Civil Liberties Score in Kenya
Kenya: Civil Liberties Score was 28 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Civil Liberties Score in Kenya, 2003–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 28 for civil liberties score in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.
The figure is down 3.4% on the previous year and down 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil liberties score in Kenya peaked at 40 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 28, in 2025.
That places Kenya 124th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Civil Liberties Score in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 39 | — |
| 2004 | 40 | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 40 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 39 | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 38 | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 35 | -7.9% |
| 2009 | 33 | -5.7% |
| 2010 | 35 | +6.1% |
| 2011 | 36 | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 34 | -5.6% |
| 2013 | 31 | -8.8% |
| 2014 | 29 | -6.5% |
| 2015 | 29 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 29 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 29 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 29 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 29 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 29 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 29 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 30 | +3.4% |
| 2023 | 30 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 29 | -3.3% |
| 2025 | 28 | -3.4% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 28 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 25.5, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 28 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 37.71 | 33 | 40 | 7 |
| 2010s | 31 | 29 | 36 | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.17 | 28 | 30 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More reference data data for Kenya
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5379 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 12.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.377 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 14.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 58.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 68.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.05 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil liberties score in Kenya?
- Civil liberties score in Kenya was 28 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil liberties score recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 40 in 2004.
- What is the lowest civil liberties score recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 28 in 2025.
- How does Kenya rank for civil liberties score?
- Kenya ranks 124th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil liberties score rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya 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.