Political liberties in United States
United States: Political liberties was 1 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Political liberties in United States, 1789–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for political liberties in United States is 1, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 237 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, political liberties in United States peaked at 1 in 1964 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1789.
That places United States 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1830s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.6 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 1 Andorra 1 compare
- 1 Antigua and Barbuda 1 compare
- 1 Argentina 1 compare
- 1 Australia 1 compare
- 1 Austria 1 compare
- 1 Bahamas 1 compare
- 1 Barbados 1 compare
- 1 Belgium 1 compare
- 1 Belize 1 compare
- 1 Brazil 1 compare
- 1 Bulgaria 1 compare
- 1 Canada 1 compare
- 1 Cape Verde 1 compare
- 1 Chile 1 compare
- 1 Costa Rica 1 compare
- 1 Croatia 1 compare
- 1 Cyprus 1 compare
- 1 Czechia 1 compare
- 1 Denmark 1 compare
- 1 Dominica 1 compare
- 1 Dominican Republic 1 compare
- 1 Estonia 1 compare
- 1 Fiji 1 compare
- 1 Finland 1 compare
- 1 France 1 compare
- 1 Germany 1 compare
- 1 Ghana 1 compare
- 1 Greece 1 compare
- 1 Grenada 1 compare
- 1 Guyana 1 compare
- 1 Iceland 1 compare
- 1 Ireland 1 compare
- 1 Italy 1 compare
- 1 Jamaica 1 compare
- 1 Japan 1 compare
- 1 Kiribati 1 compare
- 1 Latvia 1 compare
- 1 Liechtenstein 1 compare
- 1 Lithuania 1 compare
- 1 Luxembourg 1 compare
- 1 Malta 1 compare
- 1 Marshall Islands 1 compare
- 1 Mauritius 1 compare
- 1 Micronesia (country) 1 compare
- 1 Monaco 1 compare
- 1 Mongolia 1 compare
- 1 Namibia 1 compare
- 1 Nauru 1 compare
- 1 Netherlands 1 compare
- 1 New Zealand 1 compare
- 1 Norway 1 compare
- 1 Palau 1 compare
- 1 Papua New Guinea 1 compare
- 1 Poland 1 compare
- 1 Portugal 1 compare
- 1 Romania 1 compare
- 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 compare
- 1 Saint Lucia 1 compare
- 1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 compare
- 1 Samoa 1 compare
- 1 San Marino 1 compare
- 1 Sao Tome and Principe 1 compare
- 1 Seychelles 1 compare
- 1 Slovenia 1 compare
- 1 South Africa 1 compare
- 1 South Korea 1 compare
- 1 Spain 1 compare
- 1 Suriname 1 compare
- 1 Sweden 1 compare
- 1 Switzerland 1 compare
- 1 Taiwan 1 compare
- 1 Tonga 1 compare
- 1 Trinidad and Tobago 1 compare
- 1 Tuvalu 1 compare
- 1 United Kingdom 1 compare
- 1 Uruguay 1 compare
- 1 Vanuatu 1 compare
More reference data data for United States
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0594 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.5014 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies 2.51 °C (2026)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.8696 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 143.86 2010 = 100 (2024)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.9189 °C (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is political liberties in United States?
- Political liberties in United States was 1 in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest political liberties recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 1 in 1964.
- What is the lowest political liberties recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1789.
- How does United States rank for political liberties?
- United States ranks 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political liberties rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Political liberties. 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).
About this data
Indicates whether the freedoms of expression, assembly, and association are respected.