Freedom of expression index in Hong Kong (China)
Hong Kong (China): Freedom of expression index was 0.227 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
0.227
Change on year
down 14.3%
World rank
145th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.897
in 1991
All-time low
0.213
in 2023
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Freedom of expression index in Hong Kong (China), 1900–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, freedom of expression index in Hong Kong (China) stood at 0.227.
That represents a change of down 14.3% on the previous year and down 70.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom of expression index in Hong Kong (China) peaked at 0.897 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.213, in 2023.
That places Hong Kong (China) 145th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.607 | 0.607 | 0.607 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.607 | 0.607 | 0.607 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.607 | 0.607 | 0.607 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.607 | 0.607 | 0.607 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.5224 | 0.433 | 0.613 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.613 | 0.613 | 0.613 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.709 | 0.709 | 0.709 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.7364 | 0.728 | 0.756 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.855 | 0.849 | 0.864 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8788 | 0.84 | 0.897 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8448 | 0.836 | 0.847 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7786 | 0.68 | 0.834 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2672 | 0.213 | 0.428 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong (China)
More social development data for Hong Kong (China)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 236 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 245 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh 6 (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 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 245 (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)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of -9.23 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is freedom of expression index in Hong Kong (China)?
- Freedom of expression index in Hong Kong (China) was 0.227 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom of expression index recorded in Hong Kong (China)?
- The highest recorded value was 0.897 in 1991.
- What is the lowest freedom of expression index recorded in Hong Kong (China)?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.213 in 2023.
- How does Hong Kong (China) rank for freedom of expression index?
- Hong Kong (China) ranks 145th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom of expression index rising or falling in Hong Kong (China)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 70.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Hong Kong (China) data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Freedom of expression index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).