Freedom Score in Ireland
Ireland: Freedom Score was 98 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Freedom Score in Ireland, 2002–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, freedom score in Ireland stood at 98. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom score in Ireland peaked at 98 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 93, in 2002.
Ireland ranks 5th of 197 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Freedom Score in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 93 | — |
| 2003 | 98 | +5.4% |
| 2004 | 98 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 98 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 97 | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 96 | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 96 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 96 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 97 | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 98 | +1.0% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 98 is above the median for high income countries, which is 90, 1.1× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 98 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 | 96.88 | 93 | 98 | 8 |
| 2010s | 96.7 | 96 | 97 | 10 |
| 2020s | 97.17 | 97 | 98 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 2 New Zealand 99 compare
- 2 Norway 99 compare
- 2 Sweden 99 compare
- 6 Canada 97 compare
- 6 Denmark 97 compare
- 6 Luxembourg 97 compare
- 6 Netherlands 97 compare
- 6 San Marino 97 compare
- 6 Slovenia 97 compare
- 6 Uruguay 97 compare
More social development data for Ireland
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 137,869 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 69 (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 69 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0251 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 Ireland?
- Freedom score in Ireland was 98 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom score recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 98 in 2003.
- What is the lowest freedom score recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 93 in 2002.
- How does Ireland rank for freedom score?
- Ireland ranks 5th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom score rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Ireland 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.