Academic Freedom Index in Central African Republic
Central African Republic: Academic Freedom Index was 0.326 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Academic Freedom Index in Central African Republic, 1961–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for academic freedom index in Central African Republic is 0.326, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
That represents a change of down 4.7% on the previous year and down 47.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, academic freedom index in Central African Republic peaked at 0.639 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.326, in 2025.
That places Central African Republic 121st out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Academic Freedom Index in Central African Republic, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.397 | — |
| 1962 | 0.397 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.397 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.397 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.397 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.398 | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 0.398 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.398 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.398 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.483 | +21.4% |
| 1971 | 0.483 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.483 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.483 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.483 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.483 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.448 | -7.2% |
| 1977 | 0.448 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.448 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.451 | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 0.546 | +21.1% |
| 1981 | 0.525 | -3.8% |
| 1982 | 0.514 | -2.1% |
| 1983 | 0.514 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.514 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.514 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.514 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.514 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.514 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.514 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.551 | +7.2% |
| 1991 | 0.551 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.551 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.571 | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 0.59 | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 0.59 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.59 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.59 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.59 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.59 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.629 | +6.6% |
| 2001 | 0.629 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.629 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.622 | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 0.622 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.622 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.622 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.622 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.622 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.622 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.629 | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 0.629 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.629 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.579 | -7.9% |
| 2014 | 0.608 | +5.0% |
| 2015 | 0.619 | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.639 | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 0.639 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.631 | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 0.476 | -24.6% |
| 2022 | 0.421 | -11.6% |
| 2023 | 0.331 | -21.4% |
| 2024 | 0.342 | +3.3% |
| 2025 | 0.326 | -4.7% |
Central African Republic compared with similar countries
- Central African Republic's 0.326 is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.326, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Central African Republic's 0.326 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.519, 63% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.3974 | 0.397 | 0.398 | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.4693 | 0.448 | 0.483 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.5183 | 0.514 | 0.546 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5764 | 0.551 | 0.59 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6241 | 0.622 | 0.629 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6209 | 0.579 | 0.639 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4212 | 0.326 | 0.631 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Central African Republic
More social development data for Central African Republic
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 55,307 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 674,222 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.1223 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 674,222 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.01 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is academic freedom index in Central African Republic?
- Academic freedom index in Central African Republic was 0.326 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Central African Republic?
- The highest recorded value was 0.639 in 2018.
- What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Central African Republic?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.326 in 2025.
- How does Central African Republic rank for academic freedom index?
- Central African Republic ranks 121st out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Central African Republic?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Central African Republic 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.