Freedom in United Kingdom
Where United Kingdom sits on every statistic this site carries, each against the countries the same source covers. United Kingdom has a figure for 55 of 60 indicators.
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | 0.833 | 2025 | 49 of 163 |
| Freedom of association | 0.859 | 2025 | 48 of 163 |
| Civil liberties | 0.844 | 2025 | 54 of 163 |
| Freedom from political violence | 0.897 | 2025 | 45 of 163 |
| Equal protection of rights | 0.706 | 2025 | 61 of 163 |
| Academic freedom | 0.668 | 2025 | 77 of 163 |
| Media censorship effort | 1.279 | 2025 | 48 of 163 |
| Harassment of journalists | 1.845 | 2025 | 26 of 163 |
| Media self-censorship | 0.906 | 2025 | 54 of 163 |
| Universal right to vote | 1.000 | 2025 | 48 of 167 |
| Legal rights for women | 97.5 | 2023 | 17 of 164 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | 1.000 | 2023 | 48 of 164 |
| Access to justice for women | 0.000 | 2025 | 76 of 163 |
| Access to justice for men | 1.000 | 2025 | 21 of 163 |
| Civil liberties score | 53.0 | 2025 | 27 of 167 |
| Political rights score | 39.0 | 2025 | 13 of 167 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | 62.5% | 2025 | 78 of 125 |
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | 26.9% | 2024 | 76 of 83 |
| Government spending as a share of GDP | 41.2% | 2023 | 71 of 79 |
| Foreign investment inflows | 1.9% | 2025 | 41 of 87 |
| Regulatory quality | 78.7 | 2024 | 11 of 169 |
| GDP per capita | $54K | 2025 | 23 of 157 |
| GDP growth | 1.4% | 2025 | — |
| Inflation | 3.9% | 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 4.7% | 2025 | 72 of 163 |
| Government debt | 130.7% | 2024 | — |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | 95.5% | 2024 | 21 of 154 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | 42.2 | 2024 | 14 of 134 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 121.6 | 2024 | 62 of 134 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | 0.772 | 2025 | 35 of 163 |
| Liberal democracy | 0.689 | 2025 | 30 of 163 |
| Rule of law | 0.955 | 2025 | 19 of 163 |
| Judicial checks on government | 0.941 | 2025 | 21 of 163 |
| Legislative checks on government | 0.950 | 2025 | 10 of 157 |
| Political corruption | 0.042 | 2025 | 16 of 163 |
| Civil society participation | 0.889 | 2025 | 24 of 163 |
| Women’s political empowerment | 0.838 | 2025 | 51 of 163 |
| Voice and accountability | 79.6 | 2024 | 18 of 170 |
| Control of corruption | 78.4 | 2024 | 16 of 170 |
| Government effectiveness | 74.4 | 2024 | 24 of 169 |
| Political stability | 70.3 | 2024 | 58 of 170 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | 0.946 | 2023 | 12 of 165 |
| Life expectancy | 81.4 | 2024 | 29 of 170 |
| Health spending | 11.0% | 2023 | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | 14.6% | 2023 | 38 of 164 |
| Maternal mortality | 8.0 | 2023 | 37 of 167 |
| Women in parliament | 40.5% | 2025 | 24 of 156 |
| Women in the workforce | 57.3% | 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 1.55 | 2024 | — |
| Urban population | 83.3% | 2025 | — |
| Refugees who left | 0.6 | 2024 | 20 of 168 |
| Population | 69.5M | 2025 | — |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | 4.22 | 2024 | 110 of 165 |
| Renewable energy use | 12.2% | 2021 | 125 of 169 |
| Access to electricity | 100.0% | 2024 | 28 of 169 |
What is missing
5 of the 60 statistics here have no figure for United Kingdom in the year they were last ranked. Coverage differs by source: an indicator missing here is one its producer does not publish for United Kingdom, not a zero. Who publishes what