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Freedom of expression index in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Freedom of expression index was 0.092 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
0.092
Change on year
up 5.7%
World rank
161st
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.124
in 2011
All-time low
0.037
in 1903
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Freedom of expression index in Saudi Arabia, 1789–2025

0.040.060.080.10.12178919072025

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Saudi Arabia recorded 0.092 for freedom of expression index in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.7% on the previous year and up 1.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, freedom of expression index in Saudi Arabia peaked at 0.124 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.037, in 1903.

That places Saudi Arabia 161st out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.078 0.078 0.078 1
1790s 0.078 0.078 0.078 10
1800s 0.078 0.078 0.078 10
1810s 0.0771 0.069 0.078 10
1820s 0.0538 0.05 0.069 10
1830s 0.05 0.05 0.05 10
1840s 0.05 0.05 0.05 10
1850s 0.05 0.05 0.05 10
1860s 0.05 0.05 0.05 10
1870s 0.05 0.05 0.05 10
1880s 0.05 0.05 0.05 10
1890s 0.05 0.05 0.05 10
1900s 0.0409 0.037 0.05 10
1910s 0.037 0.037 0.037 10
1920s 0.037 0.037 0.037 10
1930s 0.0371 0.037 0.038 10
1940s 0.037 0.037 0.037 10
1950s 0.0565 0.037 0.069 10
1960s 0.069 0.069 0.069 10
1970s 0.0697 0.067 0.077 10
1980s 0.076 0.076 0.076 10
1990s 0.0892 0.072 0.098 10
2000s 0.1138 0.106 0.122 10
2010s 0.1023 0.079 0.124 10
2020s 0.0872 0.084 0.092 6

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 158 Eswatini 0.113 compare
  2. 159 Equatorial Guinea 0.112 compare
  3. 160 Vietnam 0.102 compare
  4. 161 Azerbaijan 0.092 compare
  5. 163 Russia 0.08 compare
  6. 164 Cuba 0.074 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is freedom of expression index in Saudi Arabia?
Freedom of expression index in Saudi Arabia was 0.092 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest freedom of expression index recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 0.124 in 2011.
What is the lowest freedom of expression index recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.037 in 1903.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for freedom of expression index?
Saudi Arabia ranks 161st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is freedom of expression index rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Saudi Arabia 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 — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Freedom of expression index
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 30,035 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed