Belgium vs France: Freedom of expression index
Belgium
0.969
in 2025
France
0.959
in 2025
Belgium rank
3rd
France rank
6th
Freedom of expression index over time
- Belgium
- France
How they compare
Belgium currently reports 0.969 against 0.959 in France, a difference of 0.01.
The two have swapped places 11 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was France ahead.
Belgium ranks 3rd and France ranks 6th of 176 countries.
Across the 25 decades both report, Belgium averaged higher in 14 and France in 10.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Belgium | France | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0.287 | 0.771 | 0.484 | France |
| 1790s | 0.4362 | 0.6828 | 0.2466 | France |
| 1800s | 0.169 | 0.169 | 0 | β |
| 1810s | 0.3041 | 0.3295 | 0.0254 | France |
| 1820s | 0.464 | 0.382 | 0.082 | Belgium |
| 1830s | 0.7844 | 0.526 | 0.2584 | Belgium |
| 1840s | 0.82 | 0.5978 | 0.2222 | Belgium |
| 1850s | 0.82 | 0.2847 | 0.5353 | Belgium |
| 1860s | 0.82 | 0.3432 | 0.4768 | Belgium |
| 1870s | 0.82 | 0.7942 | 0.0258 | Belgium |
| 1880s | 0.8084 | 0.899 | 0.0906 | France |
| 1890s | 0.8132 | 0.8871 | 0.0739 | France |
| 1900s | 0.852 | 0.923 | 0.071 | France |
| 1910s | 0.6778 | 0.8221 | 0.1443 | France |
| 1920s | 0.843 | 0.894 | 0.051 | France |
| 1930s | 0.843 | 0.8749 | 0.0319 | France |
| 1940s | 0.6428 | 0.5353 | 0.1075 | Belgium |
| 1950s | 0.931 | 0.8679 | 0.0631 | Belgium |
| 1960s | 0.924 | 0.8502 | 0.0738 | Belgium |
| 1970s | 0.9374 | 0.9291 | 0.0083 | Belgium |
| 1980s | 0.944 | 0.9512 | 0.0072 | France |
| 1990s | 0.9705 | 0.9607 | 0.0098 | Belgium |
| 2000s | 0.9739 | 0.9625 | 0.0114 | Belgium |
| 2010s | 0.9761 | 0.9692 | 0.0069 | Belgium |
| 2020s | 0.9677 | 0.9622 | 0.0055 | Belgium |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher freedom of expression index, Belgium or France?
- Belgium, at 0.969 against 0.959 in France as of 2025.
- What is the difference in freedom of expression index between Belgium and France?
- 0.01, with Belgium ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and France?
- 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
- How do Belgium and France rank globally for freedom of expression index?
- Belgium ranks 3rd and France ranks 6th of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- 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.