Freedom Score in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Freedom Score was 92 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Freedom Score in United Kingdom, 2002–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, freedom score in United Kingdom stood at 92.
That represents a change of down 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom score in United Kingdom peaked at 98 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 91, in 2023.
That places United Kingdom 29th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Freedom Score in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 97 | — |
| 2003 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 96 | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 98 | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 97 | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 96 | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 97 | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 96 | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 97 | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 97 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 95 | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 95 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 94 | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 93 | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 94 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 93 | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 93 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 93 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 91 | -2.2% |
| 2024 | 92 | +1.1% |
| 2025 | 92 | +0.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 92 is above the median for high income countries, which is 90, 1.0× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 92 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 | 96 | 98 | 8 |
| 2010s | 95.5 | 93 | 97 | 10 |
| 2020s | 92.33 | 91 | 93 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 29 Cape Verde 92 compare
- 29 Dominica 92 compare
- 29 Micronesia (country) 92 compare
- 29 Palau 92 compare
More social development data for United Kingdom
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 581,072 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 517 (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 517 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0084 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 United Kingdom?
- Freedom score in United Kingdom was 92 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom score recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 98 in 2006.
- What is the lowest freedom score recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 91 in 2023.
- How does United Kingdom rank for freedom score?
- United Kingdom ranks 29th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom score rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.