Political Rights Score in Laos
Laos: Political Rights Score was 2 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Political Rights Score in Laos, 2002–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for political rights score in Laos is 2, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 100.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, political rights score in Laos peaked at 3 in 2002 and was at its lowest, 0, in 2010.
That places Laos 168th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Political Rights Score in Laos, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 3 | — |
| 2003 | 2 | -33.3% |
| 2004 | 1 | -50.0% |
| 2005 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 2011 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 1 | — |
| 2014 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 2019 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 2 | +0.0% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 2 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 15, 13% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Laos's 2 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 28, 7% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.38 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| 2010s | 0.9 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More social development data for Laos
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 80 (1987)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6,489 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0008 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6,489 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (1987)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of -4.76 % change on previous year (1984)
Frequently asked questions
- What is political rights score in Laos?
- Political rights score in Laos was 2 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest political rights score recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 3 in 2002.
- What is the lowest political rights score recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 2010.
- How does Laos rank for political rights score?
- Laos ranks 168th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political rights score rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Laos 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.