Statizoid

Political Civil Liberties Index in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Political Civil Liberties Index was 0.336 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.336
Change on year
up 10.2%
World rank
138th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.632
in 2019
All-time low
0.034
in 1987
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Political Civil Liberties Index in Ethiopia, 1789–2025

00.20.40.6178919072025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for political civil liberties index in Ethiopia is 0.336, measured in 2025.

That represents a change of up 10.2% on the previous year and up 12.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, political civil liberties index in Ethiopia peaked at 0.632 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.034, in 1987.

Ethiopia ranks 138th of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Political Civil Liberties Index in Ethiopia, year by year

Year Value Change
1789 0.058 —
1790 0.058 +0.0%
1791 0.058 +0.0%
1792 0.058 +0.0%
1793 0.058 +0.0%
1794 0.058 +0.0%
1795 0.058 +0.0%
1796 0.058 +0.0%
1797 0.058 +0.0%
1798 0.058 +0.0%
1799 0.058 +0.0%
1800 0.058 +0.0%
1801 0.058 +0.0%
1802 0.058 +0.0%
1803 0.058 +0.0%
1804 0.058 +0.0%
1805 0.058 +0.0%
1806 0.058 +0.0%
1807 0.058 +0.0%
1808 0.058 +0.0%
1809 0.058 +0.0%
1810 0.058 +0.0%
1811 0.058 +0.0%
1812 0.058 +0.0%
1813 0.058 +0.0%
1814 0.058 +0.0%
1815 0.058 +0.0%
1816 0.058 +0.0%
1817 0.058 +0.0%
1818 0.058 +0.0%
1819 0.058 +0.0%
1820 0.058 +0.0%
1821 0.058 +0.0%
1822 0.058 +0.0%
1823 0.058 +0.0%
1824 0.058 +0.0%
1825 0.058 +0.0%
1826 0.058 +0.0%
1827 0.058 +0.0%
1828 0.058 +0.0%
1829 0.058 +0.0%
1830 0.058 +0.0%
1831 0.058 +0.0%
1832 0.058 +0.0%
1833 0.058 +0.0%
1834 0.058 +0.0%
1835 0.058 +0.0%
1836 0.058 +0.0%
1837 0.058 +0.0%
1838 0.058 +0.0%
1839 0.058 +0.0%
1840 0.058 +0.0%
1841 0.058 +0.0%
1842 0.058 +0.0%
1843 0.058 +0.0%
1844 0.058 +0.0%
1845 0.058 +0.0%
1846 0.058 +0.0%
1847 0.058 +0.0%
1848 0.058 +0.0%
1849 0.058 +0.0%
1850 0.058 +0.0%
1851 0.058 +0.0%
1852 0.058 +0.0%
1853 0.058 +0.0%
1854 0.058 +0.0%
1855 0.058 +0.0%
1856 0.058 +0.0%
1857 0.058 +0.0%
1858 0.058 +0.0%
1859 0.058 +0.0%
1860 0.058 +0.0%
1861 0.058 +0.0%
1862 0.058 +0.0%
1863 0.058 +0.0%
1864 0.058 +0.0%
1865 0.058 +0.0%
1866 0.058 +0.0%
1867 0.058 +0.0%
1868 0.058 +0.0%
1869 0.058 +0.0%
1870 0.058 +0.0%
1871 0.058 +0.0%
1872 0.058 +0.0%
1873 0.058 +0.0%
1874 0.058 +0.0%
1875 0.058 +0.0%
1876 0.058 +0.0%
1877 0.058 +0.0%
1878 0.058 +0.0%
1879 0.058 +0.0%
1880 0.058 +0.0%
1881 0.058 +0.0%
1882 0.058 +0.0%
1883 0.058 +0.0%
1884 0.058 +0.0%
1885 0.058 +0.0%
1886 0.058 +0.0%
1887 0.058 +0.0%
1888 0.058 +0.0%
1889 0.058 +0.0%
1890 0.058 +0.0%
1891 0.058 +0.0%
1892 0.058 +0.0%
1893 0.058 +0.0%
1894 0.058 +0.0%
1895 0.058 +0.0%
1896 0.058 +0.0%
1897 0.058 +0.0%
1898 0.058 +0.0%
1899 0.058 +0.0%
1900 0.058 +0.0%
1901 0.058 +0.0%
1902 0.058 +0.0%
1903 0.058 +0.0%
1904 0.058 +0.0%
1905 0.058 +0.0%
1906 0.058 +0.0%
1907 0.058 +0.0%
1908 0.058 +0.0%
1909 0.058 +0.0%
1910 0.058 +0.0%
1911 0.058 +0.0%
1912 0.058 +0.0%
1913 0.058 +0.0%
1914 0.058 +0.0%
1915 0.058 +0.0%
1916 0.058 +0.0%
1917 0.058 +0.0%
1918 0.058 +0.0%
1919 0.058 +0.0%
1920 0.058 +0.0%
1921 0.058 +0.0%
1922 0.058 +0.0%
1923 0.058 +0.0%
1924 0.058 +0.0%
1925 0.058 +0.0%
1926 0.058 +0.0%
1927 0.058 +0.0%
1928 0.058 +0.0%
1929 0.058 +0.0%
1930 0.058 +0.0%
1931 0.058 +0.0%
1932 0.058 +0.0%
1933 0.058 +0.0%
1934 0.058 +0.0%
1935 0.058 +0.0%
1936 0.05 -13.8%
1937 0.05 +0.0%
1938 0.05 +0.0%
1939 0.05 +0.0%
1940 0.051 +2.0%
1941 0.055 +7.8%
1942 0.065 +18.2%
1943 0.065 +0.0%
1944 0.065 +0.0%
1945 0.069 +6.2%
1946 0.069 +0.0%
1947 0.069 +0.0%
1948 0.069 +0.0%
1949 0.069 +0.0%
1950 0.069 +0.0%
1951 0.069 +0.0%
1952 0.069 +0.0%
1953 0.069 +0.0%
1954 0.069 +0.0%
1955 0.069 +0.0%
1956 0.069 +0.0%
1957 0.069 +0.0%
1958 0.069 +0.0%
1959 0.069 +0.0%
1960 0.069 +0.0%
1961 0.068 -1.4%
1962 0.069 +1.5%
1963 0.069 +0.0%
1964 0.069 +0.0%
1965 0.069 +0.0%
1966 0.069 +0.0%
1967 0.069 +0.0%
1968 0.072 +4.3%
1969 0.072 +0.0%
1970 0.072 +0.0%
1971 0.072 +0.0%
1972 0.081 +12.5%
1973 0.081 +0.0%
1974 0.058 -28.4%
1975 0.052 -10.3%
1976 0.036 -30.8%
1977 0.036 +0.0%
1978 0.036 +0.0%
1979 0.036 +0.0%
1980 0.039 +8.3%
1981 0.039 +0.0%
1982 0.039 +0.0%
1983 0.039 +0.0%
1984 0.039 +0.0%
1985 0.039 +0.0%
1986 0.039 +0.0%
1987 0.034 -12.8%
1988 0.039 +14.7%
1989 0.039 +0.0%
1990 0.046 +17.9%
1991 0.272 +491.3%
1992 0.364 +33.8%
1993 0.364 +0.0%
1994 0.356 -2.2%
1995 0.372 +4.5%
1996 0.372 +0.0%
1997 0.372 +0.0%
1998 0.372 +0.0%
1999 0.372 +0.0%
2000 0.372 +0.0%
2001 0.372 +0.0%
2002 0.377 +1.3%
2003 0.377 +0.0%
2004 0.359 -4.8%
2005 0.379 +5.6%
2006 0.296 -21.9%
2007 0.31 +4.7%
2008 0.309 -0.3%
2009 0.296 -4.2%
2010 0.297 +0.3%
2011 0.292 -1.7%
2012 0.293 +0.3%
2013 0.295 +0.7%
2014 0.301 +2.0%
2015 0.3 -0.3%
2016 0.289 -3.7%
2017 0.292 +1.0%
2018 0.43 +47.3%
2019 0.632 +47.0%
2020 0.606 -4.1%
2021 0.457 -24.6%
2022 0.444 -2.8%
2023 0.368 -17.1%
2024 0.305 -17.1%
2025 0.336 +10.2%

Ethiopia compared with similar countries

  • Ethiopia's 0.336 is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.368, 91% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Ethiopia's 0.336 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.5665, 59% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.058 0.058 0.058 1
1790s 0.058 0.058 0.058 10
1800s 0.058 0.058 0.058 10
1810s 0.058 0.058 0.058 10
1820s 0.058 0.058 0.058 10
1830s 0.058 0.058 0.058 10
1840s 0.058 0.058 0.058 10
1850s 0.058 0.058 0.058 10
1860s 0.058 0.058 0.058 10
1870s 0.058 0.058 0.058 10
1880s 0.058 0.058 0.058 10
1890s 0.058 0.058 0.058 10
1900s 0.058 0.058 0.058 10
1910s 0.058 0.058 0.058 10
1920s 0.058 0.058 0.058 10
1930s 0.0548 0.05 0.058 10
1940s 0.0646 0.051 0.069 10
1950s 0.069 0.069 0.069 10
1960s 0.0695 0.068 0.072 10
1970s 0.056 0.036 0.081 10
1980s 0.0385 0.034 0.039 10
1990s 0.3262 0.046 0.372 10
2000s 0.3447 0.296 0.379 10
2010s 0.3421 0.289 0.632 10
2020s 0.4193 0.305 0.606 6

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 135 Zimbabwe 0.349 compare
  2. 136 Burkina Faso 0.346 compare
  3. 137 Algeria 0.339 compare
  4. 139 Chad 0.302 compare
  5. 140 Congo 0.296 compare
  6. 141 Yemen 0.295 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is political civil liberties index in Ethiopia?
Political civil liberties index in Ethiopia was 0.336 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest political civil liberties index recorded in Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 0.632 in 2019.
What is the lowest political civil liberties index recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.034 in 1987.
How does Ethiopia rank for political civil liberties index?
Ethiopia ranks 138th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is political civil liberties index rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is up 12.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Political Civil Liberties Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Political Civil Liberties Index in Ethiopia. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/political-civil-liberties-index/ethiopia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/political-civil-liberties-index/ethiopia/">Political Civil Liberties Index in Ethiopia</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Political Civil Liberties Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 30,211 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of the extent to which people enjoy the freedoms of expression and association.