V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · Freedom of Peaceful Assembly
Freedom of assembly by country
Can people gather peacefully in public without the authorities stopping them?
Sweden placed first of the 172 countries compared in 2025, at 3.486, and Belarus last, at -3.344. In the middle country the figure was 0.756. Among the 164 countries measured in every edition since 1990, the middle one moved from 0.242 to 0.693.
Share
Part ofDemocracy & Civil Liberties
Freedom of assembly · 2025
Context statistic
Highest of 172Sweden
3.486012025 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 172 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: User:Pieter Kuiper · Public domain, greyscale
2Photo: Ralf Lotys (Sicherlich) · CC BY 3.0, greyscale
3Photo: john mcsporran from Trossachs, Scotland · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
Lowest in 2025
- 172
Belarus-3.344 - 171
North Korea-3.143 - 170
Eritrea-2.898
Positions out of 172. Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
Highest on each continent
- Africa
South Africa2.697 - Americas
Jamaica2.878 - Asia
Taiwan2.944 - EuropeSweden3.486
- Oceania
New Zealand2.482 - Every region
02Every measured country
Freedom of assembly on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- -3.344–-0.979
- -0.964–0.171
- 0.182–1.159
- 1.244–2.029
- 2.051–3.486
- No reading in 2025 (4 measured in an earlier edition)
- Europe
1.984
the middle country, of 40 measured · 49 members
Sweden3.486Belarus-3.344Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Americas
1.349
the middle country, of 26 measured · 48 members
Jamaica2.878
Nicaragua-1.954Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Oceania
1.273
the middle country, of 5 measured · 21 members
New Zealand2.482
Papua New Guinea0.206Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Africa
-0.126
the middle country, of 53 measured · 55 members
South Africa2.697Eritrea-2.898Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Asia
-0.619
the middle country, of 48 measured · 52 members
Taiwan2.944North Korea-3.143Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Every region
20 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Northern Europe
2.572
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Sweden3.486
United Kingdom0.850Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Western Europe
2.003
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Luxembourg2.897
Switzerland1.303Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Southern Europe
1.965
the middle country, of 13 measured · 17 members
Malta2.769
Serbia0.012Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Central America
1.808
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
Costa Rica2.513Nicaragua-1.954Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Eastern Europe
1.511
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Poland3.158Belarus-3.344Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Southern Africa
1.502
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
South Africa2.697
Eswatini-1.620Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Caribbean
1.339
the middle country, of 5 measured · 24 members
Jamaica2.878
Cuba-1.645Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- South America
1.138
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Uruguay2.824
Venezuela-1.585Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Eastern Asia
0.944
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
Taiwan2.944North Korea-3.143Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Western Africa
0.428
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Cabo Verde1.866
Mali-1.425Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Southern Asia
0.171
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Sri Lanka1.609
Afghanistan-2.822Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Northern Africa
-0.140
the middle country, of 5 measured · 6 members
Tunisia1.050
Egypt-1.154Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- South-eastern Asia
-0.247
the middle country, of 10 measured · 11 members
Indonesia0.984
Myanmar-2.756Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Middle Africa
-0.575
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
São Tomé and Príncipe1.796
Equatorial Guinea-2.065Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Eastern Africa
-0.593
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
Seychelles2.459Eritrea-2.898Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Western Asia
-0.783
the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members
Cyprus2.298
Saudi Arabia-2.388Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Central Asia
-1.096
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Kyrgyzstan-0.566
Tajikistan-2.592Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
New Zealand2.482
Australia1.803Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Melanesia
3 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands.
Solomon Islands1.273Papua New Guinea0.206Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
Canada2.051
United States0.428Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
03The whole field at once
The spread
172 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 0.756; a quarter are above 1.804, and a quarter below -0.791. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 176 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. Higher is better. Limits that are lawful, necessary and proportionate — for public safety, say — do not count against a country; limits used as a pretext to silence opponents do. It measures whether people may gather, not how often they do: that is Mass Mobilization, also on this site.
Showing 25 of 176 countries
Values for 2025. The change column compares 2025 with 2024 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051990–2025 · 36 reference years
Over time
Each point is one year from 1990, all of them re-estimated together in V-Dem's v16 release. The scale has no fixed ends, so read the movement and the gap to other countries rather than the number on its own.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 164 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 172 | 0.756 | -0.791 – 1.804 | 0.693 |
| 2024 | 175 | 0.756 | -0.816 – 1.851 | 0.726 |
| 2023 | 176 | 0.871 | -0.677 – 1.972 | 0.800 |
| 2022 | 176 | 0.871 | -0.535 – 1.936 | 0.808 |
| 2021 | 176 | 0.885 | -0.518 – 1.873 | 0.823 |
| 2020 | 176 | 0.894 | -0.539 – 1.930 | 0.872 |
| 2019 | 176 | 1.158 | -0.423 – 2.089 | 1.087 |
| 2018 | 176 | 1.243 | -0.461 – 2.070 | 1.189 |
| 2017 | 176 | 1.174 | -0.461 – 2.117 | 1.138 |
| 2016 | 176 | 1.223 | -0.461 – 2.071 | 1.174 |
| 2015 | 176 | 1.166 | -0.358 – 2.124 | 1.151 |
| 2014 | 176 | 1.166 | -0.224 – 2.133 | 1.113 |
| 2013 | 176 | 1.190 | -0.219 – 2.095 | 1.166 |
| 2012 | 176 | 1.209 | -0.215 – 2.117 | 1.159 |
| 2011 | 176 | 1.255 | -0.298 – 2.133 | 1.159 |
| 2010 | 175 | 1.213 | -0.310 – 2.138 | 1.151 |
| 2009 | 175 | 1.109 | -0.175 – 2.126 | 1.071 |
| 2008 | 175 | 1.109 | -0.175 – 2.141 | 1.071 |
| 2007 | 175 | 1.182 | -0.263 – 2.139 | 1.083 |
| 2006 | 175 | 1.195 | -0.225 – 2.159 | 1.098 |
| 2005 | 175 | 1.208 | -0.174 – 2.143 | 1.171 |
| 2004 | 175 | 1.182 | -0.244 – 2.165 | 1.115 |
| 2003 | 175 | 1.182 | -0.310 – 2.165 | 1.142 |
| 2002 | 175 | 1.208 | -0.382 – 2.143 | 1.146 |
| 2001 | 175 | 1.157 | -0.382 – 2.127 | 1.127 |
| 2000 | 175 | 1.113 | -0.408 – 2.079 | 1.033 |
| 1999 | 175 | 0.973 | -0.477 – 2.050 | 1.002 |
| 1998 | 174 | 0.948 | -0.558 – 2.055 | 0.963 |
| 1997 | 173 | 0.866 | -0.566 – 2.059 | 0.859 |
| 1996 | 173 | 0.820 | -0.535 – 2.041 | 0.783 |
| 1995 | 173 | 0.840 | -0.535 – 1.900 | 0.832 |
| 1994 | 173 | 0.722 | -0.458 – 1.900 | 0.720 |
| 1993 | 173 | 0.764 | -0.458 – 2.059 | 0.756 |
| 1992 | 171 | 0.722 | -0.589 – 1.937 | 0.701 |
| 1991 | 170 | 0.615 | -0.689 – 1.889 | 0.577 |
| 1990 | 167 | 0.269 | -0.775 – 1.842 | 0.242 |
062024 → 2025
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after
Mauritius0.719 → 1.991 · 91st → 37th+1.272
South Korea1.432 → 2.542 · 63rd → 18th+1.110- Jamaica1.799 → 2.878 · 48th → 7th+1.079
- Poland2.084 → 3.158 · 36th → 2nd+1.074
Bangladesh-0.421 → 0.547 · 121st → 91st+0.968
172 countries were measured in both 2024 and 2025. The field changed from 175 to 172 countries, so a place can move for reasons that have nothing to do with the country itself.
07Across every edition
Freedom of assembly in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
3.486
Original latent estimate (≈ −3.5 to +3.5); higher = more freedom
Lowest reading on record
-3.470
Original latent estimate (≈ −3.5 to +3.5); higher = more freedom
Biggest improvement between editions
+2.855
-1.603 → 1.252
Biggest decline between editions
−2.626
-0.534 → -3.160
Most improved since first measured
+3.983
-1.286 → 2.697
At the top most often
36 of 36
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About freedom of assembly
V-Dem's measure of freedom of peaceful assembly asks how far the authorities allow and protect people's right to gather in public for a shared purpose, from almost always to never — the last where the state is willing to use lethal force to stop them. It is an expert-coded estimate on an open-ended scale centred near zero, and a higher figure means the right is better respected.
What the number is: Original latent estimate (≈ −3.5 to +3.5); higher = more freedom.
What it does not measure
It measures whether the authorities allow and protect peaceful gatherings, not how often people actually gather, and not freedom to form parties and associations.
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Democracy & Civil Liberties, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Moves with
Where freedom of assembly is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Civic Space RatingsKeyCIVICUS · 172 countries in commonρ 0.89
- V-Dem Electoral Democracy IndexKeyV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 172 countries in commonρ 0.89
- Freedom of Expression and Alternative Sources of Information IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 172 countries in commonρ 0.88
Moves against
Where freedom of assembly is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Neopatrimonial Rule IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 172 countries in commonρ −0.80
- Informal Employment RateILO · 84 countries in commonρ −0.64
- Political Corruption IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 172 countries in commonρ −0.61
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 378 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
More from V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
11Questions
Freedom of assembly: questions and answers
Which country has the highest freedom of assembly?
Sweden, at 3.486, among the 172 countries compared in 2025.
Which country has the lowest freedom of assembly?
Belarus, at -3.344, among the 172 countries compared in 2025.
How many countries does the Freedom of Peaceful Assembly cover?
172 in 2025, and 176 at least once across all editions. The number measured varies from 167 to 176 between editions.
What is the world average freedom of assembly?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 172 compared in 2025, the figure was 0.756.
Is this V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg’s own ranking?
No. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Freedom of Peaceful Assembly published?
This site holds 36 reference years, 1990–2025, all recalculated in V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg’s 2026 report on one method — not 36 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, under CC BY-SA 4.0. From the V-Dem Institute's Country-Year Core dataset (v16), University of Gothenburg, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. V-Dem's data runs back to 1900 for this question; the series here starts in 1990 so that every row belongs to a present-day country. Stored as the measurement model's original estimate, not V-Dem's 0–4 rescaling. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Freedom of Peaceful Assembly — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
From the V-Dem Institute's Country-Year Core dataset (v16), University of Gothenburg, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. V-Dem's data runs back to 1900 for this question; the series here starts in 1990 so that every row belongs to a present-day country. Stored as the measurement model's original estimate, not V-Dem's 0–4 rescaling.
Newest edition
Report year 2025Data year 2025
Cite the source as: Coppedge, M. et al. V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v16. Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project, University of Gothenburg.
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0, checked 2026-09-29.
How this page reads the numbers
- V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Sweden — User:Pieter Kuiper, Public domain
- Poland — Ralf Lotys (Sicherlich), CC BY 3.0
- Czechia — john mcsporran from Trossachs, Scotland, CC BY 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Freedom of assembly by country: Freedom of Peaceful Assembly, data from V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/freedom-of-assembly