Which countries protect private civil liberties best?

Every country ranked by the V-Dem private civil liberties index for 2025 (179 countries, 0–100 scale).

Private civil liberties rankings, 2025 — 179 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇪 Germany	95.5	+0.4	−0.8
2	🇪🇪 Estonia	95.3	0.0	+0.3
3	🇮🇸 Iceland	94.4	0.0	+0.7
4	🇸🇪 Sweden	94.1	−0.7	−1.0
5	🇳🇿 New Zealand	94.1	0.0	−0.3
6	🇮🇪 Ireland	93.9	0.0	+0.1
7	🇪🇸 Spain	93.8	−0.9	−1.9
8	🇩🇰 Denmark	93.8	0.0	−2.1
9	🇧🇪 Belgium	93.6	0.0	−0.8
10	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	93.6	0.0	−0.5
11	🇨🇿 Czechia	93.4	−0.4	+2.1
12	🇨🇱 Chile	93.1	0.0	−1.7
13	🇲🇹 Malta	93.1	0.0	+4.7
14	🇹🇼 Taiwan	93.0	−0.1	−1.4
15	🇫🇮 Finland	92.7	−0.3	−3.1
16	🇵🇱 Poland	92.6	0.0	+0.4
17	🇱🇻 Latvia	92.5	0.0	−1.8
18	🇭🇷 Croatia	91.9	−0.9	−1.4
19	🇧🇯 Benin	91.8	0.0	+1.1
20	🇯🇵 Japan	91.7	0.0	−1.0
21	🇮🇹 Italy	91.4	0.0	−2.3
22	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	91.2	0.0	−2.3
23	🇸🇰 Slovakia	91.2	−0.4	−2.5
24	🇸🇷 Suriname	91.0	0.0	+3.6
25	🇨🇭 Switzerland	91.0	−0.6	−1.6
26	🇧🇧 Barbados	91.0	0.0	−0.6
27	🇱🇹 Lithuania	91.0	0.0	−3.2
28	🇳🇴 Norway	91.0	0.0	−5.4
29	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	90.9	0.0	0.0
30	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	90.8	0.0	−0.2
31	🇦🇱 Albania	90.7	−0.3	+0.1
32	🇯🇲 Jamaica	89.9	−0.2	−1.4
33	🇬🇭 Ghana	89.7	0.0	−0.1
34	🇰🇷 South Korea	89.4	+0.5	−0.4
35	🇲🇩 Moldova	89.4	0.0	+3.4
36	🇸🇨 Seychelles	89.4	0.0	+7.4
37	🇸🇮 Slovenia	89.4	−1.0	0.0
38	🇬🇲 The Gambia	89.2	0.0	+31.2
39	🇳🇦 Namibia	88.5	0.0	+6.6
40	🇺🇾 Uruguay	88.4	−1.9	−4.0
41	🇦🇹 Austria	88.4	−0.8	−4.2
42	🇧🇷 Brazil	88.2	+1.8	−3.5
43	🇳🇱 Netherlands	87.8	0.0	−2.9
44	🇦🇺 Australia	87.3	−2.6	−3.5
45	🇭🇳 Honduras	87.2	−0.2	+3.9
46	🇬🇷 Greece	87.2	0.0	−5.5
47	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	87.0	0.0	−0.3
48	🇲🇪 Montenegro	86.9	0.0	−4.0
49	🇫🇷 France	86.7	0.0	−6.8
50	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	86.7	0.0	−0.9
51	🇿🇦 South Africa	86.0	−2.0	−1.6
52	🇬🇪 Georgia	85.7	−0.7	−3.8
53	🇷🇴 Romania	85.4	+0.2	−6.2
54	🇳🇬 Nigeria	84.8	+1.3	+4.9
55	🇬🇦 Gabon	84.6	0.0	+0.3
56	🇱🇷 Liberia	84.5	0.0	−2.3
57	🇦🇷 Argentina	84.2	−0.9	−8.4
58	🇲🇺 Mauritius	84.2	+6.5	−1.2
59	🇧🇼 Botswana	83.9	+1.4	−3.9
60	🇷🇸 Serbia	83.9	0.0	−6.6
61	🇨🇾 Cyprus	83.8	0.0	−1.7
62	🇨🇦 Canada	83.6	−1.0	−8.5
63	🇨🇴 Colombia	83.3	+6.4	+1.5
64	🇵🇪 Peru	83.3	0.0	−2.8
65	🇺🇸 United States of America	83.2	−5.6	−10.2
66	🇸🇳 Senegal	83.2	0.0	+0.2
67	🇭🇺 Hungary	83.2	−5.6	−8.7
68	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	82.9	0.0	−0.9
69	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	82.4	−4.3	−4.0
70	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	82.3	0.0	+0.4
71	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	82.1	0.0	−0.6
72	🇲🇼 Malawi	81.9	+1.1	−3.7
73	🇱🇸 Lesotho	81.7	−1.6	−3.3
74	🇲🇳 Mongolia	81.4	+1.2	−7.9
75	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	81.4	0.0	−7.0
76	🇵🇦 Panama	81.0	−4.9	−8.0
77	🇬🇾 Guyana	80.8	0.0	−8.1
78	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	80.8	0.0	+6.9
79	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	80.6	+0.3	+2.4
80	🇦🇲 Armenia	80.5	−3.1	−6.8
81	🇮🇱 Israel	80.2	+0.2	+1.0
82	🇧🇴 Bolivia	80.1	+1.3	−0.6
83	🇪🇨 Ecuador	80.0	−3.0	−8.3
84	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	79.1	−4.1	−6.4
85	🇵🇾 Paraguay	78.3	+2.9	−7.9
86	🇿🇲 Zambia	76.9	−5.0	+4.2
87	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	76.8	+0.8	−0.8
88	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	76.1	−0.6	−3.1
89	🇲🇽 Mexico	74.9	0.0	−1.7
90	🇹🇬 Togo	74.7	0.0	−8.5
91	🇸🇻 El Salvador	74.4	+11.6	−8.4
92	🇰🇪 Kenya	74.1	−1.8	+2.5
93	🇵🇭 Philippines	74.0	0.0	−4.5
94	🇲🇬 Madagascar	73.1	+1.0	−1.5
95	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	72.8	+0.1	−11.4
96	🇫🇯 Fiji	72.2	+0.8	−5.5
97	🇬🇹 Guatemala	72.1	−1.7	−0.8
98	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	71.9	+1.0	−17.6
99	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	71.3	0.0	+3.2
100	🇳🇪 Niger	70.6	−9.0	−1.4
101	🇽🇰 Kosovo	70.0	+2.1	+3.1
102	🇹🇳 Tunisia	68.5	−1.7	−9.6
103	🇲🇱 Mali	68.3	+1.2	−7.2
104	🇨🇲 Cameroon	68.1	−4.1	−16.1
105	🇹🇿 Tanzania	67.9	−7.5	−2.8
106	🇮🇩 Indonesia	67.6	+0.2	−8.9
107	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	67.3	−4.6	−3.5
108	🇭🇹 Haiti	67.2	0.0	−10.7
109	🇵🇹 Portugal	67.1	−17.4	−28.5
110	🇳🇵 Nepal	67.0	−0.3	−6.4
111	🇯🇴 Jordan	66.5	−1.7	−1.2
112	🇲🇾 Malaysia	65.7	+0.5	+6.8
113	🇸🇬 Singapore	65.1	0.0	−4.7
114	🇱🇧 Lebanon	64.6	−1.8	−0.1
115	Zanzibar	64.2	−1.1	−7.1
116	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	63.5	−0.1	+3.4
117	🇮🇳 India	63.1	+0.5	−4.5
118	🇲🇿 Mozambique	63.0	0.0	−12.4
119	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	62.7	0.0	−15.2
120	🇧🇹 Bhutan	62.5	−0.7	−7.2
121	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	61.5	−6.0	−22.0
122	🇦🇴 Angola	61.2	+2.1	+3.4
123	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	61.1	−19.3	−19.6
124	🇮🇶 Iraq	60.5	+1.0	+5.2
125	🇻🇪 Venezuela	59.7	−1.3	−10.0
126	Somaliland	58.7	+1.6	−3.9
127	🇲🇻 Maldives	56.6	−3.1	+9.0
128	🇲🇦 Morocco	55.7	0.0	+1.3
129	🇺🇦 Ukraine	54.0	+0.7	−23.8
130	🇧🇮 Burundi	53.8	+5.5	+28.5
131	🇹🇭 Thailand	53.5	−4.4	−15.2
132	🇰🇲 Comoros	53.0	−1.5	−2.6
133	🇵🇰 Pakistan	52.0	+3.0	+3.8
134	🇻🇳 Vietnam	51.3	+0.5	+0.9
135	🇹🇩 Chad	46.8	−1.1	−7.5
136	🇷🇺 Russia	46.5	+0.7	−23.3
137	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	46.0	−1.4	+2.2
138	🇧🇾 Belarus	45.7	0.0	−26.4
139	🇴🇲 Oman	44.7	+0.2	−1.6
140	🇹🇷 Türkiye	44.0	+0.2	−13.1
141	🇩🇿 Algeria	43.9	0.0	−14.0
142	🇰🇭 Cambodia	42.4	−0.1	−9.9
143	🇸🇿 Eswatini	41.3	0.0	+13.0
144	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	39.9	−1.3	−4.0
145	🇩🇯 Djibouti	38.9	0.0	−6.6
146	🇰🇼 Kuwait	38.4	−4.9	−5.8
147	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	38.2	+5.6	−1.3
148	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	38.0	−3.3	−17.0
149	🇲🇷 Mauritania	37.4	−3.0	−9.5
150	🇧🇭 Bahrain	36.7	0.0	+8.0
151	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	36.4	+1.0	−21.0
152	🇨🇺 Cuba	35.2	+1.2	−1.1
153	🇮🇷 Iran	34.5	−0.6	−2.9
154	🇬🇳 Guinea	34.4	0.0	−22.3
155	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	34.0	−0.7	+20.6
156	🇺🇬 Uganda	33.1	−17.5	−39.0
157	🇪🇬 Egypt	31.7	−3.5	+3.3
158	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	30.2	+0.5	−7.4
159	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	30.1	+1.6	−17.3
160	🇱🇾 Libya	29.0	+0.1	−4.5
161	🇸🇴 Somalia	27.2	0.0	+6.3
162	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	27.0	0.0	−2.8
163	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	25.3	−3.3	−3.5
164	🇸🇾 Syria	24.8	+5.0	+13.3
165	🇸🇸 South Sudan	22.8	−0.7	+2.3
166	🇷🇼 Rwanda	20.9	+5.4	−38.7
167	🇱🇦 Laos	20.4	−0.3	+5.2
168	🇶🇦 Qatar	17.6	0.0	−14.0
169	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	17.1	−3.3	+4.2
170	🇨🇳 China	14.5	−0.5	−4.1
171	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	14.4	−3.0	−63.9
172	🇾🇪 Yemen	13.7	−4.0	+2.1
173	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	13.6	0.0	−17.0
174	Palestine/Gaza	10.1	+2.0	−11.8
175	🇸🇩 Sudan	9.8	0.0	+1.1
176	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	7.3	0.0	+1.6
177	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	2.8	−0.1	−45.2
178	🇪🇷 Eritrea	0.7	0.0	−0.1
179	🇰🇵 North Korea	0.1	0.0	0.0

Frequently asked questions

Germany ranks #1 of 179 countries on the V-Dem private civil liberties index in 2025, with the highest score of 95.5 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for private civil liberties in 2025?

In 2025, the top three of 179 ranked countries are Germany (95.5), Estonia (95.3), and Iceland (94.4).

Which country ranks last on private civil liberties in 2025?

North Korea ranks #179 of 179 with a score of 0.1.

Which country changed most on private civil liberties over the last decade?

Nicaragua shows the largest 10-year shift: its score declined by 63.9 points over the past decade, standing at 14.4 (rank #171) in 2025.

How is the private civil liberties index measured?

The index comes from the V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) project; scores are shown here on a 0–100 scale (higher-precision source data runs 0–1). Higher scores are better. The 2025 edition covers 179 countries.