Which countries rank highest on freedom of expression?

Every country ranked by the V-Dem freedom of expression index for 2025 (179 countries, 0–100 scale).

Freedom of expression rankings, 2025 — 179 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	98.0	−0.5	−0.7
2	🇮🇪 Ireland	97.0	−0.4	−0.4
3	🇧🇪 Belgium	96.9	0.0	−0.8
4	🇪🇪 Estonia	96.9	0.0	+0.6
5	🇨🇭 Switzerland	96.7	0.0	−1.1
6	🇫🇷 France	95.9	0.0	−1.1
7	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	95.7	0.0	0.0
8	🇳🇴 Norway	95.3	+0.5	−2.6
9	🇨🇿 Czechia	94.7	−1.3	+3.1
10	🇸🇪 Sweden	94.6	0.0	−2.8
11	🇫🇮 Finland	94.6	−0.4	−1.5
12	🇰🇷 South Korea	93.3	+15.1	+17.3
13	🇨🇦 Canada	93.3	−0.8	+0.3
14	🇱🇻 Latvia	93.2	0.0	−1.7
15	🇺🇾 Uruguay	93.1	+1.8	−4.1
16	🇳🇿 New Zealand	92.7	−2.3	−1.5
17	🇨🇱 Chile	92.6	−0.2	−1.7
18	🇯🇲 Jamaica	91.9	0.0	−1.9
19	🇦🇹 Austria	91.8	−0.5	−4.8
20	🇵🇱 Poland	91.7	+0.6	−3.4
21	🇱🇹 Lithuania	91.7	−1.6	−3.4
22	🇦🇺 Australia	91.5	−0.8	−3.7
23	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	91.5	0.0	−4.0
24	🇩🇪 Germany	91.4	−0.6	−6.5
25	🇧🇧 Barbados	91.1	−0.9	+2.5
26	🇧🇷 Brazil	91.0	−1.3	−1.1
27	🇳🇱 Netherlands	91.0	+1.8	−4.7
28	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	90.1	+0.2	+11.2
29	🇰🇪 Kenya	90.0	+0.3	+1.9
30	🇵🇹 Portugal	89.9	0.0	−7.3
31	🇬🇭 Ghana	89.6	+3.9	−0.7
32	🇸🇷 Suriname	89.1	+0.3	+2.7
33	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	88.8	+0.2	+2.5
34	🇲🇺 Mauritius	88.7	+26.6	+2.5
35	🇸🇨 Seychelles	87.4	+5.2	+24.3
36	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	87.1	+1.4	+17.9
37	🇭🇳 Honduras	86.1	−0.6	+20.5
38	🇳🇦 Namibia	85.9	+1.5	+2.4
39	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	85.7	−0.1	−4.0
40	🇲🇪 Montenegro	85.3	−0.2	+7.3
41	🇳🇬 Nigeria	84.9	−4.4	−4.1
42	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	84.8	−3.6	−7.2
43	🇯🇵 Japan	84.7	−0.2	−2.2
44	🇮🇸 Iceland	84.6	−6.6	−8.3
45	🇪🇸 Spain	84.3	−0.7	−6.1
46	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	84.0	0.0	+1.9
47	🇬🇹 Guatemala	83.9	+3.5	+7.4
48	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	83.9	+2.1	+3.9
49	🇹🇼 Taiwan	83.8	−1.3	−7.2
50	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	83.8	+0.1	−1.8
51	🇿🇦 South Africa	83.7	+0.2	−4.0
52	🇱🇷 Liberia	83.6	0.0	−0.4
53	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	83.3	−8.2	−11.4
54	🇲🇹 Malta	82.9	0.0	+2.1
55	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	82.3	0.0	+6.0
56	🇮🇱 Israel	82.2	−1.6	−1.7
57	🇸🇳 Senegal	82.0	0.0	−11.9
58	🇬🇲 The Gambia	81.4	+0.6	+62.0
59	🇳🇵 Nepal	81.3	−1.9	−4.6
60	🇵🇦 Panama	81.2	+0.8	−3.9
61	🇨🇾 Cyprus	81.2	−1.1	−12.2
62	🇨🇴 Colombia	81.0	−3.0	−2.0
63	🇬🇷 Greece	81.0	+0.2	−11.6
64	🇭🇹 Haiti	79.9	+0.9	−4.0
65	🇧🇼 Botswana	79.8	+0.4	+1.7
66	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	79.3	0.0	−3.0
67	🇿🇲 Zambia	77.8	−0.6	+11.6
68	🇷🇴 Romania	77.7	+4.1	−9.4
69	🇲🇳 Mongolia	77.1	+7.7	−12.0
70	🇬🇾 Guyana	77.1	−1.7	−5.9
71	🇽🇰 Kosovo	76.6	+1.1	−2.9
72	🇸🇰 Slovakia	76.5	−4.2	−16.6
73	🇵🇪 Peru	76.3	+2.4	−16.4
74	🇳🇪 Niger	75.6	+0.7	−12.4
75	🇮🇹 Italy	75.6	−7.9	−19.4
76	🇲🇼 Malawi	75.4	−3.0	−6.9
77	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	75.4	−6.3	−1.9
78	🇵🇾 Paraguay	75.1	0.0	+1.8
79	🇬🇦 Gabon	74.8	−0.7	−7.0
80	🇱🇧 Lebanon	74.4	+1.8	−1.7
81	🇭🇷 Croatia	74.3	−2.3	−16.3
82	🇦🇷 Argentina	73.6	−3.0	−13.8
83	🇦🇲 Armenia	73.2	+0.2	+13.0
84	🇺🇸 United States of America	72.9	−17.5	−23.2
85	🇱🇸 Lesotho	72.8	+2.0	+2.8
86	🇫🇯 Fiji	72.4	−2.3	+28.6
87	🇪🇨 Ecuador	70.6	−3.6	+1.3
88	🇲🇻 Maldives	69.5	−4.3	+16.0
89	🇸🇮 Slovenia	69.1	−6.1	−25.9
90	🇮🇩 Indonesia	68.8	−5.3	−16.8
91	🇹🇳 Tunisia	68.7	−6.4	−17.6
92	🇬🇪 Georgia	68.7	−1.4	−22.0
93	🇧🇹 Bhutan	68.2	−2.2	−1.5
94	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	68.1	+2.8	−1.1
95	🇧🇴 Bolivia	68.0	−4.6	−5.8
96	🇵🇭 Philippines	67.6	0.0	−20.4
97	🇧🇯 Benin	67.6	−1.0	−17.8
98	🇦🇱 Albania	67.3	−2.0	−7.8
99	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	66.4	+0.6	+12.8
100	Somaliland	65.3	+2.4	−4.6
101	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	65.3	−1.3	−8.3
102	🇲🇩 Moldova	65.2	−2.2	−6.7
103	🇲🇬 Madagascar	63.5	−2.3	−15.2
104	🇲🇷 Mauritania	62.8	−1.8	−15.4
105	🇲🇽 Mexico	61.9	−2.6	−18.3
106	🇸🇴 Somalia	61.9	0.0	+8.2
107	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	61.3	+2.4	−15.7
108	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	59.9	+2.1	−9.0
109	🇹🇭 Thailand	58.7	+0.5	+27.3
110	🇲🇾 Malaysia	58.6	−0.7	+27.1
111	🇲🇦 Morocco	57.9	−1.6	−2.7
112	🇹🇬 Togo	57.9	+0.3	−22.5
113	🇮🇶 Iraq	57.1	+3.8	−4.3
114	🇬🇳 Guinea	56.0	+2.1	−11.4
115	🇵🇰 Pakistan	55.9	0.0	−18.3
116	🇯🇴 Jordan	55.6	−1.9	+0.4
117	🇹🇿 Tanzania	55.2	−13.1	−16.1
118	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	55.2	−6.9	−11.4
119	Zanzibar	54.0	+3.8	+1.3
120	🇱🇾 Libya	53.6	−2.2	−16.9
121	🇨🇲 Cameroon	53.2	−6.1	−14.6
122	🇰🇼 Kuwait	53.2	−3.3	−9.5
123	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	52.7	+8.3	+10.5
124	🇲🇿 Mozambique	51.8	−0.2	−23.0
125	🇰🇲 Comoros	49.8	+3.4	−20.2
126	🇦🇴 Angola	49.7	+1.1	+12.7
127	🇭🇺 Hungary	49.3	−1.9	−21.4
128	🇲🇱 Mali	49.0	−9.9	−37.9
129	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	46.9	−1.0	−27.3
130	🇮🇳 India	45.8	−1.9	−20.0
131	🇺🇬 Uganda	43.2	−1.1	−15.5
132	🇹🇩 Chad	42.7	−4.4	−16.0
133	🇷🇸 Serbia	42.4	−1.4	−6.8
134	🇺🇦 Ukraine	41.8	+0.7	−24.8
135	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	41.4	−2.6	−3.5
136	🇸🇬 Singapore	40.0	+5.2	+4.1
137	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	37.3	−2.6	−1.0
138	🇩🇿 Algeria	36.7	+1.9	−29.8
139	🇸🇾 Syria	35.8	+28.8	+32.7
140	🇸🇻 El Salvador	35.6	−3.6	−48.5
141	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	35.3	+3.9	−20.4
142	🇩🇯 Djibouti	33.6	0.0	+6.6
143	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	32.9	−3.0	−1.0
144	🇸🇩 Sudan	28.9	+2.1	+10.0
145	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	28.5	+4.0	−0.6
146	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	26.1	−8.7	−61.4
147	Palestine/Gaza	23.4	+16.3	+3.4
148	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	23.4	+1.2	+18.6
149	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	22.7	−3.8	−54.4
150	🇾🇪 Yemen	21.9	−2.4	+4.7
151	🇪🇬 Egypt	17.9	+0.1	+1.5
152	🇹🇷 Türkiye	17.9	−0.4	−17.3
153	🇧🇭 Bahrain	17.2	+0.9	−1.8
154	🇷🇼 Rwanda	17.0	+1.6	−7.3
155	🇮🇷 Iran	16.6	−6.4	−3.3
156	🇧🇮 Burundi	16.4	+0.6	−5.0
157	🇸🇸 South Sudan	15.5	−2.7	−0.2
158	🇰🇭 Cambodia	15.3	−0.9	−20.7
159	🇴🇲 Oman	15.1	0.0	+2.6
160	🇻🇪 Venezuela	14.8	−6.3	−20.6
161	🇸🇿 Eswatini	11.3	0.0	−8.6
162	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	11.2	−2.7	−3.4
163	🇻🇳 Vietnam	10.2	−1.8	−4.9
164	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	9.2	−2.6	−7.7
165	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	9.2	+0.5	+0.1
166	🇷🇺 Russia	8.0	0.0	−23.1
167	🇨🇺 Cuba	7.4	−1.6	+2.9
168	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	6.3	+0.1	−5.8
169	🇶🇦 Qatar	5.5	+0.2	−5.1
170	🇨🇳 China	4.5	+0.2	−5.7
171	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	4.3	−4.4	−13.9
172	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	3.8	−0.4	+1.4
173	🇱🇦 Laos	3.2	−0.6	+0.8
174	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	2.6	−1.1	−52.5
175	🇧🇾 Belarus	2.5	−0.4	−26.5
176	🇪🇷 Eritrea	2.4	0.0	+0.6
177	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	2.2	−5.8	−66.8
178	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	1.8	−0.4	−49.4
179	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.3	0.0	0.0

Frequently asked questions

Denmark ranks #1 of 179 countries on the V-Dem freedom of expression index in 2025, with the highest score of 98.0 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for freedom of expression in 2025?

In 2025, the top three of 179 ranked countries are Denmark (98.0), Ireland (97.0), and Belgium (96.9).

Which country ranks last on freedom of expression in 2025?

North Korea ranks #179 of 179 with a score of 1.3.

Which country changed most on freedom of expression over the last decade?

Afghanistan shows the largest 10-year shift: its score declined by 66.8 points over the past decade, standing at 2.2 (rank #177) in 2025.

How is the freedom of expression index measured?

The index comes from the V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) project; scores are shown here on a 0–100 scale (higher-precision source data runs 0–1). Higher scores are better. The 2025 edition covers 179 countries.