Iceland vs Japan: Freedom of expression index
Iceland
0.846
in 2025
Japan
0.847
in 2025
Iceland rank
44th
Japan rank
43rd
Freedom of expression index over time
- Iceland
- Japan
How they compare
Japan currently reports 0.847 against 0.846 in Iceland, a difference of 0.001.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Iceland ahead.
Iceland ranks 44th and Japan ranks 43rd of 176 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 9 and Japan in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.879 | 0.4576 | 0.4214 | Iceland |
| 1910s | 0.879 | 0.4821 | 0.3969 | Iceland |
| 1920s | 0.868 | 0.4413 | 0.4267 | Iceland |
| 1930s | 0.863 | 0.2913 | 0.5717 | Iceland |
| 1940s | 0.8446 | 0.3659 | 0.4787 | Iceland |
| 1950s | 0.862 | 0.879 | 0.017 | Japan |
| 1960s | 0.8725 | 0.918 | 0.0455 | Japan |
| 1970s | 0.896 | 0.923 | 0.027 | Japan |
| 1980s | 0.9183 | 0.922 | 0.0037 | Japan |
| 1990s | 0.9458 | 0.923 | 0.0228 | Iceland |
| 2000s | 0.95 | 0.9231 | 0.0269 | Iceland |
| 2010s | 0.9377 | 0.8834 | 0.0543 | Iceland |
| 2020s | 0.9102 | 0.851 | 0.0592 | Iceland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher freedom of expression index, Iceland or Japan?
- Japan, at 0.847 against 0.846 in Iceland as of 2025.
- What is the difference in freedom of expression index between Iceland and Japan?
- 0.001, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Japan?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Iceland and Japan rank globally for freedom of expression index?
- Iceland ranks 44th and Japan ranks 43rd 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.