What is academic freedom index in Malta?

Academic freedom index in Malta was 0.874 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Malta?

The highest recorded value was 0.922 in 2005.

What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Malta?

The lowest recorded value was 0.681 in 1979.

How does Malta rank for academic freedom index?

Malta ranks 25th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.

Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Malta?

Over the last ten years it is down 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Malta 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 Malta

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

Malta: Academic Freedom Index was 0.874 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.874

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

25th

of 174 countries

All-time high

0.922

in 2005

All-time low

0.681

in 1979

Years of data

126

1900–2025

Academic Freedom Index in Malta, 1900–2025

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

Analysis

Malta recorded 0.874 for academic freedom index in 2025.

The figure is down 2.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, academic freedom index in Malta peaked at 0.922 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 0.681, in 1979.

Malta ranks 25th of 174 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Academic Freedom Index in Malta, year by year

Annual values for Academic Freedom Index in Malta, 1900 to 2025.
Year	Value	Change
1900	0.702	—
1901	0.702	+0.0%
1902	0.702	+0.0%
1903	0.702	+0.0%
1904	0.702	+0.0%
1905	0.702	+0.0%
1906	0.702	+0.0%
1907	0.702	+0.0%
1908	0.702	+0.0%
1909	0.702	+0.0%
1910	0.702	+0.0%
1911	0.702	+0.0%
1912	0.702	+0.0%
1913	0.702	+0.0%
1914	0.702	+0.0%
1915	0.702	+0.0%
1916	0.702	+0.0%
1917	0.702	+0.0%
1918	0.702	+0.0%
1919	0.702	+0.0%
1920	0.702	+0.0%
1921	0.702	+0.0%
1922	0.702	+0.0%
1923	0.702	+0.0%
1924	0.702	+0.0%
1925	0.702	+0.0%
1926	0.702	+0.0%
1927	0.702	+0.0%
1928	0.702	+0.0%
1929	0.702	+0.0%
1930	0.702	+0.0%
1931	0.702	+0.0%
1932	0.702	+0.0%
1933	0.702	+0.0%
1934	0.702	+0.0%
1935	0.702	+0.0%
1936	0.702	+0.0%
1937	0.702	+0.0%
1938	0.702	+0.0%
1939	0.702	+0.0%
1940	0.685	-2.4%
1941	0.685	+0.0%
1942	0.685	+0.0%
1943	0.685	+0.0%
1944	0.685	+0.0%
1945	0.685	+0.0%
1946	0.692	+1.0%
1947	0.713	+3.0%
1948	0.713	+0.0%
1949	0.713	+0.0%
1950	0.713	+0.0%
1951	0.713	+0.0%
1952	0.713	+0.0%
1953	0.713	+0.0%
1954	0.713	+0.0%
1955	0.713	+0.0%
1956	0.713	+0.0%
1957	0.713	+0.0%
1958	0.713	+0.0%
1959	0.713	+0.0%
1960	0.713	+0.0%
1961	0.713	+0.0%
1962	0.713	+0.0%
1963	0.713	+0.0%
1964	0.732	+2.7%
1965	0.741	+1.2%
1966	0.741	+0.0%
1967	0.741	+0.0%
1968	0.741	+0.0%
1969	0.741	+0.0%
1970	0.741	+0.0%
1971	0.703	-5.1%
1972	0.703	+0.0%
1973	0.696	-1.0%
1974	0.713	+2.4%
1975	0.692	-2.9%
1976	0.692	+0.0%
1977	0.692	+0.0%
1978	0.692	+0.0%
1979	0.681	-1.6%
1980	0.681	+0.0%
1981	0.681	+0.0%
1982	0.681	+0.0%
1983	0.681	+0.0%
1984	0.681	+0.0%
1985	0.681	+0.0%
1986	0.702	+3.1%
1987	0.782	+11.4%
1988	0.858	+9.7%
1989	0.858	+0.0%
1990	0.86	+0.2%
1991	0.86	+0.0%
1992	0.86	+0.0%
1993	0.86	+0.0%
1994	0.86	+0.0%
1995	0.86	+0.0%
1996	0.86	+0.0%
1997	0.86	+0.0%
1998	0.86	+0.0%
1999	0.86	+0.0%
2000	0.875	+1.7%
2001	0.875	+0.0%
2002	0.875	+0.0%
2003	0.875	+0.0%
2004	0.897	+2.5%
2005	0.922	+2.8%
2006	0.922	+0.0%
2007	0.922	+0.0%
2008	0.922	+0.0%
2009	0.922	+0.0%
2010	0.922	+0.0%
2011	0.922	+0.0%
2012	0.917	-0.5%
2013	0.917	+0.0%
2014	0.897	-2.2%
2015	0.897	+0.0%
2016	0.897	+0.0%
2017	0.891	-0.7%
2018	0.888	-0.3%
2019	0.888	+0.0%
2020	0.914	+2.9%
2021	0.919	+0.5%
2022	0.874	-4.9%
2023	0.874	+0.0%
2024	0.874	+0.0%
2025	0.874	+0.0%

Malta compared with similar countries

Malta's 0.874 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.847, 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
Malta's 0.874 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.2275, 3.8× the median. (22 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1900s	0.702	0.702	0.702	10
1910s	0.702	0.702	0.702	10
1920s	0.702	0.702	0.702	10
1930s	0.702	0.702	0.702	10
1940s	0.6941	0.685	0.713	10
1950s	0.713	0.713	0.713	10
1960s	0.7289	0.713	0.741	10
1970s	0.7005	0.681	0.741	10
1980s	0.7286	0.681	0.858	10
1990s	0.86	0.86	0.86	10
2000s	0.9007	0.875	0.922	10
2010s	0.9036	0.888	0.922	10
2020s	0.8882	0.874	0.919	6

Countries ranked near Malta

22 Germany 0.877 compare
23 Nigeria 0.876 compare
24 Denmark 0.875 compare
26 Spain 0.869 compare
27 Cape Verde 0.866 compare
27 Trinidad and Tobago 0.866 compare

See the full ranking of 174 places →

More social development data for Malta

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8,306 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 11 (2025)
Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (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 11 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0143 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 Malta →

Frequently asked questions

What is academic freedom index in Malta?: Academic freedom index in Malta was 0.874 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Malta?: The highest recorded value was 0.922 in 2005.
What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Malta?: The lowest recorded value was 0.681 in 1979.
How does Malta rank for academic freedom index?: Malta ranks 25th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Malta?: Over the last ten years it is down 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Malta 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 Malta. 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/malta/

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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.