Civil Liberties Score in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Civil Liberties Score was 8 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
8
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
180th
of 197 countries
All-time high
9
in 2006
All-time low
5
in 2004
Years of data
23
2003–2025

Civil Liberties Score in Saudi Arabia, 2003–2025

02468102003201420252003: 62004: 52005: 82006: 92007: 92008: 92009: 92010: 92011: 72012: 72013: 72014: 72015: 72016: 72017: 72018: 62019: 62020: 62021: 62022: 72023: 72024: 82025: 8

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 7.86 5 9 7
2010s 7 6 9 10
2020s 7 6 8 6

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 177 Cameroon 9 compare
  2. 177 Cuba 9 compare
  3. 177 Yemen 9 compare
  4. 180 Libya 8 compare
  5. 180 Russia 8 compare
  6. 183 Afghanistan 7 compare
  7. 183 Western Sahara 7 compare

See the full ranking of 197 places →

More reference data data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

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.

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.