Iceland vs New Zealand: Key media freedoms
Iceland
2.85
in 2025
New Zealand
2.95
in 2025
Iceland rank
10th
New Zealand rank
9th
Key media freedoms over time
- Iceland
- New Zealand
How they compare
New Zealand currently reports 2.95 against 2.85 in Iceland, a difference of 0.1.
The two have swapped places 10 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was New Zealand ahead.
Iceland ranks 10th and New Zealand ranks 9th of 175 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 1 and New Zealand in 12.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | New Zealand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 1.39 | 2.22 | 0.833 | New Zealand |
| 1910s | 1.39 | 1.51 | 0.1229 | New Zealand |
| 1920s | 1.39 | 2.22 | 0.829 | New Zealand |
| 1930s | 1.39 | 1.69 | 0.3057 | New Zealand |
| 1940s | 1.1 | 1.35 | 0.2486 | New Zealand |
| 1950s | 1.38 | 2.05 | 0.6742 | New Zealand |
| 1960s | 1.48 | 2.48 | 0.9926 | New Zealand |
| 1970s | 1.64 | 2.75 | 1.11 | New Zealand |
| 1980s | 1.82 | 2.75 | 0.9266 | New Zealand |
| 1990s | 2.25 | 2.75 | 0.501 | New Zealand |
| 2000s | 2.29 | 2.75 | 0.4554 | New Zealand |
| 2010s | 2.37 | 2.75 | 0.3806 | New Zealand |
| 2020s | 2.85 | 2.55 | 0.2978 | Iceland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher key media freedoms, Iceland or New Zealand?
- New Zealand, at 2.95 against 2.85 in Iceland as of 2025.
- What is the difference in key media freedoms between Iceland and New Zealand?
- 0.1, with New Zealand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and New Zealand?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Iceland and New Zealand rank globally for key media freedoms?
- Iceland ranks 10th and New Zealand ranks 9th 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.