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Private Civil Liberties Index in Japan

Japan: Private Civil Liberties Index was 0.917 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.917
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
20th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.933
in 1972
All-time low
0.01
in 1790
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Private Civil Liberties Index in Japan, 1789–2025

00.20.40.60.81178919072025

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

Analysis

In 2025, private civil liberties index in Japan stood at 0.917.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, private civil liberties index in Japan peaked at 0.933 in 1972 and was at its lowest, 0.01, in 1790.

That places Japan 20th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Private Civil Liberties Index in Japan, year by year

Year Value Change
1789 0.017 —
1790 0.01 -41.2%
1791 0.01 +0.0%
1792 0.01 +0.0%
1793 0.01 +0.0%
1794 0.01 +0.0%
1795 0.01 +0.0%
1796 0.01 +0.0%
1797 0.01 +0.0%
1798 0.01 +0.0%
1799 0.01 +0.0%
1800 0.01 +0.0%
1801 0.01 +0.0%
1802 0.01 +0.0%
1803 0.01 +0.0%
1804 0.01 +0.0%
1805 0.01 +0.0%
1806 0.01 +0.0%
1807 0.01 +0.0%
1808 0.01 +0.0%
1809 0.01 +0.0%
1810 0.01 +0.0%
1811 0.01 +0.0%
1812 0.01 +0.0%
1813 0.01 +0.0%
1814 0.01 +0.0%
1815 0.01 +0.0%
1816 0.01 +0.0%
1817 0.01 +0.0%
1818 0.01 +0.0%
1819 0.01 +0.0%
1820 0.01 +0.0%
1821 0.01 +0.0%
1822 0.01 +0.0%
1823 0.01 +0.0%
1824 0.01 +0.0%
1825 0.01 +0.0%
1826 0.01 +0.0%
1827 0.01 +0.0%
1828 0.01 +0.0%
1829 0.01 +0.0%
1830 0.01 +0.0%
1831 0.01 +0.0%
1832 0.01 +0.0%
1833 0.01 +0.0%
1834 0.01 +0.0%
1835 0.01 +0.0%
1836 0.01 +0.0%
1837 0.01 +0.0%
1838 0.01 +0.0%
1839 0.01 +0.0%
1840 0.01 +0.0%
1841 0.01 +0.0%
1842 0.01 +0.0%
1843 0.01 +0.0%
1844 0.01 +0.0%
1845 0.01 +0.0%
1846 0.01 +0.0%
1847 0.01 +0.0%
1848 0.01 +0.0%
1849 0.01 +0.0%
1850 0.014 +40.0%
1851 0.014 +0.0%
1852 0.014 +0.0%
1853 0.014 +0.0%
1854 0.019 +35.7%
1855 0.019 +0.0%
1856 0.019 +0.0%
1857 0.019 +0.0%
1858 0.019 +0.0%
1859 0.019 +0.0%
1860 0.021 +10.5%
1861 0.021 +0.0%
1862 0.021 +0.0%
1863 0.021 +0.0%
1864 0.021 +0.0%
1865 0.021 +0.0%
1866 0.021 +0.0%
1867 0.021 +0.0%
1868 0.021 +0.0%
1869 0.098 +366.7%
1870 0.341 +248.0%
1871 0.341 +0.0%
1872 0.341 +0.0%
1873 0.341 +0.0%
1874 0.363 +6.5%
1875 0.363 +0.0%
1876 0.363 +0.0%
1877 0.363 +0.0%
1878 0.363 +0.0%
1879 0.363 +0.0%
1880 0.363 +0.0%
1881 0.363 +0.0%
1882 0.363 +0.0%
1883 0.363 +0.0%
1884 0.363 +0.0%
1885 0.363 +0.0%
1886 0.363 +0.0%
1887 0.363 +0.0%
1888 0.363 +0.0%
1889 0.363 +0.0%
1890 0.423 +16.5%
1891 0.423 +0.0%
1892 0.423 +0.0%
1893 0.423 +0.0%
1894 0.423 +0.0%
1895 0.423 +0.0%
1896 0.423 +0.0%
1897 0.423 +0.0%
1898 0.513 +21.3%
1899 0.513 +0.0%
1900 0.543 +5.8%
1901 0.543 +0.0%
1902 0.543 +0.0%
1903 0.543 +0.0%
1904 0.543 +0.0%
1905 0.543 +0.0%
1906 0.543 +0.0%
1907 0.543 +0.0%
1908 0.543 +0.0%
1909 0.543 +0.0%
1910 0.54 -0.6%
1911 0.541 +0.2%
1912 0.541 +0.0%
1913 0.541 +0.0%
1914 0.541 +0.0%
1915 0.541 +0.0%
1916 0.541 +0.0%
1917 0.541 +0.0%
1918 0.541 +0.0%
1919 0.541 +0.0%
1920 0.548 +1.3%
1921 0.548 +0.0%
1922 0.548 +0.0%
1923 0.548 +0.0%
1924 0.548 +0.0%
1925 0.548 +0.0%
1926 0.552 +0.7%
1927 0.552 +0.0%
1928 0.552 +0.0%
1929 0.552 +0.0%
1930 0.552 +0.0%
1931 0.552 +0.0%
1932 0.552 +0.0%
1933 0.552 +0.0%
1934 0.549 -0.5%
1935 0.549 +0.0%
1936 0.537 -2.2%
1937 0.537 +0.0%
1938 0.537 +0.0%
1939 0.541 +0.7%
1940 0.541 +0.0%
1941 0.535 -1.1%
1942 0.457 -14.6%
1943 0.457 +0.0%
1944 0.457 +0.0%
1945 0.442 -3.3%
1946 0.724 +63.8%
1947 0.739 +2.1%
1948 0.739 +0.0%
1949 0.739 +0.0%
1950 0.739 +0.0%
1951 0.739 +0.0%
1952 0.739 +0.0%
1953 0.888 +20.2%
1954 0.888 +0.0%
1955 0.888 +0.0%
1956 0.888 +0.0%
1957 0.888 +0.0%
1958 0.888 +0.0%
1959 0.888 +0.0%
1960 0.888 +0.0%
1961 0.888 +0.0%
1962 0.888 +0.0%
1963 0.888 +0.0%
1964 0.897 +1.0%
1965 0.9 +0.3%
1966 0.9 +0.0%
1967 0.9 +0.0%
1968 0.9 +0.0%
1969 0.9 +0.0%
1970 0.9 +0.0%
1971 0.9 +0.0%
1972 0.933 +3.7%
1973 0.933 +0.0%
1974 0.933 +0.0%
1975 0.933 +0.0%
1976 0.933 +0.0%
1977 0.933 +0.0%
1978 0.933 +0.0%
1979 0.933 +0.0%
1980 0.933 +0.0%
1981 0.933 +0.0%
1982 0.933 +0.0%
1983 0.933 +0.0%
1984 0.933 +0.0%
1985 0.933 +0.0%
1986 0.933 +0.0%
1987 0.933 +0.0%
1988 0.933 +0.0%
1989 0.933 +0.0%
1990 0.933 +0.0%
1991 0.933 +0.0%
1992 0.933 +0.0%
1993 0.933 +0.0%
1994 0.933 +0.0%
1995 0.933 +0.0%
1996 0.933 +0.0%
1997 0.933 +0.0%
1998 0.933 +0.0%
1999 0.933 +0.0%
2000 0.933 +0.0%
2001 0.933 +0.0%
2002 0.933 +0.0%
2003 0.933 +0.0%
2004 0.933 +0.0%
2005 0.933 +0.0%
2006 0.933 +0.0%
2007 0.933 +0.0%
2008 0.933 +0.0%
2009 0.933 +0.0%
2010 0.933 +0.0%
2011 0.933 +0.0%
2012 0.933 +0.0%
2013 0.933 +0.0%
2014 0.933 +0.0%
2015 0.927 -0.6%
2016 0.927 +0.0%
2017 0.926 -0.1%
2018 0.926 +0.0%
2019 0.926 +0.0%
2020 0.851 -8.1%
2021 0.851 +0.0%
2022 0.896 +5.3%
2023 0.917 +2.3%
2024 0.917 +0.0%
2025 0.917 +0.0%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 0.917 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.894, 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
  • Japan's 0.917 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.7205, 1.3× the median. (22 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.017 0.017 0.017 1
1790s 0.01 0.01 0.01 10
1800s 0.01 0.01 0.01 10
1810s 0.01 0.01 0.01 10
1820s 0.01 0.01 0.01 10
1830s 0.01 0.01 0.01 10
1840s 0.01 0.01 0.01 10
1850s 0.017 0.014 0.019 10
1860s 0.0287 0.021 0.098 10
1870s 0.3542 0.341 0.363 10
1880s 0.363 0.363 0.363 10
1890s 0.441 0.423 0.513 10
1900s 0.543 0.543 0.543 10
1910s 0.5409 0.54 0.541 10
1920s 0.5496 0.548 0.552 10
1930s 0.5458 0.537 0.552 10
1940s 0.583 0.442 0.739 10
1950s 0.8433 0.739 0.888 10
1960s 0.8949 0.888 0.9 10
1970s 0.9264 0.9 0.933 10
1980s 0.933 0.933 0.933 10
1990s 0.933 0.933 0.933 10
2000s 0.933 0.933 0.933 10
2010s 0.9297 0.926 0.933 10
2020s 0.8915 0.851 0.917 6

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 17 Latvia 0.925 compare
  2. 18 Croatia 0.919 compare
  3. 19 Benin 0.918 compare
  4. 21 Italy 0.914 compare
  5. 22 Costa Rica 0.912 compare
  6. 22 Slovakia 0.912 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is private civil liberties index in Japan?
Private civil liberties index in Japan was 0.917 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest private civil liberties index recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 0.933 in 1972.
What is the lowest private civil liberties index recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 0.01 in 1790.
How does Japan rank for private civil liberties index?
Japan ranks 20th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is private civil liberties index rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Private Civil Liberties Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Private Civil Liberties Index in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 28 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/private-civil-liberties-index/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Private 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, 30,494 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate the extent to which people are free from forced labor, have property rights, and enjoy freedom of movement and religion.