France vs Switzerland: Freedom of expression index
France
0.959
in 2025
Switzerland
0.967
in 2025
France rank
6th
Switzerland rank
5th
Freedom of expression index over time
- France
- Switzerland
How they compare
Switzerland currently reports 0.967 against 0.959 in France, a difference of 0.008.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 228 shared years of data; in 1798 it was France ahead.
France ranks 6th and Switzerland ranks 5th of 176 countries.
Across the 24 decades both report, France averaged higher in 2 and Switzerland in 22.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Switzerland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1790s | 0.6795 | 0.602 | 0.0775 | France |
| 1800s | 0.169 | 0.602 | 0.433 | Switzerland |
| 1810s | 0.3295 | 0.602 | 0.2725 | Switzerland |
| 1820s | 0.382 | 0.602 | 0.22 | Switzerland |
| 1830s | 0.526 | 0.7919 | 0.2659 | Switzerland |
| 1840s | 0.5978 | 0.8242 | 0.2264 | Switzerland |
| 1850s | 0.2847 | 0.925 | 0.6403 | Switzerland |
| 1860s | 0.3432 | 0.925 | 0.5818 | Switzerland |
| 1870s | 0.7942 | 0.925 | 0.1308 | Switzerland |
| 1880s | 0.899 | 0.925 | 0.026 | Switzerland |
| 1890s | 0.8871 | 0.925 | 0.0379 | Switzerland |
| 1900s | 0.923 | 0.928 | 0.005 | Switzerland |
| 1910s | 0.8221 | 0.923 | 0.1009 | Switzerland |
| 1920s | 0.894 | 0.917 | 0.023 | Switzerland |
| 1930s | 0.8749 | 0.916 | 0.0411 | Switzerland |
| 1940s | 0.5353 | 0.9195 | 0.3842 | Switzerland |
| 1950s | 0.8679 | 0.936 | 0.0681 | Switzerland |
| 1960s | 0.8502 | 0.946 | 0.0958 | Switzerland |
| 1970s | 0.9291 | 0.95 | 0.0209 | Switzerland |
| 1980s | 0.9512 | 0.9505 | 0.0007 | France |
| 1990s | 0.9607 | 0.9776 | 0.0169 | Switzerland |
| 2000s | 0.9625 | 0.978 | 0.0155 | Switzerland |
| 2010s | 0.9692 | 0.978 | 0.0088 | Switzerland |
| 2020s | 0.9622 | 0.9713 | 0.0092 | Switzerland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher freedom of expression index, France or Switzerland?
- Switzerland, at 0.967 against 0.959 in France as of 2025.
- What is the difference in freedom of expression index between France and Switzerland?
- 0.008, with Switzerland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Switzerland?
- 228 years are reported by both, from 1798 to 2025.
- How do France and Switzerland rank globally for freedom of expression index?
- France ranks 6th and Switzerland ranks 5th 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.