Academic Freedom Index in Suriname
Suriname: Academic Freedom Index was 0.828 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Academic Freedom Index in Suriname, 1968–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, academic freedom index in Suriname stood at 0.828.
The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, academic freedom index in Suriname peaked at 0.855 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.532, in 1980.
Suriname ranks 46th of 174 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 58 years of available data.
Academic Freedom Index in Suriname, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 0.804 | — |
| 1969 | 0.804 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.816 | +1.5% |
| 1971 | 0.816 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.816 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.816 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.816 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.841 | +3.1% |
| 1976 | 0.85 | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.532 | -37.4% |
| 1981 | 0.532 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.564 | +6.0% |
| 1983 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.558 | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 0.66 | +18.3% |
| 1988 | 0.733 | +11.1% |
| 1989 | 0.741 | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 0.78 | +5.3% |
| 1991 | 0.789 | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 0.801 | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 0.832 | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 0.832 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.832 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.826 | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 0.843 | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 0.843 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.843 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.85 | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 0.848 | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 0.848 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.848 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.848 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.848 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.848 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.848 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.848 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.848 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.824 | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 0.823 | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 0.823 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.819 | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 0.819 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.819 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.825 | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 0.819 | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 0.821 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 0.821 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.65 | -20.8% |
| 2021 | 0.632 | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 0.85 | +34.5% |
| 2023 | 0.855 | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 0.812 | -5.0% |
| 2025 | 0.828 | +2.0% |
Suriname compared with similar countries
- Suriname's 0.828 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5905, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Suriname's 0.828 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.761, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Academic Freedom Index in Suriname 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | -37.4% | 0.85 | 0.532 |
| 2022 | +34.5% | 0.632 | 0.85 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.804 | 0.804 | 0.804 | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.8321 | 0.816 | 0.85 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6012 | 0.532 | 0.741 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8221 | 0.78 | 0.843 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8482 | 0.848 | 0.85 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8213 | 0.819 | 0.825 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7712 | 0.632 | 0.855 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Suriname
More social development data for Suriname
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 24 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 56 (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 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 56 (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 Suriname?
- Academic freedom index in Suriname was 0.828 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Suriname?
- The highest recorded value was 0.855 in 2023.
- What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Suriname?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.532 in 1980.
- How does Suriname rank for academic freedom index?
- Suriname ranks 46th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Suriname?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Suriname 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 — 58 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.