Civil Liberties Score in United States

United States: Civil Liberties Score was 49 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
49
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
61st
of 197 countries
All-time high
56
in 2003
All-time low
49
in 2025
Years of data
23
2003–2025

Civil Liberties Score in United States, 2003–2025

02040602003201420252003: 562004: 552005: 562006: 552007: 562008: 562009: 562010: 562011: 552012: 562013: 552014: 552015: 542016: 532017: 532018: 532019: 532020: 512021: 512022: 502023: 502024: 502025: 49

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for civil liberties score in United States is 49, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.

The figure is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 9.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, civil liberties score in United States peaked at 56 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 49, in 2025.

That places United States 61st 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 55.71 55 56 7
2010s 54.3 53 56 10
2020s 50.17 49 51 6

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 61 Sao Tome and Principe 49 compare
  2. 61 Trinidad and Tobago 49 compare
  3. 64 Croatia 48 compare
  4. 64 Mongolia 48 compare
  5. 64 Poland 48 compare
  6. 64 Romania 48 compare

See the full ranking of 197 places →

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is civil liberties score in United States?
Civil liberties score in United States was 49 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest civil liberties score recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 56 in 2003.
What is the lowest civil liberties score recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 49 in 2025.
How does United States rank for civil liberties score?
United States ranks 61st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
Is civil liberties score rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United States 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.