Key features of human rights in Australia
Australia: Key features of human rights was 0.906 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Key features of human rights in Australia, 1789–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Australia recorded 0.906 for key features of human rights in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key features of human rights in Australia peaked at 0.955 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.483, in 1789.
Australia ranks 32nd of 176 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 237 years of available data.
Key features of human rights in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1789 | 0.483 | — |
| 1790 | 0.483 | +0.0% |
| 1791 | 0.483 | +0.0% |
| 1792 | 0.483 | +0.0% |
| 1793 | 0.483 | +0.0% |
| 1794 | 0.488 | +1.0% |
| 1795 | 0.493 | +1.0% |
| 1796 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1797 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1798 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1799 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1800 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1801 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1802 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1803 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1804 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1805 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1806 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1807 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1808 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1809 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1810 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1811 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1812 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1813 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1814 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1815 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1816 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1817 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1818 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1819 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1820 | 0.503 | +2.0% |
| 1821 | 0.503 | +0.0% |
| 1822 | 0.503 | +0.0% |
| 1823 | 0.563 | +11.9% |
| 1824 | 0.619 | +9.9% |
| 1825 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 1826 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 1827 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 1828 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 1829 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 1830 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 1831 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 1832 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 1833 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 1834 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 1835 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 1836 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 1837 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 1838 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 1839 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 1840 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 1841 | 0.822 | +32.8% |
| 1842 | 0.822 | +0.0% |
| 1843 | 0.822 | +0.0% |
| 1844 | 0.822 | +0.0% |
| 1845 | 0.822 | +0.0% |
| 1846 | 0.822 | +0.0% |
| 1847 | 0.822 | +0.0% |
| 1848 | 0.822 | +0.0% |
| 1849 | 0.822 | +0.0% |
| 1850 | 0.822 | +0.0% |
| 1851 | 0.822 | +0.0% |
| 1852 | 0.822 | +0.0% |
| 1853 | 0.822 | +0.0% |
| 1854 | 0.822 | +0.0% |
| 1855 | 0.822 | +0.0% |
| 1856 | 0.83 | +1.0% |
| 1857 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1858 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1859 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1860 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1861 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1862 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1863 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1864 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1865 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1866 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1867 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1868 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1869 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1870 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1871 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1872 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1873 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1874 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1875 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1876 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1877 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1878 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1879 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1880 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1881 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1882 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1883 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1884 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1886 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1887 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1888 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1889 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1891 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1892 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1893 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1894 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1896 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1897 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| 1898 | 0.826 | -0.5% |
| 1899 | 0.826 | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 0.826 | +0.0% |
| 1901 | 0.834 | +1.0% |
| 1902 | 0.837 | +0.4% |
| 1903 | 0.837 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.837 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.844 | +0.8% |
| 1906 | 0.844 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.844 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.844 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.844 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.842 | -0.2% |
| 1911 | 0.842 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.842 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.842 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.833 | -1.1% |
| 1915 | 0.825 | -1.0% |
| 1916 | 0.814 | -1.3% |
| 1917 | 0.814 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.823 | +1.1% |
| 1919 | 0.838 | +1.8% |
| 1920 | 0.843 | +0.6% |
| 1921 | 0.843 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.843 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.843 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.843 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.843 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.843 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.843 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.843 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.843 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.843 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.843 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.843 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.843 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.843 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.843 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.843 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.843 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.843 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.829 | -1.7% |
| 1940 | 0.801 | -3.4% |
| 1941 | 0.804 | +0.4% |
| 1942 | 0.807 | +0.4% |
| 1943 | 0.807 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.81 | +0.4% |
| 1945 | 0.81 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.872 | +7.7% |
| 1947 | 0.872 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.873 | +0.1% |
| 1949 | 0.873 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.906 | +3.8% |
| 1951 | 0.908 | +0.2% |
| 1952 | 0.911 | +0.3% |
| 1953 | 0.917 | +0.7% |
| 1954 | 0.917 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.917 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.922 | +0.5% |
| 1957 | 0.923 | +0.1% |
| 1958 | 0.923 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.923 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.922 | -0.1% |
| 1961 | 0.922 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.922 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.922 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.922 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.922 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.922 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.925 | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 0.94 | +1.6% |
| 1969 | 0.94 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.951 | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 0.951 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.954 | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 0.954 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.954 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.954 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.953 | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 0.953 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.953 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.953 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.951 | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 0.951 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.951 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.951 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.951 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.951 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.951 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.951 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.951 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.951 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.952 | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 0.952 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.952 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.952 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.952 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.952 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.952 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.95 | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 0.95 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.949 | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 0.952 | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 0.952 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.952 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.952 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.952 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.952 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.952 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.952 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.955 | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 0.955 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.953 | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 0.953 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.953 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.941 | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 0.939 | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 0.942 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 0.942 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.932 | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 0.933 | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 0.923 | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 0.906 | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 0.9 | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 0.919 | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 0.921 | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 0.918 | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 0.906 | -1.3% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 0.906 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.906, 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Australia's 0.906 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.728, 1.2× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0.483 | 0.483 | 0.483 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0.4885 | 0.483 | 0.493 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0.493 | 0.493 | 0.493 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0.493 | 0.493 | 0.493 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0.5786 | 0.503 | 0.619 | 10 |
| 1830s | 0.619 | 0.619 | 0.619 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0.8017 | 0.619 | 0.822 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.8252 | 0.822 | 0.83 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.83 | 0.83 | 0.83 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.83 | 0.83 | 0.83 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.83 | 0.83 | 0.83 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.8292 | 0.826 | 0.83 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.8391 | 0.826 | 0.844 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.8315 | 0.814 | 0.842 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.843 | 0.843 | 0.843 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.8416 | 0.829 | 0.843 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.8329 | 0.801 | 0.873 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.9167 | 0.906 | 0.923 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.9259 | 0.922 | 0.94 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.953 | 0.951 | 0.954 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.951 | 0.951 | 0.951 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9513 | 0.949 | 0.952 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9526 | 0.952 | 0.955 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9411 | 0.923 | 0.953 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9117 | 0.9 | 0.921 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 30 Austria 0.907 compare
- 30 Cape Verde 0.907 compare
- 33 Seychelles 0.904 compare
- 34 Italy 0.9 compare
- 35 Canada 0.897 compare
More social development data for Australia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 33,415 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 41 (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 41 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0012 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 key features of human rights in Australia?
- Key features of human rights in Australia was 0.906 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key features of human rights recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.955 in 2008.
- What is the lowest key features of human rights recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.483 in 1789.
- How does Australia rank for key features of human rights?
- Australia ranks 32nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key features of human rights rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Key features of human rights. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which people are free from government torture, political killings, and forced labor, they have property rights, and enjoy the freedoms of movement, religion, expression, and association.