Academic Freedom Index in Uganda
Uganda: Academic Freedom Index was 0.196 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
0.196
Change on year
down 47.7%
World rank
144th
of 174 countries
All-time high
0.731
in 1951
All-time low
0.042
in 1973
Years of data
104
1922–2025
Academic Freedom Index in Uganda, 1922–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Uganda recorded 0.196 for academic freedom index in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 47.7% on the previous year and down 57.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, academic freedom index in Uganda peaked at 0.731 in 1951 and was at its lowest, 0.042, in 1973.
That places Uganda 144th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 104 years of available data.
Academic Freedom Index in Uganda, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1922 | 0.711 | — |
| 1923 | 0.711 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.711 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.711 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.711 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.711 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.711 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.711 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.712 | +0.1% |
| 1931 | 0.712 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.712 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.709 | -0.4% |
| 1934 | 0.709 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.709 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.709 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.709 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.709 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.709 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.716 | +1.0% |
| 1941 | 0.712 | -0.6% |
| 1942 | 0.712 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.712 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.712 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.712 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.712 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.712 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.712 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.712 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.712 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.731 | +2.7% |
| 1952 | 0.731 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.731 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.731 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.731 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.731 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.731 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.731 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.731 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.656 | -10.3% |
| 1961 | 0.656 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.673 | +2.6% |
| 1963 | 0.543 | -19.3% |
| 1964 | 0.543 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.543 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.5 | -7.9% |
| 1967 | 0.447 | -10.6% |
| 1968 | 0.447 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.436 | -2.5% |
| 1970 | 0.107 | -75.5% |
| 1971 | 0.071 | -33.6% |
| 1972 | 0.047 | -33.8% |
| 1973 | 0.042 | -10.6% |
| 1974 | 0.042 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.042 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.042 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.042 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.042 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.042 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.234 | +457.1% |
| 1981 | 0.234 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.234 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.234 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.234 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.247 | +5.6% |
| 1986 | 0.423 | +71.3% |
| 1987 | 0.52 | +22.9% |
| 1988 | 0.52 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.52 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.552 | +6.2% |
| 1991 | 0.566 | +2.5% |
| 1992 | 0.566 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.582 | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 0.582 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.602 | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 0.602 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.602 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.602 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.602 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.521 | -13.5% |
| 2001 | 0.512 | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 0.512 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.512 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.512 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.512 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.541 | +5.7% |
| 2007 | 0.518 | -4.3% |
| 2008 | 0.53 | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 0.547 | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 0.48 | -12.2% |
| 2011 | 0.484 | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 0.484 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.475 | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 0.475 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.466 | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 0.447 | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 0.456 | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 0.458 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 0.468 | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 0.42 | -10.3% |
| 2021 | 0.364 | -13.3% |
| 2022 | 0.404 | +11.0% |
| 2023 | 0.4 | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 0.375 | -6.3% |
| 2025 | 0.196 | -47.7% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's 0.196 is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.326, 60% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Uganda's 0.196 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.519, 38% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 0.711 | 0.711 | 0.711 | 8 |
| 1930s | 0.7099 | 0.709 | 0.712 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.7124 | 0.712 | 0.716 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.7291 | 0.712 | 0.731 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.5444 | 0.436 | 0.673 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0519 | 0.042 | 0.107 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.34 | 0.234 | 0.52 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5858 | 0.552 | 0.602 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5217 | 0.512 | 0.547 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4693 | 0.447 | 0.484 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3598 | 0.196 | 0.42 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
More social development data for Uganda
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1.94 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 12,792 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 12,792 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0377 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 Uganda?
- Academic freedom index in Uganda was 0.196 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 0.731 in 1951.
- What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.042 in 1973.
- How does Uganda rank for academic freedom index?
- Uganda ranks 144th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 57.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Uganda 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 — 104 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.