Freedom Score in Cuba
Cuba: Freedom Score was 9 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Freedom Score in Cuba, 2002–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for freedom score in Cuba is 9, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 10.0% on the previous year and down 40.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom score in Cuba peaked at 15 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 7, in 2006.
Cuba ranks 181st of 197 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Freedom Score in Cuba, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 10 | — |
| 2003 | 9 | -10.0% |
| 2004 | 8 | -11.1% |
| 2005 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 7 | -12.5% |
| 2007 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 9 | +28.6% |
| 2009 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 10 | +11.1% |
| 2011 | 11 | +10.0% |
| 2012 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 12 | +9.1% |
| 2014 | 14 | +16.7% |
| 2015 | 15 | +7.1% |
| 2016 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 14 | -6.7% |
| 2018 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 13 | -7.1% |
| 2021 | 12 | -7.7% |
| 2022 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 10 | -16.7% |
| 2025 | 9 | -10.0% |
Cuba compared with similar countries
- Cuba's 9 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 61.5, 15% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Cuba's 9 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 81, 11% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.38 | 7 | 10 | 8 |
| 2010s | 13 | 10 | 15 | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.33 | 9 | 13 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cuba
- 181 China 9 compare
- 181 Saudi Arabia 9 compare
- 184 Afghanistan 8 compare
- 184 Somalia 8 compare
More social development data for Cuba
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 115 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 29,395 (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 0.0027 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 29,395 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is freedom score in Cuba?
- Freedom score in Cuba was 9 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom score recorded in Cuba?
- The highest recorded value was 15 in 2015.
- What is the lowest freedom score recorded in Cuba?
- The lowest recorded value was 7 in 2006.
- How does Cuba rank for freedom score?
- Cuba ranks 181st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom score rising or falling in Cuba?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cuba 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.