Political Rights Rating in Turkey
Turkey: Political Rights Rating was 5 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Political Rights Rating in Turkey, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, political rights rating in Turkey stood at 5. That is the highest value across all 53 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 66.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, political rights rating in Turkey peaked at 5 in 1980 and was at its lowest, 2, in 1973.
That places Turkey 64th out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Turkey, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 3 | — |
| 1973 | 2 | -33.3% |
| 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 | 5 | +150.0% |
| 1982 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 1984 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 1985 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 2 | -33.3% |
| 1988 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 3 | +50.0% |
| 1990 | 2 | -33.3% |
| 1991 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 4 | +100.0% |
| 1994 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 1995 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 1997 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 2003 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 2017 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 2018 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 5 | +0.0% |
Turkey compared with similar countries
- Turkey's 5 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3, 1.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Turkey's 5 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2, 2.5× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.12 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| 1980s | 3.33 | 2 | 5 | 9 |
| 1990s | 3.6 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.2 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.7 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Turkey
- 64 Bangladesh 5 compare
- 64 Bosnia and Herzegovina 5 compare
- 64 Comoros 5 compare
- 64 Cote d'Ivoire 5 compare
- 64 El Salvador 5 compare
- 64 Iraq 5 compare
- 64 Jordan 5 compare
- 64 Lebanon 5 compare
- 64 Madagascar 5 compare
- 64 Mauritania 5 compare
- 64 Morocco 5 compare
- 64 Mozambique 5 compare
- 64 Pakistan 5 compare
- 64 USSR 5 compare
More social development data for Turkey
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2.39 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 149,405 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0017 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 149,405 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0278 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 -18.71 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is political rights rating in Turkey?
- Political rights rating in Turkey was 5 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest political rights rating recorded in Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 5 in 1980.
- What is the lowest political rights rating recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 2 in 1973.
- How does Turkey rank for political rights rating?
- Turkey ranks 64th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political rights rating rising or falling in Turkey?
- Over the last ten years it is up 66.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Turkey 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.