Civil Liberties Score in Malaysia

Malaysia: Civil Liberties Score was 31 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
31
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
112th
of 197 countries
All-time high
31
in 2005
All-time low
26
in 2016
Years of data
23
2003–2025

Civil Liberties Score in Malaysia, 2003–2025

01020302003201420252003: 282004: 302005: 312006: 292007: 272008: 292009: 292010: 292011: 292012: 282013: 282014: 272015: 272016: 262017: 272018: 312019: 312020: 302021: 302022: 312023: 312024: 312025: 31

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

Analysis

In 2025, civil liberties score in Malaysia stood at 31. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, civil liberties score in Malaysia peaked at 31 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 26, in 2016.

Malaysia ranks 112th of 197 countries on this measure, 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 29 27 31 7
2010s 28.3 26 31 10
2020s 30.67 30 31 6

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 112 Armenia 31 compare
  2. 112 India 31 compare
  3. 112 Tunisia 31 compare
  4. 112 Zambia 31 compare

See the full ranking of 197 places →

More reference data data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is civil liberties score in Malaysia?
Civil liberties score in Malaysia was 31 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest civil liberties score recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 31 in 2005.
What is the lowest civil liberties score recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 26 in 2016.
How does Malaysia rank for civil liberties score?
Malaysia ranks 112th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
Is civil liberties score rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Malaysia 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

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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.