Academic Freedom Index in Vietnam
Vietnam: Academic Freedom Index was 0.222 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Academic Freedom Index in Vietnam, 1976–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, academic freedom index in Vietnam stood at 0.222.
That represents a change of down 17.5% on the previous year and down 23.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, academic freedom index in Vietnam peaked at 0.291 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.029, in 1976.
That places Vietnam 136th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Academic Freedom Index in Vietnam, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 0.029 | — |
| 1977 | 0.029 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.034 | +17.2% |
| 1979 | 0.034 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.04 | +17.6% |
| 1981 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.089 | +122.5% |
| 1987 | 0.117 | +31.5% |
| 1988 | 0.122 | +4.3% |
| 1989 | 0.111 | -9.0% |
| 1990 | 0.139 | +25.2% |
| 1991 | 0.139 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.198 | +42.4% |
| 1993 | 0.211 | +6.6% |
| 1994 | 0.211 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.211 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.217 | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 0.216 | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 0.216 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.216 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.279 | +29.2% |
| 2001 | 0.279 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.279 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.279 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.279 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.272 | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 0.28 | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 0.276 | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 0.276 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.276 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.284 | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 0.278 | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 0.287 | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 0.283 | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 0.283 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.291 | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 0.276 | -5.2% |
| 2017 | 0.276 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.277 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 0.274 | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 0.262 | -4.4% |
| 2021 | 0.268 | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 0.275 | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 0.279 | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 0.269 | -3.6% |
| 2025 | 0.222 | -17.5% |
Vietnam compared with similar countries
- Vietnam's 0.222 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5905, 38% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Vietnam's 0.222 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.5275, 42% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Academic Freedom Index in Vietnam 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | +122.5% | 0.04 | 0.089 |
| 1992 | +42.4% | 0.139 | 0.198 |
| 1987 | +31.5% | 0.089 | 0.117 |
| 2000 | +29.2% | 0.216 | 0.279 |
| 1990 | +25.2% | 0.111 | 0.139 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.0315 | 0.029 | 0.034 | 4 |
| 1980s | 0.0679 | 0.04 | 0.122 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1974 | 0.139 | 0.217 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2775 | 0.272 | 0.28 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2809 | 0.274 | 0.291 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2625 | 0.222 | 0.279 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Vietnam
More social development data for Vietnam
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 13 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 20,636 (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 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 20,636 (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 Vietnam?
- Academic freedom index in Vietnam was 0.222 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Vietnam?
- The highest recorded value was 0.291 in 2015.
- What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Vietnam?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.029 in 1976.
- How does Vietnam rank for academic freedom index?
- Vietnam ranks 136th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Vietnam?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Vietnam 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 — 50 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.