Which has higher freedom of expression index, Norway or Sweden?

Norway, at 0.953 against 0.946 in Sweden as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Norway and Sweden?

237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by 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.

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?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by 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.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Norway vs Sweden: Freedom of Expression Index. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 07 November 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/compare/freedom-of-expression-index/norway/sweden/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://social-development.statizoid.com/compare/freedom-of-expression-index/norway/sweden/">Norway vs Sweden: Freedom of Expression Index</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Freedom of Expression Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 30,035 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 30 October 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which people can discuss political matters at home and in the public sphere, the press, and media are free and can present different political perspectives, and the freedom of academic and cultural expression.