Academic Freedom Index in Poland
Poland: Academic Freedom Index was 0.864 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Academic Freedom Index in Poland, 1918–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for academic freedom index in Poland is 0.864, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and down 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, academic freedom index in Poland peaked at 0.979 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.053, in 1952.
Poland ranks 29th of 174 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Academic Freedom Index in Poland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1918 | 0.715 | — |
| 1919 | 0.729 | +2.0% |
| 1920 | 0.727 | -0.3% |
| 1921 | 0.727 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.727 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.727 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.727 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.727 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.591 | -18.7% |
| 1927 | 0.551 | -6.8% |
| 1928 | 0.551 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.551 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.551 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.54 | -2.0% |
| 1932 | 0.54 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.525 | -2.8% |
| 1934 | 0.522 | -0.6% |
| 1935 | 0.507 | -2.9% |
| 1936 | 0.497 | -2.0% |
| 1937 | 0.505 | +1.6% |
| 1938 | 0.505 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.132 | -73.9% |
| 1945 | 0.139 | +5.3% |
| 1946 | 0.197 | +41.7% |
| 1947 | 0.175 | -11.2% |
| 1948 | 0.077 | -56.0% |
| 1949 | 0.068 | -11.7% |
| 1950 | 0.055 | -19.1% |
| 1951 | 0.055 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.053 | -3.6% |
| 1953 | 0.053 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.063 | +18.9% |
| 1955 | 0.079 | +25.4% |
| 1956 | 0.123 | +55.7% |
| 1957 | 0.209 | +69.9% |
| 1958 | 0.204 | -2.4% |
| 1959 | 0.201 | -1.5% |
| 1960 | 0.198 | -1.5% |
| 1961 | 0.198 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.198 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.198 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.198 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.188 | -5.1% |
| 1966 | 0.192 | +2.1% |
| 1967 | 0.192 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.146 | -24.0% |
| 1969 | 0.164 | +12.3% |
| 1970 | 0.239 | +45.7% |
| 1971 | 0.249 | +4.2% |
| 1972 | 0.271 | +8.8% |
| 1973 | 0.271 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.271 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.271 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.267 | -1.5% |
| 1977 | 0.25 | -6.4% |
| 1978 | 0.248 | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 0.257 | +3.6% |
| 1980 | 0.372 | +44.7% |
| 1981 | 0.207 | -44.4% |
| 1982 | 0.12 | -42.0% |
| 1983 | 0.12 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.263 | +119.2% |
| 1985 | 0.277 | +5.3% |
| 1986 | 0.29 | +4.7% |
| 1987 | 0.29 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.303 | +4.5% |
| 1989 | 0.516 | +70.3% |
| 1990 | 0.952 | +84.5% |
| 1991 | 0.96 | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 0.96 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.96 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.96 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.96 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.96 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.96 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.96 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.975 | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 0.973 | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 0.977 | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 0.977 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.977 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.977 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.977 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.976 | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 0.974 | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 0.978 | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 0.979 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 0.978 | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 0.978 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.978 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.974 | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 0.974 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.974 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.948 | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 0.934 | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 0.913 | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 0.907 | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 0.798 | -12.0% |
| 2021 | 0.742 | -7.0% |
| 2022 | 0.732 | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 0.745 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 0.843 | +13.2% |
| 2025 | 0.864 | +2.5% |
Poland compared with similar countries
- Poland's 0.864 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.847, 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Poland's 0.864 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.7865, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Academic Freedom Index in Poland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | +119.2% | 0.12 | 0.263 |
| 1990 | +84.5% | 0.516 | 0.952 |
| 1944 | -73.9% | 0.505 | 0.132 |
| 1989 | +70.3% | 0.303 | 0.516 |
| 1957 | +69.9% | 0.123 | 0.209 |
| 1948 | -56.0% | 0.175 | 0.077 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.722 | 0.715 | 0.729 | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.6606 | 0.551 | 0.727 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.5213 | 0.497 | 0.551 | 9 |
| 1940s | 0.1313 | 0.068 | 0.197 | 6 |
| 1950s | 0.1095 | 0.053 | 0.209 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.1872 | 0.146 | 0.198 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.2594 | 0.239 | 0.271 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2758 | 0.12 | 0.516 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9607 | 0.952 | 0.975 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9765 | 0.973 | 0.979 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9558 | 0.907 | 0.978 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7873 | 0.732 | 0.864 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Poland
- 26 Spain 0.869 compare
- 27 Cape Verde 0.866 compare
- 27 Trinidad and Tobago 0.866 compare
- 29 Australia 0.864 compare
- 29 Kenya 0.864 compare
- 32 Sierra Leone 0.862 compare
More social development data for Poland
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 990,469 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,368 (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 1,368 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0272 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 Poland?
- Academic freedom index in Poland was 0.864 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Poland?
- The highest recorded value was 0.979 in 2009.
- What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Poland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.053 in 1952.
- How does Poland rank for academic freedom index?
- Poland ranks 29th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Poland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Poland 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 — 103 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.