Belarus vs North Korea: Key media freedoms
Belarus
-2.82
in 2025
North Korea
-2.77
in 2025
Belarus rank
172nd
North Korea rank
171st
Key media freedoms over time
- Belarus
- North Korea
How they compare
North Korea currently reports -2.77 against -2.82 in Belarus, a difference of 0.05.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 92 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Belarus ahead.
Belarus ranks 172nd and North Korea ranks 171st of 175 countries.
Across the 11 decades both report, Belarus averaged higher in 9 and North Korea in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Belarus | North Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | -0.912 | -2.47 | 1.55 | Belarus |
| 1910s | -0.912 | -2.79 | 1.88 | Belarus |
| 1940s | -2.55 | -1.96 | 0.5948 | North Korea |
| 1950s | -2.55 | -2.77 | 0.223 | Belarus |
| 1960s | -2.55 | -2.77 | 0.223 | Belarus |
| 1970s | -2.55 | -2.77 | 0.223 | Belarus |
| 1980s | -2.19 | -2.77 | 0.5858 | Belarus |
| 1990s | -0.0002 | -2.77 | 2.77 | Belarus |
| 2000s | -1.7 | -2.77 | 1.08 | Belarus |
| 2010s | -1.82 | -2.77 | 0.9542 | Belarus |
| 2020s | -2.78 | -2.77 | 0.001 | North Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher key media freedoms, Belarus or North Korea?
- North Korea, at -2.77 against -2.82 in Belarus as of 2025.
- What is the difference in key media freedoms between Belarus and North Korea?
- 0.05, with North Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Belarus and North Korea?
- 92 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Belarus and North Korea rank globally for key media freedoms?
- Belarus ranks 172nd and North Korea ranks 171st 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.