Civil Rights Score in North Korea
North Korea: Civil Rights Score was 1 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Civil Rights Score in North Korea, 2005–2025
Source: Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 1 for civil rights score in 2025. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil rights score in North Korea peaked at 1 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 1, in 2005.
That places North Korea 117th out of 128 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Civil Rights Score in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 1 | — |
| 2007 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 1 | +0.0% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 1 is below the median for low income countries, which is 2, 50% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 1 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.5, 29% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More social development data for North Korea
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 263 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 263 (2025)
- Sovereign state gleditsch ward, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of -7.07 % change on previous year (2025)
- Human Rights Index vs. Electoral Democracy Index 0.024 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil rights score in North Korea?
- Civil rights score in North Korea was 1 in 2025, according to Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil rights score recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 1 in 2005.
- What is the lowest civil rights score recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 2005.
- How does North Korea rank for civil rights score?
- North Korea ranks 117th out of 128 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil rights score rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Civil Rights Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Indicates the extent to which civil rights are codified in law, and the state prosecutes any violations and works to prevent discrimination.