Academic Freedom Index in Norway
Norway: Academic Freedom Index was 0.854 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Academic Freedom Index in Norway, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, academic freedom index in Norway stood at 0.854.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and down 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, academic freedom index in Norway peaked at 0.926 in 1980 and was at its lowest, 0.038, in 1944.
Norway ranks 33rd 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 Norway, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.768 | — |
| 1901 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.781 | +1.7% |
| 1921 | 0.781 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.781 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.781 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.781 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.781 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.781 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.781 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.781 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.781 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.781 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.781 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.781 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.781 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.781 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.781 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.781 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.781 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.781 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.76 | -2.7% |
| 1940 | 0.121 | -84.1% |
| 1941 | 0.114 | -5.8% |
| 1942 | 0.061 | -46.5% |
| 1943 | 0.056 | -8.2% |
| 1944 | 0.038 | -32.1% |
| 1945 | 0.091 | +139.5% |
| 1946 | 0.853 | +837.4% |
| 1947 | 0.853 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.853 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.853 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.867 | +1.6% |
| 1951 | 0.867 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.867 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.881 | +1.6% |
| 1954 | 0.885 | +0.5% |
| 1955 | 0.885 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.885 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.885 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.901 | +1.8% |
| 1959 | 0.901 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.901 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 0.901 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.901 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.901 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.901 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.901 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.901 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.886 | -1.7% |
| 1968 | 0.886 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.905 | +2.1% |
| 1970 | 0.905 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.905 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.905 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.905 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.905 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.905 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.905 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.905 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.905 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.905 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.926 | +2.3% |
| 1981 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.926 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.924 | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 0.924 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.924 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.924 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.924 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.924 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.917 | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 0.899 | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 0.885 | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 0.896 | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 0.896 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.896 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.896 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.896 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.896 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.896 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.896 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.869 | -3.0% |
| 2021 | 0.869 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.869 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.869 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 0.843 | -3.0% |
| 2025 | 0.854 | +1.3% |
Norway compared with similar countries
- Norway's 0.854 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.847, 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Norway's 0.854 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.768 | 0.768 | 0.768 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.768 | 0.768 | 0.768 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.781 | 0.781 | 0.781 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.7789 | 0.76 | 0.781 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.3893 | 0.038 | 0.853 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.8824 | 0.867 | 0.901 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.8984 | 0.886 | 0.905 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.905 | 0.905 | 0.905 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.926 | 0.926 | 0.926 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.926 | 0.926 | 0.926 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9239 | 0.917 | 0.926 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8952 | 0.885 | 0.899 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8622 | 0.843 | 0.869 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Norway
- 32 Sierra Leone 0.862 compare
- 33 Canada 0.854 compare
- 35 Bulgaria 0.85 compare
- 35 South Korea 0.85 compare
More social development data for Norway
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 124,006 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 20 (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 20 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0221 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 Norway?
- Academic freedom index in Norway was 0.854 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 0.926 in 1980.
- What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.038 in 1944.
- How does Norway rank for academic freedom index?
- Norway ranks 33rd out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Norway 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 — 126 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.