Civil Liberties Score in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Civil Liberties Score was 8 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Civil Liberties Score in Saudi Arabia, 2003–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, civil liberties score in Saudi Arabia stood at 8.
That represents a change of up 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil liberties score in Saudi Arabia peaked at 9 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 5, in 2004.
That places Saudi Arabia 180th 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 Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 6 | — |
| 2004 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 2005 | 8 | +60.0% |
| 2006 | 9 | +12.5% |
| 2007 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 7 | -22.2% |
| 2012 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 2019 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 2023 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 8 | +14.3% |
| 2025 | 8 | +0.0% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 8 is below the median for high income countries, which is 53, 15% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 8 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 18, 44% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.86 | 5 | 9 | 7 |
| 2010s | 7 | 6 | 9 | 10 |
| 2020s | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More reference data data for Saudi Arabia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1847 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1771 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6194 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2207 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9641 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil liberties score in Saudi Arabia?
- Civil liberties score in Saudi Arabia was 8 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil liberties score recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 9 in 2006.
- What is the lowest civil liberties score recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5 in 2004.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for civil liberties score?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 180th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil liberties score rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.
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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.