Iran vs Saudi Arabia: Academic freedom index
Iran
0.06
in 2025
Saudi Arabia
0.066
in 2025
Iran rank
168th
Saudi Arabia rank
166th
Academic freedom index over time
- Iran
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 0.066 against 0.06 in Iran, a difference of 0.006.
That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.1 times Iran's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 77 shared years of data; in 1949 it was Iran ahead.
Iran ranks 168th and Saudi Arabia ranks 166th of 174 countries.
Iran has averaged higher in every one of the 9 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 0.381 | 0.063 | 0.318 | Iran |
| 1950s | 0.2889 | 0.0514 | 0.2375 | Iran |
| 1960s | 0.201 | 0.051 | 0.15 | Iran |
| 1970s | 0.1921 | 0.0531 | 0.139 | Iran |
| 1980s | 0.0925 | 0.0575 | 0.035 | Iran |
| 1990s | 0.1467 | 0.058 | 0.0887 | Iran |
| 2000s | 0.1453 | 0.0632 | 0.0821 | Iran |
| 2010s | 0.1177 | 0.0585 | 0.0592 | Iran |
| 2020s | 0.0928 | 0.0613 | 0.0315 | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher academic freedom index, Iran or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia, at 0.066 against 0.06 in Iran as of 2025.
- What is the difference in academic freedom index between Iran and Saudi Arabia?
- 0.006, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and Saudi Arabia?
- 77 years are reported by both, from 1949 to 2025.
- How do Iran and Saudi Arabia rank globally for academic freedom index?
- Iran ranks 168th and Saudi Arabia ranks 166th of 174 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Our World in Data, published as Academic freedom index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.