What is academic freedom index in Papua New Guinea?

Academic freedom index in Papua New Guinea was 0.849 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Papua New Guinea?

The highest recorded value was 0.945 in 1965.

What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Papua New Guinea?

The lowest recorded value was 0.801 in 2017.

How does Papua New Guinea rank for academic freedom index?

Papua New Guinea ranks 37th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.

Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?

Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this Papua New Guinea 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 Papua New Guinea

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

Papua New Guinea: Academic Freedom Index was 0.849 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)

0.849

Change on year

up 2.4%

World rank

37th

of 174 countries

All-time high

0.945

in 1965

All-time low

0.801

in 2017

Years of data

1965–2025

Academic Freedom Index in Papua New Guinea, 1965–2025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for academic freedom index in Papua New Guinea is 0.849, measured in 2025.

The figure is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 4.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, academic freedom index in Papua New Guinea peaked at 0.945 in 1965 and was at its lowest, 0.801, in 2017.

Papua New Guinea ranks 37th of 174 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 61 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	0.945	0.945	0.945	5
1970s	0.9025	0.86	0.945	10
1980s	0.86	0.86	0.86	10
1990s	0.86	0.86	0.86	10
2000s	0.86	0.86	0.86	10
2010s	0.8079	0.801	0.816	10
2020s	0.8285	0.817	0.849	6

Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea

35 Bulgaria 0.85 compare
35 South Korea 0.85 compare
37 Brazil 0.849 compare
39 New Zealand 0.847 compare
40 Zambia 0.844 compare

See the full ranking of 174 places →

More social development data for Papua New Guinea

Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 7,727 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 644 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Key features of democracy 0.467 (2025)
Freedom of Expression Index 0.839 (2025)
Freedom of Association Index 0.879 (2025)
Electoral Democracy Index 0.467 (2025)
Participatory Democracy Index 0.28 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.384 (2025)

All data for Papua New Guinea →

Frequently asked questions

What is academic freedom index in Papua New Guinea?: Academic freedom index in Papua New Guinea was 0.849 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Papua New Guinea?: The highest recorded value was 0.945 in 1965.
What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Papua New Guinea?: The lowest recorded value was 0.801 in 2017.
How does Papua New Guinea rank for academic freedom index?: Papua New Guinea ranks 37th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?: Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Papua New Guinea 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 — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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: 07 August 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.