Political Rights Rating in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Political Rights Rating was 3 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
3
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
95th
of 199 countries
All-time high
5
in 2010
All-time low
2
in 1972
Years of data
53
1972–2025
Political Rights Rating in Sri Lanka, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 3 for political rights rating in 2025.
The figure is down 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, political rights rating in Sri Lanka peaked at 5 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 2, in 1972.
Sri Lanka ranks 95th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.
Political Rights Rating in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 2 | — |
| 1973 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 3 | +50.0% |
| 1984 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 1990 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 1997 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 2007 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 2011 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 2016 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 2017 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 2020 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 2025 | 3 | +0.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 3 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 3 is above the median for South Asia, which is 3, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 1980s | 2.89 | 2 | 4 | 9 |
| 1990s | 3.6 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.4 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.2 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.67 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 95 Albania 3 compare
- 95 Dominican Republic 3 compare
- 95 Ecuador 3 compare
- 95 Fiji 3 compare
- 95 Guyana 3 compare
- 95 Hungary 3 compare
- 95 Indonesia 3 compare
- 95 Mexico 3 compare
- 95 Moldova 3 compare
- 95 Monaco 3 compare
- 95 Montenegro 3 compare
- 95 Namibia 3 compare
- 95 Nepal 3 compare
- 95 North Macedonia 3 compare
- 95 Paraguay 3 compare
- 95 Peru 3 compare
- 95 Philippines 3 compare
- 95 Solomon Islands 3 compare
- 95 Tonga 3 compare
More social development data for Sri Lanka
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 213 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 148,369 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0068 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 148,369 (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 -8.19 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is political rights rating in Sri Lanka?
- Political rights rating in Sri Lanka was 3 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest political rights rating recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 5 in 2010.
- What is the lowest political rights rating recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 2 in 1972.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for political rights rating?
- Sri Lanka ranks 95th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political rights rating rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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
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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.