Free country in USSR

USSR: Free country was 1 in 1990. ◆ Volatile

Latest (1990)
1
Rank
1st
of 1 groups
All-time high
1
in 1990
All-time low
0
in 1972
Years of data
18
1972–1990

Free country in USSR, 1972–1990

00.20.40.60.811972198119901972: 01973: 01974: 01975: 01976: 01977: 01978: 01979: 01980: 01982: 01983: 01984: 01985: 01986: 01987: 01988: 01989: 01990: 1

Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

USSR recorded 1 for free country in 1990. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.

Over the whole period, free country in USSR peaked at 1 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1972.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0 0 0 8
1980s 0 0 0 9
1990s 1 1 1 1

Countries ranked near USSR

  1. 1 Andorra 2 compare
  2. 1 Antigua and Barbuda 2 compare
  3. 1 Argentina 2 compare
  4. 1 Australia 2 compare
  5. 1 Austria 2 compare
  6. 1 Bahamas 2 compare
  7. 1 Barbados 2 compare
  8. 1 Belgium 2 compare
  9. 1 Belize 2 compare
  10. 1 Bhutan 2 compare
  11. 1 Bolivia 2 compare
  12. 1 Botswana 2 compare
  13. 1 Brazil 2 compare
  14. 1 Bulgaria 2 compare
  15. 1 Canada 2 compare
  16. 1 Cape Verde 2 compare
  17. 1 Chile 2 compare
  18. 1 Colombia 2 compare
  19. 1 Costa Rica 2 compare
  20. 1 Croatia 2 compare
  21. 1 Cyprus 2 compare
  22. 1 Czechia 2 compare
  23. 1 Denmark 2 compare
  24. 1 Dominica 2 compare
  25. 1 East Timor 2 compare
  26. 1 Estonia 2 compare
  27. 1 Fiji 2 compare
  28. 1 Finland 2 compare
  29. 1 France 2 compare
  30. 1 Germany 2 compare
  31. 1 Ghana 2 compare
  32. 1 Greece 2 compare
  33. 1 Grenada 2 compare
  34. 1 Guyana 2 compare
  35. 1 Iceland 2 compare
  36. 1 Israel 2 compare
  37. 1 Italy 2 compare
  38. 1 Jamaica 2 compare
  39. 1 Japan 2 compare
  40. 1 Kiribati 2 compare
  41. 1 Latvia 2 compare
  42. 1 Lesotho 2 compare
  43. 1 Lithuania 2 compare
  44. 1 Malawi 2 compare
  45. 1 Marshall Islands 2 compare
  46. 1 Mauritius 2 compare
  47. 1 Micronesia (country) 2 compare
  48. 1 Monaco 2 compare
  49. 1 Mongolia 2 compare
  50. 1 Namibia 2 compare
  51. 1 Nauru 2 compare
  52. 1 Netherlands 2 compare
  53. 1 New Zealand 2 compare
  54. 1 Norway 2 compare
  55. 1 Palau 2 compare
  56. 1 Panama 2 compare
  57. 1 Poland 2 compare
  58. 1 Portugal 2 compare
  59. 1 Puerto Rico 2 compare
  60. 1 Romania 2 compare
  61. 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2 compare
  62. 1 Saint Lucia 2 compare
  63. 1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2 compare
  64. 1 Samoa 2 compare
  65. 1 San Marino 2 compare
  66. 1 Sao Tome and Principe 2 compare
  67. 1 Senegal 2 compare
  68. 1 Seychelles 2 compare
  69. 1 Slovakia 2 compare
  70. 1 Slovenia 2 compare
  71. 1 Solomon Islands 2 compare
  72. 1 South Africa 2 compare
  73. 1 South Korea 2 compare
  74. 1 Spain 2 compare
  75. 1 Suriname 2 compare
  76. 1 Sweden 2 compare
  77. 1 Switzerland 2 compare
  78. 1 Taiwan 2 compare
  79. 1 Tonga 2 compare
  80. 1 Trinidad and Tobago 2 compare
  81. 1 Tuvalu 2 compare
  82. 1 United Kingdom 2 compare
  83. 1 United States 2 compare
  84. 1 Uruguay 2 compare
  85. 1 Vanuatu 2 compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for USSR

All data for USSR →

Frequently asked questions

What is free country in USSR?
Free country in USSR was 1 in 1990, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest free country recorded in USSR?
The highest recorded value was 1 in 1990.
What is the lowest free country recorded in USSR?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1972.
How does USSR rank for free country?
USSR ranks 1st out of 1 groups with data for 1990.
Where does this USSR data come from?
The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Free country. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Free country
Source
Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 10,083 data points, 1972–2025
Last refreshed

The variable identifies the political regime of a country. It distinguishes between free countries (score 2), partly free countries (score 1), and not free countries (score 0).