Freedom Score in Central African Republic
Central African Republic: Freedom Score was 5 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Freedom Score in Central African Republic, 2002–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Central African Republic recorded 5 for freedom score in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is down 28.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom score in Central African Republic peaked at 44 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 5, in 2023.
Central African Republic ranks 188th of 197 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Freedom Score in Central African Republic, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 40 | — |
| 2003 | 30 | -25.0% |
| 2004 | 33 | +10.0% |
| 2005 | 44 | +33.3% |
| 2006 | 43 | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 40 | -7.0% |
| 2008 | 40 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 39 | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 37 | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 39 | +5.4% |
| 2012 | 35 | -10.3% |
| 2013 | 6 | -82.9% |
| 2014 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 2016 | 10 | +42.9% |
| 2017 | 9 | -10.0% |
| 2018 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 10 | +11.1% |
| 2020 | 9 | -10.0% |
| 2021 | 7 | -22.2% |
| 2022 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5 | -28.6% |
| 2024 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 5 | +0.0% |
Central African Republic compared with similar countries
- Central African Republic's 5 is below the median for low income countries, which is 18, 28% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Central African Republic's 5 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 35, 14% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 38.62 | 30 | 44 | 8 |
| 2010s | 16.8 | 6 | 39 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.33 | 5 | 9 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Central African Republic
- 186 Belarus 7 compare
- 187 Azerbaijan 6 compare
- 188 Equatorial Guinea 5 compare
- 188 Tajikistan 5 compare
- 191 Myanmar 4 compare
- 191 Western Sahara 4 compare
More social development data for Central African Republic
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 55,307 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 674,222 (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 0.1223 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 674,222 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.01 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 Central African Republic?
- Freedom score in Central African Republic was 5 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom score recorded in Central African Republic?
- The highest recorded value was 44 in 2005.
- What is the lowest freedom score recorded in Central African Republic?
- The lowest recorded value was 5 in 2023.
- How does Central African Republic rank for freedom score?
- Central African Republic ranks 188th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom score rising or falling in Central African Republic?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Central African Republic 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 freedom score captures the extent of free and fair elections, political pluralism and participation, a functioning government, freedom of expression and association, the rule of law, and personal autonomy. Higher scores indicate more freedom.