Academic Freedom Index in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Academic Freedom Index was 0.066 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
0.066
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
166th
of 174 countries
All-time high
0.068
in 2005
All-time low
0.042
in 1955
Years of data
77
1949–2025
Academic Freedom Index in Saudi Arabia, 1949–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 0.066 for academic freedom index in 2025.
The figure is up 32.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, academic freedom index in Saudi Arabia peaked at 0.068 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 0.042, in 1955.
Saudi Arabia ranks 166th of 174 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 77 years of available data.
Academic Freedom Index in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1949 | 0.063 | — |
| 1950 | 0.063 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.063 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.049 | -22.2% |
| 1953 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.056 | +14.3% |
| 1955 | 0.042 | -25.0% |
| 1956 | 0.048 | +14.3% |
| 1957 | 0.048 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.048 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.048 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.066 | +37.5% |
| 1961 | 0.046 | -30.3% |
| 1962 | 0.046 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.046 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.051 | +10.9% |
| 1965 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.049 | -3.9% |
| 1971 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.05 | +2.0% |
| 1975 | 0.057 | +14.0% |
| 1976 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.053 | -7.0% |
| 1981 | 0.058 | +9.4% |
| 1982 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.06 | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 0.058 | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.068 | +17.2% |
| 2006 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.063 | -7.4% |
| 2012 | 0.064 | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 0.061 | -4.7% |
| 2014 | 0.06 | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 0.05 | -16.7% |
| 2016 | 0.054 | +8.0% |
| 2017 | 0.05 | -7.4% |
| 2018 | 0.055 | +10.0% |
| 2019 | 0.06 | +9.1% |
| 2020 | 0.059 | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 0.059 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.059 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.059 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 0.066 | +11.9% |
| 2025 | 0.066 | +0.0% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 0.066 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.847, 8% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 0.066 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.2275, 29% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 0.063 | 0.063 | 0.063 | 1 |
| 1950s | 0.0514 | 0.042 | 0.063 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.051 | 0.046 | 0.066 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0531 | 0.049 | 0.057 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0575 | 0.053 | 0.058 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.058 | 0.058 | 0.058 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0632 | 0.058 | 0.068 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0585 | 0.05 | 0.068 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0613 | 0.059 | 0.066 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More social development data for Saudi Arabia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 448 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,368 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (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 2,368 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is academic freedom index in Saudi Arabia?
- Academic freedom index in Saudi Arabia was 0.066 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.068 in 2005.
- What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.042 in 1955.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for academic freedom index?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 166th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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 — 77 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.