What is freedom of expression index in Kuwait?

Freedom of expression index in Kuwait was 0.532 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest freedom of expression index recorded in Kuwait?

The highest recorded value was 0.682 in 2008.

What is the lowest freedom of expression index recorded in Kuwait?

The lowest recorded value was 0.512 in 1790.

How does Kuwait rank for freedom of expression index?

Kuwait ranks 118th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is freedom of expression index rising or falling in Kuwait?

Over the last ten years it is down 15.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Kuwait 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.

Freedom of Expression Index in Kuwait

Name: Freedom of Expression Index in Kuwait
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Kuwait: Freedom of Expression Index was 0.532 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.532

Change on year

down 5.8%

World rank

118th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.682

in 2008

All-time low

0.512

in 1790

Years of data

237

1789–2025

Freedom of Expression Index in Kuwait, 1789–2025

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

Analysis

Kuwait recorded 0.532 for freedom of expression index in 2025.

That represents a change of down 5.8% on the previous year and down 15.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, freedom of expression index in Kuwait peaked at 0.682 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.512, in 1790.

That places Kuwait 118th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 237 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1780s	0.551	0.551	0.551	1
1790s	0.512	0.512	0.512	10
1800s	0.512	0.512	0.512	10
1810s	0.512	0.512	0.512	10
1820s	0.512	0.512	0.512	10
1830s	0.512	0.512	0.512	10
1840s	0.512	0.512	0.512	10
1850s	0.512	0.512	0.512	10
1860s	0.512	0.512	0.512	10
1870s	0.512	0.512	0.512	10
1880s	0.512	0.512	0.512	10
1890s	0.512	0.512	0.512	10
1900s	0.533	0.533	0.533	10
1910s	0.533	0.533	0.533	10
1920s	0.5286	0.528	0.534	10
1930s	0.5278	0.527	0.528	10
1940s	0.5312	0.527	0.533	10
1950s	0.5792	0.576	0.584	10
1960s	0.6532	0.604	0.673	10
1970s	0.661	0.644	0.673	10
1980s	0.6086	0.594	0.624	10
1990s	0.6352	0.525	0.666	10
2000s	0.6704	0.661	0.682	10
2010s	0.6332	0.61	0.662	10
2020s	0.584	0.532	0.607	6

Countries ranked near Kuwait

115 Guinea-Bissau 0.552 compare
115 Tanzania 0.552 compare
117 Libya 0.536 compare
118 Cameroon 0.532 compare
120 Bangladesh 0.527 compare
121 Mozambique 0.518 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Kuwait

Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 386 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 3,369 (2025)
Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
Varieties of democracy 0.138 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.127 (2025)
Human Rights Index 0.488 (2025)
Participatory Democracy Index 0.053 (2025)
Key features of human rights 0.488 (2025)
Key features of electoral democracy 0.138 (2025)

All data for Kuwait →

Frequently asked questions

What is freedom of expression index in Kuwait?: Freedom of expression index in Kuwait was 0.532 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest freedom of expression index recorded in Kuwait?: The highest recorded value was 0.682 in 2008.
What is the lowest freedom of expression index recorded in Kuwait?: The lowest recorded value was 0.512 in 1790.
How does Kuwait rank for freedom of expression index?: Kuwait ranks 118th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is freedom of expression index rising or falling in Kuwait?: Over the last ten years it is down 15.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Kuwait 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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: 07 August 2026

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.