Afghanistan vs China: Key media freedoms
Afghanistan
-2.55
in 2025
China
-2.42
in 2025
Afghanistan rank
169th
China rank
168th
Key media freedoms over time
- Afghanistan
- China
How they compare
China currently reports -2.42 against -2.55 in Afghanistan, a difference of 0.13.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 125 shared years of data; in 1900 it was China ahead.
Afghanistan ranks 169th and China ranks 168th of 175 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Afghanistan averaged higher in 6 and China in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | China | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | -2.22 | -1.02 | 1.19 | China |
| 1910s | -2.22 | -0.7203 | 1.5 | China |
| 1920s | -2.22 | -0.6414 | 1.57 | China |
| 1930s | -1.16 | -0.6966 | 0.4644 | China |
| 1940s | -1.16 | -0.7639 | 0.3971 | China |
| 1950s | -1.53 | -3 | 1.47 | Afghanistan |
| 1960s | -1.07 | -3.01 | 1.94 | Afghanistan |
| 1970s | -1.47 | -2.71 | 1.24 | Afghanistan |
| 1980s | -2.45 | -0.7029 | 1.75 | China |
| 1990s | -2.37 | -0.8198 | 1.55 | China |
| 2000s | -0.0328 | -0.8695 | 0.8367 | Afghanistan |
| 2010s | 0.7052 | -1.59 | 2.29 | Afghanistan |
| 2020s | -1.73 | -2.16 | 0.4312 | Afghanistan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher key media freedoms, Afghanistan or China?
- China, at -2.42 against -2.55 in Afghanistan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in key media freedoms between Afghanistan and China?
- 0.13, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and China?
- 125 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Afghanistan and China rank globally for key media freedoms?
- Afghanistan ranks 169th and China ranks 168th of 175 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Key media freedoms. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which the government directly or indirectly attempts to censor political content in print and broadcast media, through formal restrictions or indirect pressures such as financial control, licensing, or access to distribution channels.