Academic Freedom Index in Moldova
Moldova: Academic Freedom Index was 0.689 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Academic Freedom Index in Moldova, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for academic freedom index in Moldova is 0.689, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, academic freedom index in Moldova peaked at 0.83 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.004, in 1940.
That places Moldova 75th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Academic Freedom Index in Moldova, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.407 | — |
| 1901 | 0.407 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.407 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.407 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.422 | +3.7% |
| 1905 | 0.451 | +6.9% |
| 1906 | 0.464 | +2.9% |
| 1907 | 0.473 | +1.9% |
| 1908 | 0.466 | -1.5% |
| 1909 | 0.462 | -0.9% |
| 1910 | 0.441 | -4.5% |
| 1911 | 0.441 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.446 | +1.1% |
| 1913 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.423 | -5.2% |
| 1915 | 0.404 | -4.5% |
| 1916 | 0.408 | +1.0% |
| 1917 | 0.316 | -22.5% |
| 1918 | 0.076 | -75.9% |
| 1919 | 0.074 | -2.6% |
| 1940 | 0.004 | -94.6% |
| 1941 | 0.004 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.004 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.004 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.004 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.005 | +25.0% |
| 1946 | 0.005 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.005 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.005 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.005 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.007 | +40.0% |
| 1951 | 0.007 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.007 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.008 | +14.3% |
| 1954 | 0.025 | +212.5% |
| 1955 | 0.025 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.029 | +16.0% |
| 1957 | 0.026 | -10.3% |
| 1958 | 0.026 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.026 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.032 | +23.1% |
| 1961 | 0.032 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.032 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.029 | -9.4% |
| 1964 | 0.029 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.027 | -6.9% |
| 1966 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.025 | -7.4% |
| 1970 | 0.041 | +64.0% |
| 1971 | 0.041 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.041 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.041 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.035 | -14.6% |
| 1975 | 0.037 | +5.7% |
| 1976 | 0.035 | -5.4% |
| 1977 | 0.035 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.035 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.035 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.044 | +25.7% |
| 1981 | 0.049 | +11.4% |
| 1982 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.056 | +14.3% |
| 1985 | 0.055 | -1.8% |
| 1986 | 0.084 | +52.7% |
| 1987 | 0.162 | +92.9% |
| 1988 | 0.286 | +76.5% |
| 1989 | 0.349 | +22.0% |
| 1990 | 0.347 | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 0.415 | +19.6% |
| 1992 | 0.609 | +46.7% |
| 1993 | 0.609 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.599 | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 0.616 | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 0.662 | +7.5% |
| 1997 | 0.662 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.645 | -2.6% |
| 1999 | 0.66 | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 0.651 | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 0.61 | -6.3% |
| 2002 | 0.586 | -3.9% |
| 2003 | 0.618 | +5.5% |
| 2004 | 0.654 | +5.8% |
| 2005 | 0.654 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.671 | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 0.675 | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 0.681 | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 0.692 | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 0.788 | +13.9% |
| 2011 | 0.807 | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 0.807 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.81 | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 0.808 | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 0.807 | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 0.801 | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 0.791 | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 0.791 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.788 | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 0.817 | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 0.83 | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 0.809 | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 0.809 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 0.696 | -14.0% |
| 2025 | 0.689 | -1.0% |
Moldova compared with similar countries
- Moldova's 0.689 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5905, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Moldova's 0.689 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.7865, 88% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Academic Freedom Index in Moldova changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | +212.5% | 0.008 | 0.025 |
| 1940 | -94.6% | 0.074 | 0.004 |
| 1987 | +92.9% | 0.084 | 0.162 |
| 1988 | +76.5% | 0.162 | 0.286 |
| 1918 | -75.9% | 0.316 | 0.076 |
| 1970 | +64.0% | 0.025 | 0.041 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.4366 | 0.407 | 0.473 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.3475 | 0.074 | 0.446 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.0045 | 0.004 | 0.005 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.0186 | 0.007 | 0.029 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.0287 | 0.025 | 0.032 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0376 | 0.035 | 0.041 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1183 | 0.044 | 0.349 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5824 | 0.347 | 0.662 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6492 | 0.586 | 0.692 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7998 | 0.788 | 0.81 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.775 | 0.689 | 0.83 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Moldova
More social development data for Moldova
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 149,324 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 5,846 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 3 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0025 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 5,846 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0633 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 Moldova?
- Academic freedom index in Moldova was 0.689 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Moldova?
- The highest recorded value was 0.83 in 2021.
- What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Moldova?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.004 in 1940.
- How does Moldova rank for academic freedom index?
- Moldova ranks 75th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Moldova?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Moldova 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 — 106 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.