Estimably, 4 to 5 billion people (the majority of humanity) live in countries scoring below 0.4 on the Freedom of Expression Index.

It’s a continuous belt of media repression stretching from Russia through Central Asia and China to the Middle East, where governments severely restrict speech and press.

The visualization above shows the extent of free speech and the freedom of the press across countries of the world.

The index ranges from 0 to 1 (most free).

It comes from Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem), accessed via Our World in Data.

The darkest concentrations (highest freedom of expression) appear in Scandinavia, then in Canada, Australia, and Brazil.
The lightest zones (less freedom of expression) mark China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, and Central Asian autocracies (near 0.1).
Due to where much of the world’s population lives, a majority of humanity resides in places where freedom of expression is only partially limited.

CONTEXT MATTERS HERE:

The data ranks based on combined information on:

Freedom of discussion
Freedom of academic and cultural expression
Media censorship
Media self-censorship
Media bias
Harassment of journalists
Existence of critical and different perspectives in print and broadcast media.

Where Data Tells the Story

Home

Support

Creators

Legal

Mapped: Restricted Freedom of Expression Globally