Sierra Leone is ranked 37 in the civil liberty index in the world, unchanged from the previous year.

In the African region, Sierra Leone is ranked 9 among the top 10 countries ahead of Seychelles, and below Cape Verde, South Africa, Sao Tome. & Principe, Namibia, Mauritius, Ghana, Botswana, and Benin.

When the current SLPP government took over power in 2018, Sierra Leone civil liberties index score was at 38 score, but has been making steady progress ever since, having ranked 37 in the past three years.

This indicator measures country performance on freedom of expression and belief, associational and organizational rights, rule of law and human rights, personal autonomy, individual and economic rights, and the independence of the judiciary.

Countries are rated on the following factors:

1. freedom of cultural expression, religious institutions and expression, and academia;

2. freedom of assembly and demonstration, of political organization and professional organization, and collective bargaining;

3. independence of the media and the judiciary;
4. freedom from economic exploitation;

5. protection from police terror, unjustified imprisonment, exile, and torture;

6. the existence of rule of law, personal property rights, and equal treatment under the law;

7. freedom from indoctrination and excessive dependency on the state;

8. equality of opportunity;

9. freedom to choose where to travel, reside, and work;

10. freedom to select a marriage partner and determine whether or how many children to have; and

11. the existence of a legal framework to grant asylum or refugee status in accordance with international and regional conventions and system for refugee protection.

A team of expert analysts and scholars evaluate countries on a 60-point scale – with 60 representing “most free” and 0 representing “least free.” The Civil Liberties indicator is based on a 15 question checklist grouped into four subcategories: Freedom of Expression and Belief (4 questions), Associational and Organizational Rights (3 questions), Rule of Law (4 questions), and Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights (4 questions). Points are awarded to each question on a scale of 0 to 4, where 0 points represents the fewest liberties and 4 represents the most liberties. The highest number of points that can be awarded to the Civil Liberties checklist is 60 (or a total of up to 4 points for each of the 15 questions).