Political Rights Score in Belgium
Belgium: Political Rights Score was 38 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Political Rights Score in Belgium, 2002–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 38 for political rights score in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, political rights score in Belgium peaked at 40 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 38, in 2025.
Belgium ranks 19th of 197 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Political Rights Score in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 39 | — |
| 2003 | 40 | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 39 | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 39 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 40 | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 39 | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 39 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 40 | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 39 | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 40 | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 40 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 40 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 40 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 40 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 40 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 39 | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 39 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 39 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 39 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 39 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 39 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 39 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 39 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 38 | -2.6% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 38 is above the median for high income countries, which is 37, 1.0× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 38 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 35, 1.1× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 39.38 | 39 | 40 | 8 |
| 2010s | 39.6 | 39 | 40 | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.83 | 38 | 39 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 19 Andorra 38 compare
- 19 Austria 38 compare
- 19 Bahamas 38 compare
- 19 Cape Verde 38 compare
- 19 Chile 38 compare
- 19 Costa Rica 38 compare
- 19 Cyprus 38 compare
- 19 France 38 compare
- 19 Iceland 38 compare
- 19 Lithuania 38 compare
- 19 Luxembourg 38 compare
- 19 Marshall Islands 38 compare
- 19 Saint Lucia 38 compare
- 19 Taiwan 38 compare
More social development data for Belgium
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 186,393 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 113 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (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 113 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0156 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is political rights score in Belgium?
- Political rights score in Belgium was 38 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest political rights score recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 40 in 2003.
- What is the lowest political rights score recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 38 in 2025.
- How does Belgium rank for political rights score?
- Belgium ranks 19th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political rights score rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Political Rights Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Identifies the fine-grained extent of free and fair elections, political pluralism and participation, and a functioning government. Higher scores indicate more rights.