Individual Liberties and Equality before the Law Index in Hong Kong
Hong Kong: Individual Liberties and Equality before the Law Index was 0.71 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
0.71
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
92nd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.973
in 2000
All-time low
0.653
in 1941
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Individual Liberties and Equality before the Law Index in Hong Kong, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for individual liberties and equality before the law index in Hong Kong is 0.71, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 25.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, individual liberties and equality before the law index in Hong Kong peaked at 0.973 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.653, in 1941.
That places Hong Kong 92nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.
Individual Liberties and Equality before the Law Index in Hong Kong, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.778 | — |
| 1901 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.783 | +0.6% |
| 1921 | 0.787 | +0.5% |
| 1922 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.763 | -3.0% |
| 1941 | 0.653 | -14.4% |
| 1942 | 0.653 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.653 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.653 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.693 | +6.1% |
| 1946 | 0.849 | +22.5% |
| 1947 | 0.849 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.849 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.849 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.858 | +1.1% |
| 1951 | 0.858 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.858 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.858 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.858 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.858 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.858 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.858 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.858 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.858 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.864 | +0.7% |
| 1961 | 0.864 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.864 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.864 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.864 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.845 | -2.2% |
| 1966 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.868 | +2.7% |
| 1969 | 0.868 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.916 | +5.5% |
| 1971 | 0.916 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.916 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.916 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.916 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.916 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.928 | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 0.928 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.93 | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 0.93 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.957 | +2.9% |
| 1981 | 0.957 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.957 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.957 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.964 | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 0.964 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.964 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.964 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.964 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.964 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.969 | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 0.969 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.969 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.969 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.969 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.969 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.969 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.972 | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 0.972 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.972 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.973 | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 0.973 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.973 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.97 | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 0.97 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.97 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.97 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.97 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.97 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.97 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.967 | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 0.967 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.962 | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 0.962 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.953 | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 0.949 | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 0.946 | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 0.939 | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 0.927 | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 0.85 | -8.3% |
| 2020 | 0.791 | -6.9% |
| 2021 | 0.72 | -9.0% |
| 2022 | 0.707 | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 0.683 | -3.4% |
| 2024 | 0.71 | +4.0% |
| 2025 | 0.71 | +0.0% |
Hong Kong compared with similar countries
- Hong Kong's 0.71 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.932, 76% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Hong Kong's 0.71 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.7075, 1.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.778 | 0.778 | 0.778 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.778 | 0.778 | 0.778 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.7866 | 0.783 | 0.787 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.787 | 0.787 | 0.787 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.7464 | 0.653 | 0.849 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.858 | 0.858 | 0.858 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.8591 | 0.845 | 0.868 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.9212 | 0.916 | 0.93 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.9612 | 0.957 | 0.964 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9699 | 0.969 | 0.972 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9709 | 0.97 | 0.973 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9422 | 0.85 | 0.967 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7202 | 0.683 | 0.791 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong
More reference data data for Hong Kong
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0072 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0072 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0 (1990)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0011 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0012 (2050)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.4584 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.441 °C (2026)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Enteric Fermentation 6.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Agricultural 7.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0041 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is individual liberties and equality before the law index in Hong Kong?
- Individual liberties and equality before the law index in Hong Kong was 0.71 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest individual liberties and equality before the law index recorded in Hong Kong?
- The highest recorded value was 0.973 in 2000.
- What is the lowest individual liberties and equality before the law index recorded in Hong Kong?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.653 in 1941.
- How does Hong Kong rank for individual liberties and equality before the law index?
- Hong Kong ranks 92nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is individual liberties and equality before the law index rising or falling in Hong Kong?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Hong Kong data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Individual Liberties and Equality before the Law Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which extent to which citizens enjoy physical integrity rights, freedoms of religion, of movement, and from forced labor, as well as access to justice, laws are transparent, and public administration is impartial.