Freedom Score in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Freedom Score was 63 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Freedom Score in Sri Lanka, 2002–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for freedom score in Sri Lanka is 63, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is up 8.6% on the previous year and up 14.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom score in Sri Lanka peaked at 63 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 41, in 2014.
That places Sri Lanka 98th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Freedom Score in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 59 | — |
| 2003 | 62 | +5.1% |
| 2004 | 61 | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 59 | -3.3% |
| 2006 | 56 | -5.1% |
| 2007 | 52 | -7.1% |
| 2008 | 52 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 52 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 45 | -13.5% |
| 2011 | 45 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 43 | -4.4% |
| 2013 | 42 | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 41 | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 55 | +34.1% |
| 2016 | 56 | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 55 | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 56 | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 56 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 56 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 55 | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 54 | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 54 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 58 | +7.4% |
| 2025 | 63 | +8.6% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 63 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 61.5, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 63 is above the median for South Asia, which is 60.5, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Freedom Score in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | +34.1% | 41 | 55 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 56.62 | 52 | 62 | 8 |
| 2010s | 49.4 | 41 | 56 | 10 |
| 2020s | 56.67 | 54 | 63 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More social development data for Sri Lanka
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 213 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 148,369 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 3 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0068 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 148,369 (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 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is freedom score in Sri Lanka?
- Freedom score in Sri Lanka was 63 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom score recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 63 in 2025.
- What is the lowest freedom score recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 41 in 2014.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for freedom score?
- Sri Lanka ranks 98th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom score rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.