Which has higher freedom of expression index, Belarus or Laos?

Laos, at 0.032 against 0.025 in Belarus as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Belarus and Laos?

224 years are reported by both, from 1795 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

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

Belarus vs Laos: Freedom of Expression Index

Belarus

0.025

in 2025

Laos

0.032

in 2025

Belarus rank

172nd

Laos rank

170th

Freedom of Expression Index over time

Belarus
Laos

How they compare

Laos currently reports 0.032 against 0.025 in Belarus, a difference of 0.007.

That makes Laos's figure about 1.3 times Belarus's.

The two have swapped places 6 times across 224 shared years of data; in 1795 it was Laos ahead.

Belarus ranks 172nd and Laos ranks 170th of 176 countries.

Across the 24 decades both report, Belarus averaged higher in 9 and Laos in 15.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Belarus	Laos	Difference	Ahead
1790s	0.087	0.138	0.051	Laos
1800s	0.087	0.138	0.051	Laos
1810s	0.087	0.138	0.051	Laos
1820s	0.0818	0.138	0.0562	Laos
1830s	0.074	0.138	0.064	Laos
1840s	0.071	0.138	0.067	Laos
1850s	0.111	0.138	0.027	Laos
1860s	0.181	0.138	0.043	Belarus
1870s	0.1751	0.1328	0.0423	Belarus
1880s	0.1858	0.112	0.0738	Belarus
1890s	0.19	0.112	0.078	Belarus
1900s	0.2187	0.221	0.0023	Laos
1910s	0.1825	0.221	0.0385	Laos
1920s	0.0243	0.221	0.1967	Laos
1930s	0.0132	0.221	0.2078	Laos
1940s	0.0127	0.3295	0.3168	Laos
1950s	0.0212	0.4796	0.4584	Laos
1960s	0.0276	0.4238	0.3962	Laos
1970s	0.0252	0.2154	0.1902	Laos
1980s	0.1196	0.0168	0.1028	Belarus
1990s	0.6017	0.017	0.5847	Belarus
2000s	0.229	0.0198	0.2092	Belarus
2010s	0.2638	0.0246	0.2392	Belarus
2020s	0.053	0.0342	0.0188	Belarus

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher freedom of expression index, Belarus or Laos?: Laos, at 0.032 against 0.025 in Belarus as of 2025.
What is the difference in freedom of expression index between Belarus and Laos?: 0.007, with Laos ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Belarus and Laos?: 224 years are reported by both, from 1795 to 2025.
How do Belarus and Laos rank globally for freedom of expression index?: Belarus ranks 172nd and Laos ranks 170th of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Freedom of Expression 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

Belarus vs Laos: Freedom of Expression Index. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 07 November 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/compare/freedom-of-expression-index/belarus/lao-pdr/

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/freedom-of-expression-index/belarus/lao-pdr/">Belarus vs Laos: Freedom of Expression Index</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Freedom of Expression Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 30,035 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 30 October 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which people can discuss political matters at home and in the public sphere, the press, and media are free and can present different political perspectives, and the freedom of academic and cultural expression.