Academic Freedom Index in Hong Kong
Hong Kong: Academic Freedom Index was 0.237 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
0.237
Change on year
up 4.4%
World rank
135th
of 174 countries
All-time high
0.882
in 1994
All-time low
0.214
in 2022
Years of data
115
1911–2025
Academic Freedom Index in Hong Kong, 1911–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Hong Kong recorded 0.237 for academic freedom index in 2025.
That represents a change of up 4.4% on the previous year and down 56.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, academic freedom index in Hong Kong peaked at 0.882 in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0.214, in 2022.
That places Hong Kong 135th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 115 years of available data.
Academic Freedom Index in Hong Kong, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1911 | 0.699 | — |
| 1912 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.724 | +3.6% |
| 1921 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.724 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.433 | -40.2% |
| 1942 | 0.39 | -9.9% |
| 1943 | 0.39 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.39 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.539 | +38.2% |
| 1946 | 0.773 | +43.4% |
| 1947 | 0.773 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.773 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.773 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.773 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.773 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.753 | -2.6% |
| 1953 | 0.753 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.753 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.753 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.771 | +2.4% |
| 1957 | 0.771 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.771 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.771 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.771 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 0.771 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.771 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.751 | -2.6% |
| 1964 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.783 | +4.3% |
| 1971 | 0.783 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.783 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.783 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.783 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.793 | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 0.793 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.793 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.793 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.793 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.815 | +2.8% |
| 1981 | 0.815 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.815 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.815 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.815 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.815 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.828 | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 0.828 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.836 | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 0.836 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.855 | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 0.861 | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 0.876 | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 0.876 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.882 | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.878 | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 0.878 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.878 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.855 | -2.6% |
| 2001 | 0.864 | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 0.864 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.864 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.843 | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 0.821 | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 0.821 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.821 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.841 | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 0.825 | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 0.786 | -4.7% |
| 2011 | 0.763 | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 0.701 | -8.1% |
| 2013 | 0.688 | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 0.603 | -12.4% |
| 2015 | 0.545 | -9.6% |
| 2016 | 0.545 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.543 | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 0.543 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.46 | -15.3% |
| 2020 | 0.333 | -27.6% |
| 2021 | 0.219 | -34.2% |
| 2022 | 0.214 | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 0.214 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 0.227 | +6.1% |
| 2025 | 0.237 | +4.4% |
Hong Kong compared with similar countries
- Hong Kong's 0.237 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.847, 28% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Hong Kong's 0.237 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.5275, 45% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.699 | 0.699 | 0.699 | 9 |
| 1920s | 0.724 | 0.724 | 0.724 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.724 | 0.724 | 0.724 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.5958 | 0.39 | 0.773 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.7642 | 0.753 | 0.773 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.757 | 0.751 | 0.771 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.788 | 0.783 | 0.793 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.8218 | 0.815 | 0.836 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8748 | 0.855 | 0.882 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8419 | 0.821 | 0.864 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6177 | 0.46 | 0.786 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2407 | 0.214 | 0.333 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong
More social development data for Hong Kong
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 236 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 245 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 6 (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 245 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of -9.23 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is academic freedom index in Hong Kong?
- Academic freedom index in Hong Kong was 0.237 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Hong Kong?
- The highest recorded value was 0.882 in 1994.
- What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Hong Kong?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.214 in 2022.
- How does Hong Kong rank for academic freedom index?
- Hong Kong ranks 135th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Hong Kong?
- Over the last ten years it is down 56.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Hong Kong 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 — 115 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.