Freedom Score in Netherlands
Netherlands: Freedom Score was 97 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Freedom Score in Netherlands, 2002–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, freedom score in Netherlands stood at 97. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom score in Netherlands peaked at 100 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 97, in 2021.
Netherlands ranks 6th of 197 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Freedom Score in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 98 | — |
| 2003 | 100 | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 99 | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 99 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 99 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 99 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 99 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 99 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 98 | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 99 | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 99 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 99 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 99 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 99 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 99 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 99 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 99 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 99 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 98 | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 97 | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 97 | +0.0% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 97 is above the median for high income countries, which is 90, 1.1× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 97 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 | 99 | 98 | 100 | 8 |
| 2010s | 98.9 | 98 | 99 | 10 |
| 2020s | 97.17 | 97 | 98 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More social development data for Netherlands
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 283,935 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 159 (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 159 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0157 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 Netherlands?
- Freedom score in Netherlands was 97 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom score recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 100 in 2003.
- What is the lowest freedom score recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 97 in 2021.
- How does Netherlands rank for freedom score?
- Netherlands ranks 6th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom score rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Netherlands 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.