Freedom Score in Belgium
Belgium: Freedom Score was 95 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Freedom Score in Belgium, 2002–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, freedom score in Belgium stood at 95. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom score in Belgium peaked at 99 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 95, in 2002.
That places Belgium 17th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
Freedom Score in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 95 | — |
| 2003 | 99 | +4.2% |
| 2004 | 98 | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 97 | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 98 | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 97 | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 98 | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 97 | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 98 | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 97 | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 96 | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 95 | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 95 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 96 | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 96 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 96 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 96 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 96 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 96 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 96 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 95 | -1.0% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 95 is above the median for high income countries, which is 90, 1.1× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 95 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 87.5, 1.1× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 97.38 | 95 | 99 | 8 |
| 2010s | 96.4 | 95 | 98 | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.83 | 95 | 96 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More social development data for Belgium
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 186,393 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 113 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (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 113 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0156 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is freedom score in Belgium?
- Freedom score in Belgium was 95 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom score recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 99 in 2003.
- What is the lowest freedom score recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 95 in 2002.
- How does Belgium rank for freedom score?
- Belgium ranks 17th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom score rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Freedom Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Freedom House's total democracy score is a 0-to-100 aggregate that adds up a country's points on 25 indicators of political rights (max 40) and civil liberties (max 60), creating a single snapshot of the freedoms people actually enjoy.