Norway vs Sweden: Freedom of expression index
Norway
0.953
in 2025
Sweden
0.946
in 2025
Norway rank
8th
Sweden rank
10th
Freedom of expression index over time
- Norway
- Sweden
How they compare
Norway currently reports 0.953 against 0.946 in Sweden, a difference of 0.007.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Sweden ahead.
Norway ranks 8th and Sweden ranks 10th of 176 countries.
Across the 25 decades both report, Norway averaged higher in 2 and Sweden in 23.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Norway | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0.076 | 0.438 | 0.362 | Sweden |
| 1790s | 0.076 | 0.4521 | 0.3761 | Sweden |
| 1800s | 0.076 | 0.4576 | 0.3816 | Sweden |
| 1810s | 0.1425 | 0.664 | 0.5215 | Sweden |
| 1820s | 0.209 | 0.736 | 0.527 | Sweden |
| 1830s | 0.3868 | 0.776 | 0.3892 | Sweden |
| 1840s | 0.528 | 0.7865 | 0.2585 | Sweden |
| 1850s | 0.6416 | 0.797 | 0.1554 | Sweden |
| 1860s | 0.709 | 0.797 | 0.088 | Sweden |
| 1870s | 0.679 | 0.797 | 0.118 | Sweden |
| 1880s | 0.7006 | 0.797 | 0.0964 | Sweden |
| 1890s | 0.742 | 0.797 | 0.055 | Sweden |
| 1900s | 0.7408 | 0.806 | 0.0652 | Sweden |
| 1910s | 0.7524 | 0.8145 | 0.0621 | Sweden |
| 1920s | 0.7781 | 0.888 | 0.1099 | Sweden |
| 1930s | 0.7909 | 0.8722 | 0.0813 | Sweden |
| 1940s | 0.451 | 0.8461 | 0.3951 | Sweden |
| 1950s | 0.8497 | 0.948 | 0.0983 | Sweden |
| 1960s | 0.9 | 0.9564 | 0.0564 | Sweden |
| 1970s | 0.912 | 0.9612 | 0.0492 | Sweden |
| 1980s | 0.931 | 0.968 | 0.037 | Sweden |
| 1990s | 0.962 | 0.9745 | 0.0125 | Sweden |
| 2000s | 0.9766 | 0.97 | 0.0066 | Norway |
| 2010s | 0.9746 | 0.9709 | 0.0037 | Norway |
| 2020s | 0.9497 | 0.9567 | 0.007 | Sweden |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher freedom of expression index, Norway or Sweden?
- Norway, at 0.953 against 0.946 in Sweden as of 2025.
- What is the difference in freedom of expression index between Norway and Sweden?
- 0.007, with Norway ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Norway and Sweden?
- 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
- How do Norway and Sweden rank globally for freedom of expression index?
- Norway ranks 8th and Sweden ranks 10th 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.