Statizoid

Political Civil Liberties Index in Iran

Iran: Political Civil Liberties Index was 0.158 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.158
Change on year
down 6.5%
World rank
151st
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.522
in 1951
All-time low
0.049
in 1983
Years of data
189
1837–2025

Political Civil Liberties Index in Iran, 1837–2025

00.10.20.30.40.5183719312025

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

Analysis

In 2025, political civil liberties index in Iran stood at 0.158.

That represents a change of down 6.5% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, political civil liberties index in Iran peaked at 0.522 in 1951 and was at its lowest, 0.049, in 1983.

Iran ranks 151st 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 Iran, year by year

Year Value Change
1837 0.097 —
1838 0.097 +0.0%
1839 0.097 +0.0%
1840 0.097 +0.0%
1841 0.097 +0.0%
1842 0.097 +0.0%
1843 0.097 +0.0%
1844 0.097 +0.0%
1845 0.097 +0.0%
1846 0.097 +0.0%
1847 0.097 +0.0%
1848 0.089 -8.2%
1849 0.089 +0.0%
1850 0.089 +0.0%
1851 0.089 +0.0%
1852 0.089 +0.0%
1853 0.089 +0.0%
1854 0.089 +0.0%
1855 0.089 +0.0%
1856 0.089 +0.0%
1857 0.089 +0.0%
1858 0.089 +0.0%
1859 0.089 +0.0%
1860 0.089 +0.0%
1861 0.089 +0.0%
1862 0.089 +0.0%
1863 0.089 +0.0%
1864 0.089 +0.0%
1865 0.089 +0.0%
1866 0.089 +0.0%
1867 0.089 +0.0%
1868 0.089 +0.0%
1869 0.089 +0.0%
1870 0.089 +0.0%
1871 0.089 +0.0%
1872 0.089 +0.0%
1873 0.089 +0.0%
1874 0.089 +0.0%
1875 0.089 +0.0%
1876 0.089 +0.0%
1877 0.089 +0.0%
1878 0.089 +0.0%
1879 0.089 +0.0%
1880 0.089 +0.0%
1881 0.089 +0.0%
1882 0.089 +0.0%
1883 0.089 +0.0%
1884 0.089 +0.0%
1885 0.089 +0.0%
1886 0.089 +0.0%
1887 0.089 +0.0%
1888 0.089 +0.0%
1889 0.089 +0.0%
1890 0.089 +0.0%
1891 0.089 +0.0%
1892 0.113 +27.0%
1893 0.113 +0.0%
1894 0.113 +0.0%
1895 0.113 +0.0%
1896 0.113 +0.0%
1897 0.113 +0.0%
1898 0.113 +0.0%
1899 0.113 +0.0%
1900 0.108 -4.4%
1901 0.108 +0.0%
1902 0.108 +0.0%
1903 0.108 +0.0%
1904 0.108 +0.0%
1905 0.108 +0.0%
1906 0.27 +150.0%
1907 0.32 +18.5%
1908 0.32 +0.0%
1909 0.325 +1.6%
1910 0.331 +1.8%
1911 0.331 +0.0%
1912 0.331 +0.0%
1913 0.331 +0.0%
1914 0.331 +0.0%
1915 0.331 +0.0%
1916 0.331 +0.0%
1917 0.331 +0.0%
1918 0.331 +0.0%
1919 0.331 +0.0%
1920 0.336 +1.5%
1921 0.233 -30.7%
1922 0.216 -7.3%
1923 0.189 -12.5%
1924 0.202 +6.9%
1925 0.092 -54.5%
1926 0.102 +10.9%
1927 0.083 -18.6%
1928 0.083 +0.0%
1929 0.083 +0.0%
1930 0.083 +0.0%
1931 0.083 +0.0%
1932 0.078 -6.0%
1933 0.073 -6.4%
1934 0.067 -8.2%
1935 0.067 +0.0%
1936 0.067 +0.0%
1937 0.067 +0.0%
1938 0.067 +0.0%
1939 0.067 +0.0%
1940 0.067 +0.0%
1941 0.119 +77.6%
1942 0.352 +195.8%
1943 0.372 +5.7%
1944 0.372 +0.0%
1945 0.4 +7.5%
1946 0.396 -1.0%
1947 0.396 +0.0%
1948 0.404 +2.0%
1949 0.404 +0.0%
1950 0.509 +26.0%
1951 0.522 +2.6%
1952 0.522 +0.0%
1953 0.248 -52.5%
1954 0.11 -55.6%
1955 0.101 -8.2%
1956 0.107 +5.9%
1957 0.106 -0.9%
1958 0.106 +0.0%
1959 0.106 +0.0%
1960 0.12 +13.2%
1961 0.12 +0.0%
1962 0.114 -5.0%
1963 0.087 -23.7%
1964 0.077 -11.5%
1965 0.083 +7.8%
1966 0.083 +0.0%
1967 0.083 +0.0%
1968 0.086 +3.6%
1969 0.086 +0.0%
1970 0.097 +12.8%
1971 0.097 +0.0%
1972 0.097 +0.0%
1973 0.094 -3.1%
1974 0.094 +0.0%
1975 0.073 -22.3%
1976 0.068 -6.8%
1977 0.068 +0.0%
1978 0.085 +25.0%
1979 0.253 +197.6%
1980 0.185 -26.9%
1981 0.073 -60.5%
1982 0.052 -28.8%
1983 0.049 -5.8%
1984 0.058 +18.4%
1985 0.057 -1.7%
1986 0.056 -1.8%
1987 0.057 +1.8%
1988 0.067 +17.5%
1989 0.095 +41.8%
1990 0.126 +32.6%
1991 0.13 +3.2%
1992 0.13 +0.0%
1993 0.138 +6.2%
1994 0.146 +5.8%
1995 0.152 +4.1%
1996 0.175 +15.1%
1997 0.332 +89.7%
1998 0.354 +6.6%
1999 0.367 +3.7%
2000 0.379 +3.3%
2001 0.372 -1.8%
2002 0.372 +0.0%
2003 0.372 +0.0%
2004 0.363 -2.4%
2005 0.198 -45.5%
2006 0.176 -11.1%
2007 0.176 +0.0%
2008 0.176 +0.0%
2009 0.158 -10.2%
2010 0.111 -29.7%
2011 0.117 +5.4%
2012 0.117 +0.0%
2013 0.146 +24.8%
2014 0.158 +8.2%
2015 0.17 +7.6%
2016 0.178 +4.7%
2017 0.184 +3.4%
2018 0.165 -10.3%
2019 0.163 -1.2%
2020 0.146 -10.4%
2021 0.134 -8.2%
2022 0.085 -36.6%
2023 0.108 +27.1%
2024 0.169 +56.5%
2025 0.158 -6.5%

Iran compared with similar countries

  • Iran's 0.158 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.709, 22% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
  • Iran's 0.158 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.339, 47% of the median. (23 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1830s 0.097 0.097 0.097 3
1840s 0.0954 0.089 0.097 10
1850s 0.089 0.089 0.089 10
1860s 0.089 0.089 0.089 10
1870s 0.089 0.089 0.089 10
1880s 0.089 0.089 0.089 10
1890s 0.1082 0.089 0.113 10
1900s 0.1883 0.108 0.325 10
1910s 0.331 0.331 0.331 10
1920s 0.1619 0.083 0.336 10
1930s 0.0719 0.067 0.083 10
1940s 0.3282 0.067 0.404 10
1950s 0.2437 0.101 0.522 10
1960s 0.0939 0.077 0.12 10
1970s 0.1026 0.068 0.253 10
1980s 0.0749 0.049 0.185 10
1990s 0.205 0.126 0.367 10
2000s 0.2742 0.158 0.379 10
2010s 0.1509 0.111 0.184 10
2020s 0.1333 0.085 0.169 6

Countries ranked near Iran

  1. 148 Cambodia 0.208 compare
  2. 149 Rwanda 0.174 compare
  3. 150 Oman 0.167 compare
  4. 152 Burundi 0.157 compare
  5. 153 Venezuela 0.155 compare
  6. 154 Bahrain 0.15 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Iran

All data for Iran →

Frequently asked questions

What is political civil liberties index in Iran?
Political civil liberties index in Iran was 0.158 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest political civil liberties index recorded in Iran?
The highest recorded value was 0.522 in 1951.
What is the lowest political civil liberties index recorded in Iran?
The lowest recorded value was 0.049 in 1983.
How does Iran rank for political civil liberties index?
Iran ranks 151st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is political civil liberties index rising or falling in Iran?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Iran 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.

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Political Civil Liberties Index in Iran. 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/iran-islamic-rep/

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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.