Barbados vs Jamaica: Key media freedoms
Barbados
2.06
in 2025
Jamaica
2.16
in 2025
Barbados rank
24th
Jamaica rank
21st
Key media freedoms over time
- Barbados
- Jamaica
How they compare
Jamaica currently reports 2.16 against 2.06 in Barbados, a difference of 0.1.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Jamaica ahead.
Barbados ranks 24th and Jamaica ranks 21st of 175 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Barbados averaged higher in 4 and Jamaica in 9.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Barbados | Jamaica | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.295 | 0.42 | 0.125 | Jamaica |
| 1910s | 0.295 | 0.42 | 0.125 | Jamaica |
| 1920s | 0.295 | 0.42 | 0.125 | Jamaica |
| 1930s | 0.295 | 0.3147 | 0.0197 | Jamaica |
| 1940s | 0.3278 | 0.0224 | 0.3054 | Barbados |
| 1950s | 0.623 | 0.741 | 0.118 | Jamaica |
| 1960s | 0.8722 | 1.24 | 0.3684 | Jamaica |
| 1970s | 1.56 | 0.657 | 0.9033 | Barbados |
| 1980s | 1.69 | 1.09 | 0.6019 | Barbados |
| 1990s | 1.69 | 1.2 | 0.5 | Barbados |
| 2000s | 1.69 | 2 | 0.3034 | Jamaica |
| 2010s | 1.79 | 2.16 | 0.3701 | Jamaica |
| 2020s | 2.06 | 2.16 | 0.097 | Jamaica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher key media freedoms, Barbados or Jamaica?
- Jamaica, at 2.16 against 2.06 in Barbados as of 2025.
- What is the difference in key media freedoms between Barbados and Jamaica?
- 0.1, with Jamaica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Barbados and Jamaica?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Barbados and Jamaica rank globally for key media freedoms?
- Barbados ranks 24th and Jamaica ranks 21st 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.