Academic Freedom Index in Denmark

Denmark: Academic Freedom Index was 0.875 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
0.875
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
24th
of 174 countries
All-time high
0.969
in 1967
All-time low
0.265
in 1943
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Academic Freedom Index in Denmark, 1900–2025

0.20.40.60.81190019622025

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

Analysis

In 2025, academic freedom index in Denmark stood at 0.875.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.1% on the previous year and down 8.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, academic freedom index in Denmark peaked at 0.969 in 1967 and was at its lowest, 0.265, in 1943.

That places Denmark 24th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.

Academic Freedom Index in Denmark, year by year

Annual values for Academic Freedom Index in Denmark, 1900 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1900 0.775
1901 0.807 +4.1%
1902 0.807 +0.0%
1903 0.807 +0.0%
1904 0.807 +0.0%
1905 0.807 +0.0%
1906 0.807 +0.0%
1907 0.807 +0.0%
1908 0.807 +0.0%
1909 0.807 +0.0%
1910 0.807 +0.0%
1911 0.807 +0.0%
1912 0.807 +0.0%
1913 0.807 +0.0%
1914 0.785 -2.7%
1915 0.785 +0.0%
1916 0.785 +0.0%
1917 0.785 +0.0%
1918 0.787 +0.3%
1919 0.808 +2.7%
1920 0.808 +0.0%
1921 0.808 +0.0%
1922 0.808 +0.0%
1923 0.808 +0.0%
1924 0.808 +0.0%
1925 0.808 +0.0%
1926 0.808 +0.0%
1927 0.808 +0.0%
1928 0.808 +0.0%
1929 0.808 +0.0%
1930 0.808 +0.0%
1931 0.808 +0.0%
1932 0.808 +0.0%
1933 0.758 -6.2%
1934 0.758 +0.0%
1935 0.758 +0.0%
1936 0.758 +0.0%
1937 0.758 +0.0%
1938 0.758 +0.0%
1939 0.758 +0.0%
1940 0.382 -49.6%
1941 0.376 -1.6%
1942 0.363 -3.5%
1943 0.265 -27.0%
1944 0.265 +0.0%
1945 0.511 +92.8%
1946 0.955 +86.9%
1947 0.955 +0.0%
1948 0.955 +0.0%
1949 0.955 +0.0%
1950 0.955 +0.0%
1951 0.955 +0.0%
1952 0.955 +0.0%
1953 0.955 +0.0%
1954 0.957 +0.2%
1955 0.957 +0.0%
1956 0.957 +0.0%
1957 0.957 +0.0%
1958 0.957 +0.0%
1959 0.957 +0.0%
1960 0.961 +0.4%
1961 0.961 +0.0%
1962 0.961 +0.0%
1963 0.961 +0.0%
1964 0.961 +0.0%
1965 0.961 +0.0%
1966 0.961 +0.0%
1967 0.969 +0.8%
1968 0.963 -0.6%
1969 0.963 +0.0%
1970 0.963 +0.0%
1971 0.963 +0.0%
1972 0.963 +0.0%
1973 0.963 +0.0%
1974 0.963 +0.0%
1975 0.963 +0.0%
1976 0.963 +0.0%
1977 0.963 +0.0%
1978 0.963 +0.0%
1979 0.963 +0.0%
1980 0.963 +0.0%
1981 0.963 +0.0%
1982 0.966 +0.3%
1983 0.966 +0.0%
1984 0.966 +0.0%
1985 0.966 +0.0%
1986 0.966 +0.0%
1987 0.966 +0.0%
1988 0.966 +0.0%
1989 0.966 +0.0%
1990 0.966 +0.0%
1991 0.966 +0.0%
1992 0.966 +0.0%
1993 0.966 +0.0%
1994 0.966 +0.0%
1995 0.966 +0.0%
1996 0.966 +0.0%
1997 0.966 +0.0%
1998 0.966 +0.0%
1999 0.966 +0.0%
2000 0.966 +0.0%
2001 0.961 -0.5%
2002 0.961 +0.0%
2003 0.933 -2.9%
2004 0.933 +0.0%
2005 0.93 -0.3%
2006 0.93 +0.0%
2007 0.93 +0.0%
2008 0.93 +0.0%
2009 0.93 +0.0%
2010 0.955 +2.7%
2011 0.953 -0.2%
2012 0.956 +0.3%
2013 0.956 +0.0%
2014 0.956 +0.0%
2015 0.956 +0.0%
2016 0.948 -0.8%
2017 0.948 +0.0%
2018 0.948 +0.0%
2019 0.948 +0.0%
2020 0.924 -2.5%
2021 0.924 +0.0%
2022 0.915 -1.0%
2023 0.906 -1.0%
2024 0.894 -1.3%
2025 0.875 -2.1%

Denmark compared with similar countries

  • Denmark's 0.875 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.847, 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
  • Denmark's 0.875 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.7865, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.8038 0.775 0.807 10
1910s 0.7963 0.785 0.808 10
1920s 0.808 0.808 0.808 10
1930s 0.773 0.758 0.808 10
1940s 0.5982 0.265 0.955 10
1950s 0.9562 0.955 0.957 10
1960s 0.9622 0.961 0.969 10
1970s 0.963 0.963 0.963 10
1980s 0.9654 0.963 0.966 10
1990s 0.966 0.966 0.966 10
2000s 0.9404 0.93 0.966 10
2010s 0.9524 0.948 0.956 10
2020s 0.9063 0.875 0.924 6

Countries ranked near Denmark

  1. 21 Austria 0.881 compare
  2. 22 Germany 0.877 compare
  3. 23 Nigeria 0.876 compare
  4. 25 Malta 0.874 compare
  5. 26 Spain 0.869 compare
  6. 27 Cape Verde 0.866 compare
  7. 27 Trinidad and Tobago 0.866 compare

See the full ranking of 174 places →

More social development data for Denmark

All data for Denmark →

Frequently asked questions

What is academic freedom index in Denmark?
Academic freedom index in Denmark was 0.875 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Denmark?
The highest recorded value was 0.969 in 1967.
What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Denmark?
The lowest recorded value was 0.265 in 1943.
How does Denmark rank for academic freedom index?
Denmark ranks 24th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Denmark?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Denmark 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 Denmark. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/academic-freedom-index/denmark/

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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

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.