New Zealand vs Sweden: Key media freedoms
New Zealand
2.95
in 2025
Sweden
2.75
in 2025
New Zealand rank
9th
Sweden rank
11th
Key media freedoms over time
- New Zealand
- Sweden
How they compare
New Zealand currently reports 2.95 against 2.75 in Sweden, a difference of 0.2.
That makes New Zealand's figure about 1.1 times Sweden's.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was New Zealand ahead.
New Zealand ranks 9th and Sweden ranks 11th of 175 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, New Zealand averaged higher in 3 and Sweden in 10.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | New Zealand | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 2.22 | 1.45 | 0.769 | New Zealand |
| 1910s | 1.51 | 1.57 | 0.0639 | Sweden |
| 1920s | 2.22 | 1.82 | 0.395 | New Zealand |
| 1930s | 1.69 | 1.67 | 0.024 | New Zealand |
| 1940s | 1.35 | 1.52 | 0.1648 | Sweden |
| 1950s | 2.05 | 3.38 | 1.32 | Sweden |
| 1960s | 2.48 | 3.38 | 0.902 | Sweden |
| 1970s | 2.75 | 3.38 | 0.629 | Sweden |
| 1980s | 2.75 | 3.38 | 0.629 | Sweden |
| 1990s | 2.75 | 3.38 | 0.629 | Sweden |
| 2000s | 2.75 | 3.38 | 0.629 | Sweden |
| 2010s | 2.75 | 3.38 | 0.629 | Sweden |
| 2020s | 2.55 | 2.96 | 0.4062 | Sweden |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher key media freedoms, New Zealand or Sweden?
- New Zealand, at 2.95 against 2.75 in Sweden as of 2025.
- What is the difference in key media freedoms between New Zealand and Sweden?
- 0.2, with New Zealand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and Sweden?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do New Zealand and Sweden rank globally for key media freedoms?
- New Zealand ranks 9th and Sweden ranks 11th 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.