Civil Liberties Score in Malawi

Malawi: Civil Liberties Score was 38 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
38
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
94th
of 197 countries
All-time high
38
in 2018
All-time low
32
in 2003
Years of data
23
2003–2025

Civil Liberties Score in Malawi, 2003–2025

0102030402003201420252003: 322004: 342005: 342006: 352007: 342008: 342009: 342010: 342011: 322012: 342013: 342014: 342015: 372016: 372017: 372018: 382019: 362020: 372021: 372022: 372023: 372024: 372025: 38

Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Malawi recorded 38 for civil liberties score in 2025. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.

The figure is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 2.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, civil liberties score in Malawi peaked at 38 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 32, in 2003.

That places Malawi 94th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 33.86 32 35 7
2010s 35.3 32 38 10
2020s 37.17 37 38 6

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 94 Colombia 38 compare
  2. 94 Sierra Leone 38 compare
  3. 97 Bosnia and Herzegovina 37 compare
  4. 97 Ecuador 37 compare
  5. 97 Paraguay 37 compare

See the full ranking of 197 places →

More reference data data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is civil liberties score in Malawi?
Civil liberties score in Malawi was 38 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest civil liberties score recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 38 in 2018.
What is the lowest civil liberties score recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 32 in 2003.
How does Malawi rank for civil liberties score?
Malawi ranks 94th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
Is civil liberties score rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Malawi 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

Indicator
Civil Liberties Score
Source
Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
197 places, 4,511 data points, 2003–2025
Last refreshed

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.