Political Rights Rating in Hong Kong
Hong Kong: Political Rights Rating was 6 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Political Rights Rating in Hong Kong, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for political rights rating in Hong Kong is 6, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, political rights rating in Hong Kong peaked at 6 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 3, in 1972.
Hong Kong ranks 44th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Political Rights Rating in Hong Kong, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 3 | — |
| 1974 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 1980 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 1994 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 1996 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 6 | +50.0% |
| 1998 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 1999 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 2022 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.14 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 1980s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 9 |
| 1990s | 4.6 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| 2000s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.83 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong
- 44 Algeria 6 compare
- 44 Angola 6 compare
- 44 Brunei 6 compare
- 44 Cameroon 6 compare
- 44 Egypt 6 compare
- 44 Ethiopia 6 compare
- 44 Guinea 6 compare
- 44 Guinea-Bissau 6 compare
- 44 Kuwait 6 compare
- 44 Oman 6 compare
- 44 Palestine 6 compare
- 44 Qatar 6 compare
- 44 Rwanda 6 compare
- 44 Tanzania 6 compare
- 44 Thailand 6 compare
- 44 Togo 6 compare
- 44 Tunisia 6 compare
- 44 Uganda 6 compare
- 44 Zimbabwe 6 compare
More social development data for Hong Kong
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 236 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 245 (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 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 245 (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)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of -9.23 % change on previous year (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 236 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is political rights rating in Hong Kong?
- Political rights rating in Hong Kong was 6 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest political rights rating recorded in Hong Kong?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 1997.
- What is the lowest political rights rating recorded in Hong Kong?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 in 1972.
- How does Hong Kong rank for political rights rating?
- Hong Kong ranks 44th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political rights rating rising or falling in Hong Kong?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Hong Kong data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Political Rights Rating. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Identifies the extent of free and fair elections, political pluralism and participation, and a functioning government. Lower ratings indicate more rights.