What is political rights rating in Rwanda?

Political rights rating in Rwanda was 6 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest political rights rating recorded in Rwanda?

The highest recorded value was 7 in 1972.

What is the lowest political rights rating recorded in Rwanda?

The lowest recorded value was 6 in 1978.

How does Rwanda rank for political rights rating?

Rwanda ranks 44th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.

Is political rights rating rising or falling in Rwanda?

Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this Rwanda 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.

Political Rights Rating in Rwanda

Name: Political Rights Rating in Rwanda
Creator: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Rwanda: Political Rights Rating was 6 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

44th

of 199 countries

All-time high

in 1972

All-time low

in 1978

Years of data

1972–2025

Political Rights Rating in Rwanda, 1972–2025

Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, political rights rating in Rwanda stood at 6. That is the lowest 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 Rwanda peaked at 7 in 1972 and was at its lowest, 6, in 1978.

That places Rwanda 44th out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.

Political Rights Rating in Rwanda, year by year

Annual values for Political Rights Rating in Rwanda, 1972 to 2025.
Year	Value	Change
1972	7	—
1973	7	+0.0%
1974	7	+0.0%
1975	7	+0.0%
1976	7	+0.0%
1977	7	+0.0%
1978	6	-14.3%
1979	6	+0.0%
1980	6	+0.0%
1982	6	+0.0%
1983	6	+0.0%
1984	6	+0.0%
1985	6	+0.0%
1986	6	+0.0%
1987	6	+0.0%
1988	6	+0.0%
1989	6	+0.0%
1990	6	+0.0%
1991	6	+0.0%
1992	6	+0.0%
1993	6	+0.0%
1994	7	+16.7%
1995	7	+0.0%
1996	7	+0.0%
1997	7	+0.0%
1998	7	+0.0%
1999	7	+0.0%
2000	7	+0.0%
2001	7	+0.0%
2002	7	+0.0%
2003	6	-14.3%
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%

Rwanda compared with similar countries

Rwanda's 6 is below the median for low income countries, which is 7, 86% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Rwanda's 6 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1970s	6.75	6	7	8
1980s	6	6	6	9
1990s	6.6	6	7	10
2000s	6.3	6	7	10
2010s	6	6	6	10
2020s	6	6	6	6

Countries ranked near Rwanda

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More social development data for Rwanda

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 115,794 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 244,415 (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 0.0168 units per person (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 244,415 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0079 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 1.25 % change on previous year (2025)

All data for Rwanda →

Frequently asked questions

What is political rights rating in Rwanda?: Political rights rating in Rwanda was 6 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest political rights rating recorded in Rwanda?: The highest recorded value was 7 in 1972.
What is the lowest political rights rating recorded in Rwanda?: The lowest recorded value was 6 in 1978.
How does Rwanda rank for political rights rating?: Rwanda ranks 44th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
Is political rights rating rising or falling in Rwanda?: Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Rwanda 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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Political Rights Rating in Rwanda. Statizoid, drawing on Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 07 October 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/political-rights-rating-fh/rwanda/

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About this data

Indicator: Political Rights Rating
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 199 places, 10,083 data points, 1972–2025
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Identifies the extent of free and fair elections, political pluralism and participation, and a functioning government. Lower ratings indicate more rights.