Which has higher academic freedom index, France or Switzerland?

France, at 0.8 against 0.773 in Switzerland as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for France and Switzerland?

126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Academic Freedom Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

France vs Switzerland: Academic Freedom Index

France

0.8

in 2025

Switzerland

0.773

in 2025

France rank

57th

Switzerland rank

59th

Academic Freedom Index over time

France
Switzerland

How they compare

France currently reports 0.8 against 0.773 in Switzerland, a difference of 0.027.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Switzerland ahead.

France ranks 57th and Switzerland ranks 59th of 174 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, France averaged higher in 5 and Switzerland in 8.

Head to head by decade

Decade	France	Switzerland	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.711	0.835	0.124	Switzerland
1910s	0.6589	0.835	0.1761	Switzerland
1920s	0.704	0.831	0.127	Switzerland
1930s	0.6993	0.8159	0.1166	Switzerland
1940s	0.596	0.8232	0.2272	Switzerland
1950s	0.8445	0.837	0.0075	France
1960s	0.8398	0.837	0.0028	France
1970s	0.855	0.842	0.013	France
1980s	0.8783	0.8664	0.0119	France
1990s	0.8789	0.923	0.0441	Switzerland
2000s	0.885	0.923	0.038	Switzerland
2010s	0.893	0.9255	0.0325	Switzerland
2020s	0.8712	0.868	0.0032	France

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher academic freedom index, France or Switzerland?: France, at 0.8 against 0.773 in Switzerland as of 2025.
What is the difference in academic freedom index between France and Switzerland?: 0.027, with France ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for France and Switzerland?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do France and Switzerland rank globally for academic freedom index?: France ranks 57th and Switzerland ranks 59th of 174 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Academic Freedom Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

France vs Switzerland: Academic Freedom Index. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 November 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/compare/academic-freedom-index/france/switzerland/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://social-development.statizoid.com/compare/academic-freedom-index/france/switzerland/">France vs Switzerland: Academic Freedom Index</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Academic Freedom Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 174 places, 16,942 data points, 1900–2025
Last refreshed: 30 October 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which academics can research, teach, publish, express opinions, and participate in academic bodies without interference, censorship, or institutional restrictions, and universities exercise institutional autonomy.