Academic Freedom Index in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Academic Freedom Index was 0.849 in 2025. ▼ Falling
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.
Academic Freedom Index in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 0.945 | — |
| 1966 | 0.945 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.945 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.945 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.945 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.945 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.945 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.945 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.945 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.945 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.86 | -9.0% |
| 1976 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 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 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.816 | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 0.805 | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 0.805 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.814 | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 0.812 | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 0.812 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.804 | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 0.801 | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 0.801 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.809 | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 0.817 | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 0.817 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.83 | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 0.829 | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 0.829 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 0.849 | +2.4% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 0.849 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.515, 1.6× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 0.849 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.5275, 1.6× the median. (22 countries reporting)
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
More social development data for Papua New Guinea
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 7,727 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 644 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 644 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0007 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 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
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.