Political Rights Rating in New Zealand
New Zealand: Political Rights Rating was 1 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
153rd
of 199 countries
All-time high
1
in 1972
All-time low
1
in 1972
Years of data
53
1972–2025
Political Rights Rating in New Zealand, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for political rights rating in New Zealand is 1, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 53 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, political rights rating in New Zealand peaked at 1 in 1972 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1972.
New Zealand ranks 153rd of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Political Rights Rating in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 1 | — |
| 1973 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 1 | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 1980s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 1990s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 153 Andorra 1 compare
- 153 Australia 1 compare
- 153 Austria 1 compare
- 153 Bahamas 1 compare
- 153 Barbados 1 compare
- 153 Belgium 1 compare
- 153 Canada 1 compare
- 153 Cape Verde 1 compare
- 153 Chile 1 compare
- 153 Costa Rica 1 compare
- 153 Cyprus 1 compare
- 153 Czechia 1 compare
- 153 Denmark 1 compare
- 153 Dominica 1 compare
- 153 Estonia 1 compare
- 153 Finland 1 compare
- 153 France 1 compare
- 153 Germany 1 compare
- 153 Grenada 1 compare
- 153 Iceland 1 compare
- 153 Ireland 1 compare
- 153 Japan 1 compare
- 153 Kiribati 1 compare
- 153 Latvia 1 compare
- 153 Lithuania 1 compare
- 153 Luxembourg 1 compare
- 153 Marshall Islands 1 compare
- 153 Mauritius 1 compare
- 153 Micronesia, Federated States of 1 compare
- 153 Mongolia 1 compare
- 153 Netherlands 1 compare
- 153 Norway 1 compare
- 153 Palau 1 compare
- 153 Portugal 1 compare
- 153 Puerto Rico 1 compare
- 153 Saint Lucia 1 compare
- 153 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 compare
- 153 San Marino 1 compare
- 153 Slovenia 1 compare
- 153 Spain 1 compare
- 153 Sweden 1 compare
- 153 Switzerland 1 compare
- 153 Taiwan 1 compare
- 153 Tuvalu 1 compare
- 153 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1 compare
- 153 Uruguay 1 compare
More social development data for New Zealand
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,148 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 58 (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 58 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0004 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 4.12 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is political rights rating in New Zealand?
- Political rights rating in New Zealand was 1 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest political rights rating recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 1 in 1972.
- What is the lowest political rights rating recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1972.
- How does New Zealand rank for political rights rating?
- New Zealand ranks 153rd out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political rights rating rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this New Zealand 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Identifies the extent of free and fair elections, political pluralism and participation, and a functioning government. Lower ratings indicate more rights.