Statizoid

Freedom of Expression Index in Croatia

Croatia: Freedom of Expression Index was 0.743 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.743
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
80th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.942
in 2012
All-time low
0.028
in 1941
Years of data
85
1941–2025

Freedom of Expression Index in Croatia, 1941–2025

00.20.40.60.81194119832025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Croatia recorded 0.743 for freedom of expression index in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 18.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, freedom of expression index in Croatia peaked at 0.942 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.028, in 1941.

That places Croatia 80th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Freedom of Expression Index in Croatia, year by year

Year Value Change
1941 0.028 —
1942 0.028 +0.0%
1943 0.03 +7.1%
1944 0.03 +0.0%
1945 0.048 +60.0%
1946 0.054 +12.5%
1947 0.054 +0.0%
1948 0.054 +0.0%
1949 0.054 +0.0%
1950 0.061 +13.0%
1951 0.061 +0.0%
1952 0.061 +0.0%
1953 0.065 +6.6%
1954 0.069 +6.2%
1955 0.069 +0.0%
1956 0.069 +0.0%
1957 0.069 +0.0%
1958 0.069 +0.0%
1959 0.069 +0.0%
1960 0.069 +0.0%
1961 0.069 +0.0%
1962 0.069 +0.0%
1963 0.069 +0.0%
1964 0.069 +0.0%
1965 0.069 +0.0%
1966 0.069 +0.0%
1967 0.073 +5.8%
1968 0.072 -1.4%
1969 0.072 +0.0%
1970 0.072 +0.0%
1971 0.072 +0.0%
1972 0.075 +4.2%
1973 0.075 +0.0%
1974 0.075 +0.0%
1975 0.075 +0.0%
1976 0.075 +0.0%
1977 0.075 +0.0%
1978 0.075 +0.0%
1979 0.075 +0.0%
1980 0.075 +0.0%
1981 0.124 +65.3%
1982 0.124 +0.0%
1983 0.124 +0.0%
1984 0.124 +0.0%
1985 0.124 +0.0%
1986 0.124 +0.0%
1987 0.135 +8.9%
1988 0.138 +2.2%
1989 0.138 +0.0%
1990 0.305 +121.0%
1991 0.416 +36.4%
1992 0.45 +8.2%
1993 0.454 +0.9%
1994 0.483 +6.4%
1995 0.487 +0.8%
1996 0.546 +12.1%
1997 0.566 +3.7%
1998 0.566 +0.0%
1999 0.584 +3.2%
2000 0.929 +59.1%
2001 0.929 +0.0%
2002 0.927 -0.2%
2003 0.933 +0.6%
2004 0.909 -2.6%
2005 0.895 -1.5%
2006 0.895 +0.0%
2007 0.899 +0.4%
2008 0.908 +1.0%
2009 0.907 -0.1%
2010 0.924 +1.9%
2011 0.939 +1.6%
2012 0.942 +0.3%
2013 0.917 -2.7%
2014 0.908 -1.0%
2015 0.906 -0.2%
2016 0.83 -8.4%
2017 0.798 -3.9%
2018 0.791 -0.9%
2019 0.792 +0.1%
2020 0.803 +1.4%
2021 0.808 +0.6%
2022 0.779 -3.6%
2023 0.777 -0.3%
2024 0.766 -1.4%
2025 0.743 -3.0%

Croatia compared with similar countries

  • Croatia's 0.743 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.874, 85% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
  • Croatia's 0.743 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.7935, 94% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Freedom of Expression Index in Croatia 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.

YearChange FromTo
1990 +121.0% 0.138 0.305
1981 +65.3% 0.075 0.124
1945 +60.0% 0.03 0.048
2000 +59.1% 0.584 0.929
1991 +36.4% 0.305 0.416

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1940s 0.0422 0.028 0.054 9
1950s 0.0662 0.061 0.069 10
1960s 0.07 0.069 0.073 10
1970s 0.0744 0.072 0.075 10
1980s 0.123 0.075 0.138 10
1990s 0.4857 0.305 0.584 10
2000s 0.9131 0.895 0.933 10
2010s 0.8747 0.791 0.942 10
2020s 0.7793 0.743 0.808 6

Countries ranked near Croatia

  1. 77 Paraguay 0.751 compare
  2. 78 Gabon 0.748 compare
  3. 79 Lebanon 0.744 compare
  4. 81 Argentina 0.736 compare
  5. 82 Armenia 0.732 compare
  6. 83 United States 0.729 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Croatia

All data for Croatia →

Frequently asked questions

What is freedom of expression index in Croatia?
Freedom of expression index in Croatia was 0.743 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest freedom of expression index recorded in Croatia?
The highest recorded value was 0.942 in 2012.
What is the lowest freedom of expression index recorded in Croatia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.028 in 1941.
How does Croatia rank for freedom of expression index?
Croatia ranks 80th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is freedom of expression index rising or falling in Croatia?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Croatia data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Freedom of Expression Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 85 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Relationships involving this indicator

Comparisons with other indicators across countries. Each was re-measured with population and national income held constant, so a relationship that only reflected country size is not listed here.

All correlations →

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Freedom of Expression Index in Croatia. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 07 November 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/freedom-of-expression-index/croatia/

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About this data

Indicator
Freedom of Expression Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 30,035 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of the extent to which people can discuss political matters at home and in the public sphere, the press, and media are free and can present different political perspectives, and the freedom of academic and cultural expression.