Japan vs Spain: Freedom of expression index
Japan
0.847
in 2025
Spain
0.843
in 2025
Japan rank
43rd
Spain rank
45th
Freedom of expression index over time
- Japan
- Spain
How they compare
Japan currently reports 0.847 against 0.843 in Spain, a difference of 0.004.
The two have swapped places 10 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Japan ahead.
Japan ranks 43rd and Spain ranks 45th of 176 countries.
Across the 25 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 7 and Spain in 18.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0.129 | 0.105 | 0.024 | Japan |
| 1790s | 0.143 | 0.105 | 0.038 | Japan |
| 1800s | 0.143 | 0.1731 | 0.0301 | Spain |
| 1810s | 0.143 | 0.2678 | 0.1248 | Spain |
| 1820s | 0.143 | 0.2631 | 0.1201 | Spain |
| 1830s | 0.143 | 0.264 | 0.121 | Spain |
| 1840s | 0.143 | 0.4624 | 0.3194 | Spain |
| 1850s | 0.165 | 0.4508 | 0.2858 | Spain |
| 1860s | 0.183 | 0.4896 | 0.3066 | Spain |
| 1870s | 0.379 | 0.547 | 0.168 | Spain |
| 1880s | 0.379 | 0.5357 | 0.1567 | Spain |
| 1890s | 0.407 | 0.546 | 0.139 | Spain |
| 1900s | 0.4576 | 0.547 | 0.0894 | Spain |
| 1910s | 0.4821 | 0.547 | 0.0649 | Spain |
| 1920s | 0.4413 | 0.2752 | 0.1661 | Japan |
| 1930s | 0.2913 | 0.6157 | 0.3244 | Spain |
| 1940s | 0.3659 | 0.0194 | 0.3465 | Japan |
| 1950s | 0.879 | 0.021 | 0.858 | Japan |
| 1960s | 0.918 | 0.0449 | 0.8731 | Japan |
| 1970s | 0.923 | 0.3329 | 0.5901 | Japan |
| 1980s | 0.922 | 0.9538 | 0.0318 | Spain |
| 1990s | 0.923 | 0.96 | 0.037 | Spain |
| 2000s | 0.9231 | 0.96 | 0.0369 | Spain |
| 2010s | 0.8834 | 0.9267 | 0.0433 | Spain |
| 2020s | 0.851 | 0.8813 | 0.0303 | Spain |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher freedom of expression index, Japan or Spain?
- Japan, at 0.847 against 0.843 in Spain as of 2025.
- What is the difference in freedom of expression index between Japan and Spain?
- 0.004, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Spain?
- 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
- How do Japan and Spain rank globally for freedom of expression index?
- Japan ranks 43rd and Spain ranks 45th 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.