What is academic freedom index in Australia?

Academic freedom index in Australia was 0.864 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Australia?

The highest recorded value was 0.914 in 1972.

What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Australia?

The lowest recorded value was 0.847 in 1916.

How does Australia rank for academic freedom index?

Australia ranks 29th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.

Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Australia?

Over the last ten years it is down 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Australia data come from?

The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Academic Freedom Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Academic Freedom Index in Australia

Name: Academic Freedom Index in Australia
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Australia: Academic Freedom Index was 0.864 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.864

Change on year

down 2.2%

World rank

29th

of 174 countries

All-time high

0.914

in 1972

All-time low

0.847

in 1916

Years of data

125

1901–2025

Academic Freedom Index in Australia, 1901–2025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, academic freedom index in Australia stood at 0.864.

The figure is down 2.2% on the previous year and down 2.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, academic freedom index in Australia peaked at 0.914 in 1972 and was at its lowest, 0.847, in 1916.

Australia ranks 29th of 174 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 125 years of available data.

Academic Freedom Index in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Academic Freedom Index in Australia, 1901 to 2025.
Year	Value	Change
1901	0.86	—
1902	0.86	+0.0%
1903	0.86	+0.0%
1904	0.86	+0.0%
1905	0.86	+0.0%
1906	0.86	+0.0%
1907	0.86	+0.0%
1908	0.86	+0.0%
1909	0.86	+0.0%
1910	0.86	+0.0%
1911	0.86	+0.0%
1912	0.86	+0.0%
1913	0.86	+0.0%
1914	0.86	+0.0%
1915	0.858	-0.2%
1916	0.847	-1.3%
1917	0.847	+0.0%
1918	0.856	+1.1%
1919	0.856	+0.0%
1920	0.858	+0.2%
1921	0.858	+0.0%
1922	0.858	+0.0%
1923	0.858	+0.0%
1924	0.858	+0.0%
1925	0.858	+0.0%
1926	0.858	+0.0%
1927	0.858	+0.0%
1928	0.858	+0.0%
1929	0.858	+0.0%
1930	0.858	+0.0%
1931	0.858	+0.0%
1932	0.858	+0.0%
1933	0.858	+0.0%
1934	0.858	+0.0%
1935	0.858	+0.0%
1936	0.858	+0.0%
1937	0.858	+0.0%
1938	0.858	+0.0%
1939	0.857	-0.1%
1940	0.886	+3.4%
1941	0.886	+0.0%
1942	0.886	+0.0%
1943	0.886	+0.0%
1944	0.886	+0.0%
1945	0.886	+0.0%
1946	0.891	+0.6%
1947	0.891	+0.0%
1948	0.891	+0.0%
1949	0.891	+0.0%
1950	0.903	+1.3%
1951	0.897	-0.7%
1952	0.897	+0.0%
1953	0.897	+0.0%
1954	0.897	+0.0%
1955	0.897	+0.0%
1956	0.899	+0.2%
1957	0.899	+0.0%
1958	0.899	+0.0%
1959	0.899	+0.0%
1960	0.896	-0.3%
1961	0.896	+0.0%
1962	0.896	+0.0%
1963	0.896	+0.0%
1964	0.896	+0.0%
1965	0.896	+0.0%
1966	0.896	+0.0%
1967	0.906	+1.1%
1968	0.906	+0.0%
1969	0.906	+0.0%
1970	0.909	+0.3%
1971	0.909	+0.0%
1972	0.914	+0.6%
1973	0.914	+0.0%
1974	0.914	+0.0%
1975	0.914	+0.0%
1976	0.907	-0.8%
1977	0.907	+0.0%
1978	0.907	+0.0%
1979	0.907	+0.0%
1980	0.907	+0.0%
1981	0.907	+0.0%
1982	0.907	+0.0%
1983	0.907	+0.0%
1984	0.907	+0.0%
1985	0.907	+0.0%
1986	0.907	+0.0%
1987	0.907	+0.0%
1988	0.907	+0.0%
1989	0.907	+0.0%
1990	0.907	+0.0%
1991	0.907	+0.0%
1992	0.907	+0.0%
1993	0.907	+0.0%
1994	0.907	+0.0%
1995	0.907	+0.0%
1996	0.907	+0.0%
1997	0.907	+0.0%
1998	0.907	+0.0%
1999	0.907	+0.0%
2000	0.907	+0.0%
2001	0.907	+0.0%
2002	0.907	+0.0%
2003	0.907	+0.0%
2004	0.907	+0.0%
2005	0.907	+0.0%
2006	0.907	+0.0%
2007	0.913	+0.7%
2008	0.913	+0.0%
2009	0.913	+0.0%
2010	0.913	+0.0%
2011	0.913	+0.0%
2012	0.913	+0.0%
2013	0.89	-2.5%
2014	0.888	-0.2%
2015	0.888	+0.0%
2016	0.888	+0.0%
2017	0.888	+0.0%
2018	0.888	+0.0%
2019	0.883	-0.6%
2020	0.888	+0.6%
2021	0.888	+0.0%
2022	0.895	+0.8%
2023	0.895	+0.0%
2024	0.883	-1.3%
2025	0.864	-2.2%

Australia compared with similar countries

Australia's 0.864 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.847, 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
Australia's 0.864 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.5275, 1.6× the median. (22 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1900s	0.86	0.86	0.86	9
1910s	0.8564	0.847	0.86	10
1920s	0.858	0.858	0.858	10
1930s	0.8579	0.857	0.858	10
1940s	0.888	0.886	0.891	10
1950s	0.8984	0.897	0.903	10
1960s	0.899	0.896	0.906	10
1970s	0.9102	0.907	0.914	10
1980s	0.907	0.907	0.907	10
1990s	0.907	0.907	0.907	10
2000s	0.9088	0.907	0.913	10
2010s	0.8952	0.883	0.913	10
2020s	0.8855	0.864	0.895	6

Countries ranked near Australia

26 Spain 0.869 compare
27 Cape Verde 0.866 compare
27 Trinidad and Tobago 0.866 compare
29 Kenya 0.864 compare
29 Poland 0.864 compare
32 Sierra Leone 0.862 compare

See the full ranking of 174 places →

More social development data for Australia

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 33,415 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 41 (2025)
Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 41 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0012 units per person (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is academic freedom index in Australia?: Academic freedom index in Australia was 0.864 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Australia?: The highest recorded value was 0.914 in 1972.
What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Australia?: The lowest recorded value was 0.847 in 1916.
How does Australia rank for academic freedom index?: Australia ranks 29th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Australia?: Over the last ten years it is down 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Australia data come from?: The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Academic Freedom Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Academic Freedom Index in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/academic-freedom-index/australia/

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About this data

Indicator: Academic Freedom Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 174 places, 16,942 data points, 1900–2025
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which academics can research, teach, publish, express opinions, and participate in academic bodies without interference, censorship, or institutional restrictions, and universities exercise institutional autonomy.