Academic Freedom Index in Cyprus
Cyprus: Academic Freedom Index was 0.889 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Academic Freedom Index in Cyprus, 1961–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for academic freedom index in Cyprus is 0.889, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, academic freedom index in Cyprus peaked at 0.953 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 0.365, in 1964.
That places Cyprus 20th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Academic Freedom Index in Cyprus, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.367 | — |
| 1962 | 0.367 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.367 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.365 | -0.5% |
| 1965 | 0.365 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.365 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.365 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.365 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.365 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.366 | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 0.366 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.366 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.366 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.497 | +35.8% |
| 1975 | 0.514 | +3.4% |
| 1976 | 0.514 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.514 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.488 | -5.1% |
| 1979 | 0.555 | +13.7% |
| 1980 | 0.555 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.555 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.563 | +1.4% |
| 1983 | 0.574 | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 0.574 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.574 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.59 | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 0.59 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.59 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.735 | +24.6% |
| 1990 | 0.831 | +13.1% |
| 1991 | 0.831 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.832 | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 0.846 | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 0.846 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.858 | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 0.858 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.858 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.858 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.858 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.885 | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 0.879 | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 0.879 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.879 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.879 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.946 | +7.6% |
| 2006 | 0.946 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.946 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.946 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.946 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.949 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 0.949 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.949 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.953 | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 0.953 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.953 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.953 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.949 | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 0.949 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.951 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.947 | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 0.923 | -2.5% |
| 2022 | 0.924 | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 0.928 | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 0.896 | -3.4% |
| 2025 | 0.889 | -0.8% |
Cyprus compared with similar countries
- Cyprus's 0.889 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.847, 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Cyprus's 0.889 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.7865, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.3657 | 0.365 | 0.367 | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.4546 | 0.366 | 0.555 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.59 | 0.555 | 0.735 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8476 | 0.831 | 0.858 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9131 | 0.879 | 0.946 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9508 | 0.949 | 0.953 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9178 | 0.889 | 0.947 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cyprus
More social development data for Cyprus
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 48,207 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 15 (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 15 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0352 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 Cyprus?
- Academic freedom index in Cyprus was 0.889 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Cyprus?
- The highest recorded value was 0.953 in 2013.
- What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Cyprus?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.365 in 1964.
- How does Cyprus rank for academic freedom index?
- Cyprus ranks 20th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Cyprus?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cyprus 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.