South Korea vs Sri Lanka: Key media freedoms
South Korea
1.87
in 2025
Sri Lanka
1.96
in 2025
South Korea rank
29th
Sri Lanka rank
26th
Key media freedoms over time
- South Korea
- Sri Lanka
How they compare
Sri Lanka currently reports 1.96 against 1.87 in South Korea, a difference of 0.09.
That makes Sri Lanka's figure about 1.1 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Sri Lanka ahead.
South Korea ranks 29th and Sri Lanka ranks 26th of 175 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 5 and Sri Lanka in 8.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Sri Lanka | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | -2.47 | 0.276 | 2.74 | Sri Lanka |
| 1910s | -2.79 | 0.276 | 3.07 | Sri Lanka |
| 1920s | -2.79 | 0.276 | 3.07 | Sri Lanka |
| 1930s | -2.79 | 0.9636 | 3.76 | Sri Lanka |
| 1940s | -1.99 | 0.9988 | 2.99 | Sri Lanka |
| 1950s | -0.797 | 0.6792 | 1.48 | Sri Lanka |
| 1960s | -0.9994 | 0.685 | 1.68 | Sri Lanka |
| 1970s | -1.87 | -0.4895 | 1.38 | Sri Lanka |
| 1980s | -0.443 | -0.8146 | 0.3716 | South Korea |
| 1990s | 1.88 | -1.07 | 2.95 | South Korea |
| 2000s | 2.19 | -1.21 | 3.39 | South Korea |
| 2010s | 1.27 | -0.1452 | 1.41 | South Korea |
| 2020s | 1.49 | 1.1 | 0.393 | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher key media freedoms, South Korea or Sri Lanka?
- Sri Lanka, at 1.96 against 1.87 in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in key media freedoms between South Korea and Sri Lanka?
- 0.09, with Sri Lanka ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Sri Lanka?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do South Korea and Sri Lanka rank globally for key media freedoms?
- South Korea ranks 29th and Sri Lanka ranks 26th 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.