Political civil liberties index in United States

United States: Political civil liberties index was 0.865 in 2025. β–² Rising

Latest (2025)
0.865
Change on year
down 9.5%
World rank
54th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.979
in 1990
All-time low
0.732
in 1799
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Political civil liberties index in United States, 1789–2025

00.20.40.60.81178919072025

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for political civil liberties index in United States is 0.865, measured in 2025.

The figure is down 9.5% on the previous year and down 11.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, political civil liberties index in United States peaked at 0.979 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.732, in 1799.

That places United States 54th 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 237 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.813 0.813 0.813 1
1790s 0.7998 0.732 0.813 10
1800s 0.7896 0.732 0.796 10
1810s 0.796 0.796 0.796 10
1820s 0.8006 0.796 0.819 10
1830s 0.809 0.799 0.819 10
1840s 0.799 0.799 0.799 10
1850s 0.799 0.799 0.799 10
1860s 0.8354 0.799 0.842 10
1870s 0.842 0.842 0.842 10
1880s 0.8354 0.821 0.842 10
1890s 0.839 0.839 0.839 10
1900s 0.8351 0.834 0.839 10
1910s 0.817 0.783 0.831 10
1920s 0.8271 0.826 0.837 10
1930s 0.8528 0.826 0.863 10
1940s 0.8258 0.793 0.85 10
1950s 0.8266 0.816 0.852 10
1960s 0.8902 0.88 0.908 10
1970s 0.9415 0.902 0.965 10
1980s 0.973 0.968 0.976 10
1990s 0.9778 0.975 0.979 10
2000s 0.9777 0.972 0.979 10
2010s 0.9726 0.955 0.979 10
2020s 0.9453 0.865 0.973 6

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 51 Italy 0.873 compare
  2. 52 Sierra Leone 0.868 compare
  3. 53 Timor-Leste 0.866 compare
  4. 55 Nepal 0.863 compare
  5. 55 Nigeria 0.863 compare
  6. 57 Kenya 0.86 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places β†’

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is political civil liberties index in United States?
Political civil liberties index in United States was 0.865 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest political civil liberties index recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 0.979 in 1990.
What is the lowest political civil liberties index recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 0.732 in 1799.
How does United States rank for political civil liberties index?
United States ranks 54th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is political civil liberties index rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from 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 United States. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/political-civil-liberties-index/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Political civil liberties index
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 30,211 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed