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Political Civil Liberties Index in Iraq

Iraq: Political Civil Liberties Index was 0.543 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.543
Change on year
up 2.6%
World rank
114th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.606
in 2004
All-time low
0.036
in 1980
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Political Civil Liberties Index in Iraq, 1789–2025

00.20.40.6178919072025

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

Analysis

Iraq recorded 0.543 for political civil liberties index in 2025.

The figure is up 2.6% on the previous year and down 5.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, political civil liberties index in Iraq peaked at 0.606 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 0.036, in 1980.

That places Iraq 114th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Political Civil Liberties Index in Iraq, year by year

Year Value Change
1789 0.189 —
1790 0.189 +0.0%
1791 0.189 +0.0%
1792 0.189 +0.0%
1793 0.189 +0.0%
1794 0.189 +0.0%
1795 0.189 +0.0%
1796 0.189 +0.0%
1797 0.189 +0.0%
1798 0.189 +0.0%
1799 0.189 +0.0%
1800 0.189 +0.0%
1801 0.189 +0.0%
1802 0.189 +0.0%
1803 0.189 +0.0%
1804 0.189 +0.0%
1805 0.189 +0.0%
1806 0.189 +0.0%
1807 0.189 +0.0%
1808 0.174 -7.9%
1809 0.16 -8.0%
1810 0.16 +0.0%
1811 0.16 +0.0%
1812 0.16 +0.0%
1813 0.16 +0.0%
1814 0.16 +0.0%
1815 0.16 +0.0%
1816 0.16 +0.0%
1817 0.16 +0.0%
1818 0.16 +0.0%
1819 0.16 +0.0%
1820 0.16 +0.0%
1821 0.16 +0.0%
1822 0.16 +0.0%
1823 0.16 +0.0%
1824 0.16 +0.0%
1825 0.16 +0.0%
1826 0.16 +0.0%
1827 0.16 +0.0%
1828 0.16 +0.0%
1829 0.16 +0.0%
1830 0.16 +0.0%
1831 0.16 +0.0%
1832 0.16 +0.0%
1833 0.16 +0.0%
1834 0.16 +0.0%
1835 0.16 +0.0%
1836 0.16 +0.0%
1837 0.16 +0.0%
1838 0.16 +0.0%
1839 0.173 +8.1%
1840 0.151 -12.7%
1841 0.151 +0.0%
1842 0.151 +0.0%
1843 0.151 +0.0%
1844 0.151 +0.0%
1845 0.151 +0.0%
1846 0.151 +0.0%
1847 0.151 +0.0%
1848 0.151 +0.0%
1849 0.151 +0.0%
1850 0.151 +0.0%
1851 0.151 +0.0%
1852 0.151 +0.0%
1853 0.151 +0.0%
1854 0.151 +0.0%
1855 0.151 +0.0%
1856 0.151 +0.0%
1857 0.151 +0.0%
1858 0.151 +0.0%
1859 0.151 +0.0%
1860 0.217 +43.7%
1861 0.217 +0.0%
1862 0.217 +0.0%
1863 0.217 +0.0%
1864 0.217 +0.0%
1865 0.191 -12.0%
1866 0.191 +0.0%
1867 0.208 +8.9%
1868 0.208 +0.0%
1869 0.208 +0.0%
1870 0.208 +0.0%
1871 0.208 +0.0%
1872 0.208 +0.0%
1873 0.208 +0.0%
1874 0.208 +0.0%
1875 0.208 +0.0%
1876 0.387 +86.1%
1877 0.126 -67.4%
1878 0.086 -31.7%
1879 0.086 +0.0%
1880 0.086 +0.0%
1881 0.086 +0.0%
1882 0.086 +0.0%
1883 0.086 +0.0%
1884 0.086 +0.0%
1885 0.086 +0.0%
1886 0.086 +0.0%
1887 0.086 +0.0%
1888 0.086 +0.0%
1889 0.086 +0.0%
1890 0.038 -55.8%
1891 0.038 +0.0%
1892 0.038 +0.0%
1893 0.038 +0.0%
1894 0.038 +0.0%
1895 0.038 +0.0%
1896 0.038 +0.0%
1897 0.038 +0.0%
1898 0.038 +0.0%
1899 0.038 +0.0%
1900 0.039 +2.6%
1901 0.039 +0.0%
1902 0.039 +0.0%
1903 0.039 +0.0%
1904 0.039 +0.0%
1905 0.039 +0.0%
1906 0.039 +0.0%
1907 0.04 +2.6%
1908 0.195 +387.5%
1909 0.419 +114.9%
1910 0.364 -13.1%
1911 0.343 -5.8%
1912 0.282 -17.8%
1913 0.127 -55.0%
1914 0.106 -16.5%
1915 0.108 +1.9%
1916 0.097 -10.2%
1917 0.097 +0.0%
1918 0.123 +26.8%
1919 0.211 +71.5%
1920 0.427 +102.4%
1921 0.435 +1.9%
1922 0.435 +0.0%
1923 0.435 +0.0%
1924 0.432 -0.7%
1925 0.453 +4.9%
1926 0.455 +0.4%
1927 0.446 -2.0%
1928 0.455 +2.0%
1929 0.455 +0.0%
1930 0.455 +0.0%
1931 0.441 -3.1%
1932 0.434 -1.6%
1933 0.428 -1.4%
1934 0.428 +0.0%
1935 0.428 +0.0%
1936 0.418 -2.3%
1937 0.418 +0.0%
1938 0.418 +0.0%
1939 0.417 -0.2%
1940 0.423 +1.4%
1941 0.401 -5.2%
1942 0.394 -1.7%
1943 0.394 +0.0%
1944 0.394 +0.0%
1945 0.39 -1.0%
1946 0.408 +4.6%
1947 0.426 +4.4%
1948 0.426 +0.0%
1949 0.416 -2.3%
1950 0.426 +2.4%
1951 0.419 -1.6%
1952 0.423 +1.0%
1953 0.422 -0.2%
1954 0.404 -4.3%
1955 0.408 +1.0%
1956 0.408 +0.0%
1957 0.408 +0.0%
1958 0.412 +1.0%
1959 0.398 -3.4%
1960 0.39 -2.0%
1961 0.338 -13.3%
1962 0.338 +0.0%
1963 0.192 -43.2%
1964 0.215 +12.0%
1965 0.235 +9.3%
1966 0.258 +9.8%
1967 0.275 +6.6%
1968 0.121 -56.0%
1969 0.086 -28.9%
1970 0.083 -3.5%
1971 0.083 +0.0%
1972 0.083 +0.0%
1973 0.088 +6.0%
1974 0.088 +0.0%
1975 0.086 -2.3%
1976 0.086 +0.0%
1977 0.086 +0.0%
1978 0.086 +0.0%
1979 0.055 -36.0%
1980 0.036 -34.5%
1981 0.036 +0.0%
1982 0.036 +0.0%
1983 0.036 +0.0%
1984 0.036 +0.0%
1985 0.036 +0.0%
1986 0.036 +0.0%
1987 0.036 +0.0%
1988 0.036 +0.0%
1989 0.04 +11.1%
1990 0.04 +0.0%
1991 0.037 -7.5%
1992 0.037 +0.0%
1993 0.044 +18.9%
1994 0.044 +0.0%
1995 0.047 +6.8%
1996 0.043 -8.5%
1997 0.043 +0.0%
1998 0.045 +4.7%
1999 0.045 +0.0%
2000 0.046 +2.2%
2001 0.054 +17.4%
2002 0.054 +0.0%
2003 0.373 +590.7%
2004 0.606 +62.5%
2005 0.606 +0.0%
2006 0.606 +0.0%
2007 0.601 -0.8%
2008 0.602 +0.2%
2009 0.596 -1.0%
2010 0.591 -0.8%
2011 0.584 -1.2%
2012 0.578 -1.0%
2013 0.558 -3.5%
2014 0.565 +1.3%
2015 0.576 +1.9%
2016 0.572 -0.7%
2017 0.543 -5.1%
2018 0.58 +6.8%
2019 0.544 -6.2%
2020 0.5 -8.1%
2021 0.518 +3.6%
2022 0.527 +1.7%
2023 0.513 -2.7%
2024 0.529 +3.1%
2025 0.543 +2.6%

Iraq compared with similar countries

  • Iraq's 0.543 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.709, 77% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
  • Iraq's 0.543 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.339, 1.6× the median. (23 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.189 0.189 0.189 1
1790s 0.189 0.189 0.189 10
1800s 0.1846 0.16 0.189 10
1810s 0.16 0.16 0.16 10
1820s 0.16 0.16 0.16 10
1830s 0.1613 0.16 0.173 10
1840s 0.151 0.151 0.151 10
1850s 0.151 0.151 0.151 10
1860s 0.2091 0.191 0.217 10
1870s 0.1933 0.086 0.387 10
1880s 0.086 0.086 0.086 10
1890s 0.038 0.038 0.038 10
1900s 0.0927 0.039 0.419 10
1910s 0.1858 0.097 0.364 10
1920s 0.4428 0.427 0.455 10
1930s 0.4285 0.417 0.455 10
1940s 0.4072 0.39 0.426 10
1950s 0.4128 0.398 0.426 10
1960s 0.2448 0.086 0.39 10
1970s 0.0824 0.055 0.088 10
1980s 0.0364 0.036 0.04 10
1990s 0.0425 0.037 0.047 10
2000s 0.4144 0.046 0.606 10
2010s 0.5691 0.543 0.591 10
2020s 0.5217 0.5 0.543 6

Countries ranked near Iraq

  1. 113 Thailand 0.548 compare
  2. 115 Somalia 0.532 compare
  3. 116 Singapore 0.528 compare
  4. 117 Mauritania 0.526 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Iraq

All data for Iraq →

Frequently asked questions

What is political civil liberties index in Iraq?
Political civil liberties index in Iraq was 0.543 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest political civil liberties index recorded in Iraq?
The highest recorded value was 0.606 in 2004.
What is the lowest political civil liberties index recorded in Iraq?
The lowest recorded value was 0.036 in 1980.
How does Iraq rank for political civil liberties index?
Iraq ranks 114th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is political civil liberties index rising or falling in Iraq?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Iraq 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 Iraq. 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/iraq/

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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.