Belgium vs Ireland: Freedom of expression index
Belgium
0.969
in 2025
Ireland
0.97
in 2025
Belgium rank
3rd
Ireland rank
2nd
Freedom of expression index over time
- Belgium
- Ireland
How they compare
Ireland currently reports 0.97 against 0.969 in Belgium, a difference of 0.001.
The two have swapped places 16 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Ireland ahead.
Belgium ranks 3rd and Ireland ranks 2nd of 176 countries.
Across the 25 decades both report, Belgium averaged higher in 13 and Ireland in 12.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Belgium | Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0.287 | 0.702 | 0.415 | Ireland |
| 1790s | 0.4362 | 0.6641 | 0.2279 | Ireland |
| 1800s | 0.169 | 0.643 | 0.474 | Ireland |
| 1810s | 0.3041 | 0.6254 | 0.3213 | Ireland |
| 1820s | 0.464 | 0.6729 | 0.2089 | Ireland |
| 1830s | 0.7844 | 0.72 | 0.0644 | Belgium |
| 1840s | 0.82 | 0.78 | 0.04 | Belgium |
| 1850s | 0.82 | 0.8074 | 0.0126 | Belgium |
| 1860s | 0.82 | 0.809 | 0.011 | Belgium |
| 1870s | 0.82 | 0.8237 | 0.0037 | Ireland |
| 1880s | 0.8084 | 0.83 | 0.0216 | Ireland |
| 1890s | 0.8132 | 0.83 | 0.0168 | Ireland |
| 1900s | 0.852 | 0.8475 | 0.0045 | Belgium |
| 1910s | 0.6778 | 0.7974 | 0.1196 | Ireland |
| 1920s | 0.843 | 0.7633 | 0.0797 | Belgium |
| 1930s | 0.843 | 0.8357 | 0.0073 | Belgium |
| 1940s | 0.6428 | 0.8311 | 0.1883 | Ireland |
| 1950s | 0.931 | 0.8666 | 0.0644 | Belgium |
| 1960s | 0.924 | 0.8845 | 0.0395 | Belgium |
| 1970s | 0.9374 | 0.9164 | 0.021 | Belgium |
| 1980s | 0.944 | 0.9275 | 0.0165 | Belgium |
| 1990s | 0.9705 | 0.9613 | 0.0092 | Belgium |
| 2000s | 0.9739 | 0.9743 | 0.0004 | Ireland |
| 2010s | 0.9761 | 0.9739 | 0.0022 | Belgium |
| 2020s | 0.9677 | 0.9728 | 0.0052 | Ireland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher freedom of expression index, Belgium or Ireland?
- Ireland, at 0.97 against 0.969 in Belgium as of 2025.
- What is the difference in freedom of expression index between Belgium and Ireland?
- 0.001, with Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and Ireland?
- 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
- How do Belgium and Ireland rank globally for freedom of expression index?
- Belgium ranks 3rd and Ireland ranks 2nd 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.