Political Rights Rating in Qatar
Qatar: Political Rights Rating was 6 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
6
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
44th
of 199 countries
All-time high
7
in 1989
All-time low
5
in 1976
Years of data
53
1972–2025
Political Rights Rating in Qatar, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for political rights rating in Qatar is 6, measured in 2025.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, political rights rating in Qatar peaked at 7 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 5, in 1976.
That places Qatar 44th out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.
Political Rights Rating in Qatar, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 6 | — |
| 1973 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 1977 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 7 | +40.0% |
| 1990 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 2000 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 | +0.0% |
Qatar compared with similar countries
- Qatar's 6 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1, 6.0× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Qatar's 6 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 6, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.5 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| 1980s | 5.22 | 5 | 7 | 9 |
| 1990s | 6.9 | 6 | 7 | 10 |
| 2000s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Qatar
- 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 Hong Kong 6 compare
- 44 Kuwait 6 compare
- 44 Oman 6 compare
- 44 Palestine 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 Qatar
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 195 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 73 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (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 73 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 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 -1.02 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is political rights rating in Qatar?
- Political rights rating in Qatar was 6 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest political rights rating recorded in Qatar?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 1989.
- What is the lowest political rights rating recorded in Qatar?
- The lowest recorded value was 5 in 1976.
- How does Qatar rank for political rights rating?
- Qatar ranks 44th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political rights rating rising or falling in Qatar?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Qatar 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.