The United States’ human rights practices are taking a nosedive
New data from a global rights-tracking project shows the country had large declines in 2025 on 8 of the 9 civil and political rights it measures.
The United States' human rights record has been deteriorating, particularly in the lead-up to the 2026 midterm elections, according to data from the Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI). Despite President Donald Trump's claims of the country's exceptional status, the US lags behind most high-income democracies in both civil and political rights, as well as economic and social rights.
These rights include the right to be free from torture, the right to political participation, the right to health, and the right to food. The US has consistently ranked poorly across these rights for many years, regardless of the political party in power. Even when accounting for the US's historical poor performance, the recent data shows a further decline in civil and political rights.
This decline is attributed to a combination of factors, including the politicization of government transparency and the lack of accurate reporting by the US government itself.
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