Freedom Score in Kuwait
Kuwait: Freedom Score was 30 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Freedom Score in Kuwait, 2002–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for freedom score in Kuwait is 30, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is down 3.2% on the previous year and down 16.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom score in Kuwait peaked at 46 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 30, in 2025.
Kuwait ranks 143rd of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Freedom Score in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 42 | — |
| 2003 | 42 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 42 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 43 | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 46 | +7.0% |
| 2007 | 46 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 46 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 46 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 44 | -4.3% |
| 2011 | 44 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 41 | -6.8% |
| 2013 | 39 | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 37 | -5.1% |
| 2015 | 36 | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 36 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 36 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 36 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 36 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 37 | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 37 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 37 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 38 | +2.7% |
| 2024 | 31 | -18.4% |
| 2025 | 30 | -3.2% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 30 is below the median for high income countries, which is 90, 33% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 30 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 24.5, 1.2× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 44.12 | 42 | 46 | 8 |
| 2010s | 38.5 | 36 | 44 | 10 |
| 2020s | 35 | 30 | 38 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
More social development data for Kuwait
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 386 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,369 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0007 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,369 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 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 Kuwait?
- Freedom score in Kuwait was 30 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom score recorded in Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 46 in 2006.
- What is the lowest freedom score recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 30 in 2025.
- How does Kuwait rank for freedom score?
- Kuwait ranks 143rd out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom score rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kuwait 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.