How does United States rank for individual liberties and equality before the law index?

United States ranks 67th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is individual liberties and equality before the law index rising or falling in United States?

Over the last ten years it is down 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this United States 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.

Individual Liberties and Equality before the Law Index in United States

Name: Individual Liberties and Equality before the Law Index in United States
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

United States: Individual Liberties and Equality before the Law Index was 0.822 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.822

Change on year

down 11.7%

World rank

67th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.965

in 2010

All-time low

0.507

in 1838

Years of data

237

1789–2025

Individual Liberties and Equality before the Law Index in United States, 1789–2025

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 United States is 0.822, measured in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.7% on the previous year and down 14.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, individual liberties and equality before the law index in United States peaked at 0.965 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.507, in 1838.

United States ranks 67th of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 237 years of available data.

Individual Liberties and Equality before the Law Index in United States, year by year

Annual values for Individual Liberties and Equality before the Law Index in United States, 1789 to 2025.
Year	Value	Change
1789	0.534	—
1790	0.534	+0.0%
1791	0.534	+0.0%
1792	0.534	+0.0%
1793	0.534	+0.0%
1794	0.534	+0.0%
1795	0.534	+0.0%
1796	0.534	+0.0%
1797	0.534	+0.0%
1798	0.534	+0.0%
1799	0.534	+0.0%
1800	0.534	+0.0%
1801	0.534	+0.0%
1802	0.534	+0.0%
1803	0.534	+0.0%
1804	0.534	+0.0%
1805	0.534	+0.0%
1806	0.534	+0.0%
1807	0.534	+0.0%
1808	0.534	+0.0%
1809	0.534	+0.0%
1810	0.534	+0.0%
1811	0.534	+0.0%
1812	0.534	+0.0%
1813	0.534	+0.0%
1814	0.534	+0.0%
1815	0.534	+0.0%
1816	0.534	+0.0%
1817	0.534	+0.0%
1818	0.534	+0.0%
1819	0.534	+0.0%
1820	0.534	+0.0%
1821	0.534	+0.0%
1822	0.534	+0.0%
1823	0.534	+0.0%
1824	0.534	+0.0%
1825	0.534	+0.0%
1826	0.534	+0.0%
1827	0.534	+0.0%
1828	0.534	+0.0%
1829	0.534	+0.0%
1830	0.534	+0.0%
1831	0.534	+0.0%
1832	0.534	+0.0%
1833	0.534	+0.0%
1834	0.534	+0.0%
1835	0.534	+0.0%
1836	0.534	+0.0%
1837	0.534	+0.0%
1838	0.507	-5.1%
1839	0.507	+0.0%
1840	0.507	+0.0%
1841	0.507	+0.0%
1842	0.507	+0.0%
1843	0.507	+0.0%
1844	0.507	+0.0%
1845	0.507	+0.0%
1846	0.507	+0.0%
1847	0.507	+0.0%
1848	0.507	+0.0%
1849	0.507	+0.0%
1850	0.507	+0.0%
1851	0.507	+0.0%
1852	0.507	+0.0%
1853	0.507	+0.0%
1854	0.507	+0.0%
1855	0.507	+0.0%
1856	0.507	+0.0%
1857	0.507	+0.0%
1858	0.507	+0.0%
1859	0.507	+0.0%
1860	0.54	+6.5%
1861	0.585	+8.3%
1862	0.596	+1.9%
1863	0.596	+0.0%
1864	0.596	+0.0%
1865	0.596	+0.0%
1866	0.671	+12.6%
1867	0.671	+0.0%
1868	0.671	+0.0%
1869	0.671	+0.0%
1870	0.671	+0.0%
1871	0.671	+0.0%
1872	0.671	+0.0%
1873	0.671	+0.0%
1874	0.671	+0.0%
1875	0.671	+0.0%
1876	0.671	+0.0%
1877	0.671	+0.0%
1878	0.671	+0.0%
1879	0.671	+0.0%
1880	0.671	+0.0%
1881	0.671	+0.0%
1882	0.671	+0.0%
1883	0.671	+0.0%
1884	0.671	+0.0%
1885	0.671	+0.0%
1886	0.671	+0.0%
1887	0.671	+0.0%
1888	0.672	+0.1%
1889	0.672	+0.0%
1890	0.672	+0.0%
1891	0.672	+0.0%
1892	0.672	+0.0%
1893	0.672	+0.0%
1894	0.672	+0.0%
1895	0.672	+0.0%
1896	0.678	+0.9%
1897	0.678	+0.0%
1898	0.678	+0.0%
1899	0.678	+0.0%
1900	0.678	+0.0%
1901	0.678	+0.0%
1902	0.678	+0.0%
1903	0.678	+0.0%
1904	0.678	+0.0%
1905	0.678	+0.0%
1906	0.678	+0.0%
1907	0.678	+0.0%
1908	0.678	+0.0%
1909	0.678	+0.0%
1910	0.678	+0.0%
1911	0.678	+0.0%
1912	0.678	+0.0%
1913	0.678	+0.0%
1914	0.678	+0.0%
1915	0.678	+0.0%
1916	0.678	+0.0%
1917	0.674	-0.6%
1918	0.655	-2.8%
1919	0.655	+0.0%
1920	0.658	+0.5%
1921	0.658	+0.0%
1922	0.671	+2.0%
1923	0.671	+0.0%
1924	0.671	+0.0%
1925	0.671	+0.0%
1926	0.671	+0.0%
1927	0.671	+0.0%
1928	0.671	+0.0%
1929	0.671	+0.0%
1930	0.671	+0.0%
1931	0.671	+0.0%
1932	0.681	+1.5%
1933	0.694	+1.9%
1934	0.696	+0.3%
1935	0.694	-0.3%
1936	0.691	-0.4%
1937	0.691	+0.0%
1938	0.691	+0.0%
1939	0.694	+0.4%
1940	0.679	-2.2%
1941	0.677	-0.3%
1942	0.676	-0.1%
1943	0.682	+0.9%
1944	0.682	+0.0%
1945	0.692	+1.5%
1946	0.715	+3.3%
1947	0.726	+1.5%
1948	0.726	+0.0%
1949	0.747	+2.9%
1950	0.742	-0.7%
1951	0.742	+0.0%
1952	0.742	+0.0%
1953	0.742	+0.0%
1954	0.742	+0.0%
1955	0.742	+0.0%
1956	0.742	+0.0%
1957	0.75	+1.1%
1958	0.75	+0.0%
1959	0.75	+0.0%
1960	0.75	+0.0%
1961	0.75	+0.0%
1962	0.75	+0.0%
1963	0.748	-0.3%
1964	0.772	+3.2%
1965	0.789	+2.2%
1966	0.827	+4.8%
1967	0.827	+0.0%
1968	0.83	+0.4%
1969	0.881	+6.1%
1970	0.905	+2.7%
1971	0.916	+1.2%
1972	0.923	+0.8%
1973	0.923	+0.0%
1974	0.927	+0.4%
1975	0.933	+0.6%
1976	0.936	+0.3%
1977	0.939	+0.3%
1978	0.941	+0.2%
1979	0.943	+0.2%
1980	0.946	+0.3%
1981	0.95	+0.4%
1982	0.95	+0.0%
1983	0.95	+0.0%
1984	0.95	+0.0%
1985	0.95	+0.0%
1986	0.953	+0.3%
1987	0.953	+0.0%
1988	0.953	+0.0%
1989	0.953	+0.0%
1990	0.958	+0.5%
1991	0.958	+0.0%
1992	0.958	+0.0%
1993	0.96	+0.2%
1994	0.961	+0.1%
1995	0.961	+0.0%
1996	0.961	+0.0%
1997	0.961	+0.0%
1998	0.961	+0.0%
1999	0.961	+0.0%
2000	0.961	+0.0%
2001	0.96	-0.1%
2002	0.956	-0.4%
2003	0.945	-1.2%
2004	0.945	+0.0%
2005	0.95	+0.5%
2006	0.947	-0.3%
2007	0.951	+0.4%
2008	0.957	+0.6%
2009	0.964	+0.7%
2010	0.965	+0.1%
2011	0.964	-0.1%
2012	0.961	-0.3%
2013	0.957	-0.4%
2014	0.957	+0.0%
2015	0.957	+0.0%
2016	0.947	-1.0%
2017	0.941	-0.6%
2018	0.939	-0.2%
2019	0.933	-0.6%
2020	0.928	-0.5%
2021	0.951	+2.5%
2022	0.954	+0.3%
2023	0.943	-1.2%
2024	0.931	-1.3%
2025	0.822	-11.7%

United States compared with similar countries

United States's 0.822 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.932, 88% of the median. (55 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1780s	0.534	0.534	0.534	1
1790s	0.534	0.534	0.534	10
1800s	0.534	0.534	0.534	10
1810s	0.534	0.534	0.534	10
1820s	0.534	0.534	0.534	10
1830s	0.5286	0.507	0.534	10
1840s	0.507	0.507	0.507	10
1850s	0.507	0.507	0.507	10
1860s	0.6193	0.54	0.671	10
1870s	0.671	0.671	0.671	10
1880s	0.6712	0.671	0.672	10
1890s	0.6744	0.672	0.678	10
1900s	0.678	0.678	0.678	10
1910s	0.673	0.655	0.678	10
1920s	0.6684	0.658	0.671	10
1930s	0.6874	0.671	0.696	10
1940s	0.7002	0.676	0.747	10
1950s	0.7444	0.742	0.75	10
1960s	0.7924	0.748	0.881	10
1970s	0.9286	0.905	0.943	10
1980s	0.9508	0.946	0.953	10
1990s	0.96	0.958	0.961	10
2000s	0.9536	0.945	0.964	10
2010s	0.9521	0.933	0.965	10
2020s	0.9215	0.822	0.954	6

Countries ranked near United States

65 Malawi 0.829 compare
66 Senegal 0.823 compare
68 Bulgaria 0.821 compare
69 East Timor 0.82 compare
70 Portugal 0.807 compare
70 Serbia 0.807 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for United States

Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 19.34 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 24.55 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 119.42 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 20.7 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 119.42 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 64.85 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 52.14 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 133.45 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 589.96 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 112.69 (2050)

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is individual liberties and equality before the law index in United States?: Individual liberties and equality before the law index in United States was 0.822 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 United States?: The highest recorded value was 0.965 in 2010.
What is the lowest individual liberties and equality before the law index recorded in United States?: The lowest recorded value was 0.507 in 1838.
How does United States rank for individual liberties and equality before the law index?: United States ranks 67th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is individual liberties and equality before the law index rising or falling in United States?: Over the last ten years it is down 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States 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.

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Individual Liberties and Equality before the Law Index in United States. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 28 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/individual-liberties-and-equality-before-the-law-index/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator: Individual Liberties and Equality before the Law Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 30,494 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

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.