 52 | — |
| 2004 | 52 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 51 | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 51 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 51 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 51 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 51 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 51 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 51 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 51 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 53 | +3.9% |
| 2014 | 55 | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 56 | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 56 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 56 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 56 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 56 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 56 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 56 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 56 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 56 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 56 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 56 | +0.0% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 56 is above the median for high income countries, which is 53, 1.1× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Japan's 56 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 43, 1.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 51.29 | 51 | 52 | 7 |
| 2010s | 54.1 | 51 | 56 | 10 |
| 2020s | 56 | 56 | 56 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More reference data data for Japan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.981 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3629 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 23.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.98 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil liberties score in Japan?
- Civil liberties score in Japan was 56 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil liberties score recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 56 in 2015.
- What is the lowest civil liberties score recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 51 in 2005.
- How does Japan rank for civil liberties score?
- Japan ranks 23rd out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil liberties score rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan 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.