Freedom of expression index in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Freedom of expression index was 0.018 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Freedom of expression index in Nicaragua, 1838–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, freedom of expression index in Nicaragua stood at 0.018. That is the lowest value across all 188 years on record.
That represents a change of down 18.2% on the previous year and down 96.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom of expression index in Nicaragua peaked at 0.893 in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0.018, in 2025.
That places Nicaragua 175th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.073 | 0.063 | 0.075 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.0669 | 0.064 | 0.074 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.483 | 0.483 | 0.483 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.483 | 0.483 | 0.483 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.483 | 0.483 | 0.483 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.2886 | 0.131 | 0.448 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.2815 | 0.277 | 0.282 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.3445 | 0.337 | 0.354 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.3527 | 0.344 | 0.363 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.298 | 0.272 | 0.345 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.2696 | 0.26 | 0.272 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.256 | 0.236 | 0.262 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.2633 | 0.255 | 0.265 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.2584 | 0.242 | 0.265 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.492 | 0.464 | 0.536 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8749 | 0.829 | 0.893 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7971 | 0.636 | 0.871 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4862 | 0.237 | 0.626 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.087 | 0.018 | 0.229 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
- 172 Belarus 0.025 compare
- 173 Eritrea 0.024 compare
- 174 Afghanistan 0.022 compare
- 176 North Korea 0.013 compare
More social development data for Nicaragua
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 311 (2023)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 35,341 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh 7 (2025)
- Democracy lexical 0 (2025)
- Human rights index vs electoral democracy index 0.077 (2025)
- Liberal democracy index 0.019 (2025)
- Electoral democracy index 0.151 (2025)
- Freedom of association index 0.042 (2025)
- Participatory democracy index 0.098 (2025)
- Varieties democracy vdem 0.151 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is freedom of expression index in Nicaragua?
- Freedom of expression index in Nicaragua was 0.018 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom of expression index recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 0.893 in 1994.
- What is the lowest freedom of expression index recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.018 in 2025.
- How does Nicaragua rank for freedom of expression index?
- Nicaragua ranks 175th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom of expression index rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 96.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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 — 188 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).