What is freedom of expression index in Tanzania?

Freedom of expression index in Tanzania was 0.552 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

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

The highest recorded value was 0.748 in 2011.

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

The lowest recorded value was 0.206 in 1917.

How does Tanzania rank for freedom of expression index?

Tanzania ranks 115th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is freedom of expression index rising or falling in Tanzania?

Over the last ten years it is down 22.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Tanzania 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 Tanzania

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

Tanzania: Freedom of Expression Index was 0.552 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.552

Change on year

down 19.2%

World rank

115th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.748

in 2011

All-time low

0.206

in 1917

Years of data

112

1914–2025

Freedom of Expression Index in Tanzania, 1914–2025

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

Analysis

Tanzania recorded 0.552 for freedom of expression index in 2025.

The figure is down 19.2% on the previous year and down 22.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, freedom of expression index in Tanzania peaked at 0.748 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.206, in 1917.

That places Tanzania 115th 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 112 years of available data.

Freedom of Expression Index in Tanzania, year by year

Annual values for Freedom of Expression Index in Tanzania, 1914 to 2025.
Year	Value	Change
1914	0.246	—
1915	0.246	+0.0%
1916	0.246	+0.0%
1917	0.206	-16.3%
1918	0.206	+0.0%
1919	0.242	+17.5%
1920	0.256	+5.8%
1921	0.256	+0.0%
1922	0.256	+0.0%
1923	0.256	+0.0%
1924	0.256	+0.0%
1925	0.256	+0.0%
1926	0.256	+0.0%
1927	0.256	+0.0%
1928	0.255	-0.4%
1929	0.255	+0.0%
1930	0.255	+0.0%
1931	0.255	+0.0%
1932	0.255	+0.0%
1933	0.255	+0.0%
1934	0.255	+0.0%
1935	0.255	+0.0%
1936	0.255	+0.0%
1937	0.255	+0.0%
1938	0.297	+16.5%
1939	0.297	+0.0%
1940	0.297	+0.0%
1941	0.297	+0.0%
1942	0.297	+0.0%
1943	0.297	+0.0%
1944	0.297	+0.0%
1945	0.297	+0.0%
1946	0.297	+0.0%
1947	0.297	+0.0%
1948	0.297	+0.0%
1949	0.297	+0.0%
1950	0.297	+0.0%
1951	0.34	+14.5%
1952	0.34	+0.0%
1953	0.34	+0.0%
1954	0.34	+0.0%
1955	0.345	+1.5%
1956	0.345	+0.0%
1957	0.345	+0.0%
1958	0.345	+0.0%
1959	0.345	+0.0%
1960	0.365	+5.8%
1961	0.536	+46.8%
1962	0.432	-19.4%
1963	0.432	+0.0%
1964	0.432	+0.0%
1965	0.411	-4.9%
1966	0.411	+0.0%
1967	0.371	-9.7%
1968	0.371	+0.0%
1969	0.371	+0.0%
1970	0.36	-3.0%
1971	0.36	+0.0%
1972	0.36	+0.0%
1973	0.36	+0.0%
1974	0.36	+0.0%
1975	0.36	+0.0%
1976	0.376	+4.4%
1977	0.377	+0.3%
1978	0.377	+0.0%
1979	0.377	+0.0%
1980	0.377	+0.0%
1981	0.379	+0.5%
1982	0.379	+0.0%
1983	0.379	+0.0%
1984	0.379	+0.0%
1985	0.424	+11.9%
1986	0.428	+0.9%
1987	0.446	+4.2%
1988	0.446	+0.0%
1989	0.446	+0.0%
1990	0.511	+14.6%
1991	0.504	-1.4%
1992	0.673	+33.5%
1993	0.66	-1.9%
1994	0.664	+0.6%
1995	0.707	+6.5%
1996	0.742	+5.0%
1997	0.742	+0.0%
1998	0.742	+0.0%
1999	0.742	+0.0%
2000	0.721	-2.8%
2001	0.737	+2.2%
2002	0.737	+0.0%
2003	0.737	+0.0%
2004	0.737	+0.0%
2005	0.723	-1.9%
2006	0.743	+2.8%
2007	0.742	-0.1%
2008	0.742	+0.0%
2009	0.738	-0.5%
2010	0.733	-0.7%
2011	0.748	+2.0%
2012	0.744	-0.5%
2013	0.748	+0.5%
2014	0.738	-1.3%
2015	0.713	-3.4%
2016	0.638	-10.5%
2017	0.637	-0.2%
2018	0.601	-5.7%
2019	0.589	-2.0%
2020	0.567	-3.7%
2021	0.603	+6.3%
2022	0.703	+16.6%
2023	0.683	-2.8%
2024	0.683	+0.0%
2025	0.552	-19.2%

Tanzania compared with similar countries

Tanzania's 0.552 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.579, 95% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Tanzania's 0.552 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.616, 90% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1910s	0.232	0.206	0.246	6
1920s	0.2558	0.255	0.256	10
1930s	0.2634	0.255	0.297	10
1940s	0.297	0.297	0.297	10
1950s	0.3382	0.297	0.345	10
1960s	0.4132	0.365	0.536	10
1970s	0.3667	0.36	0.377	10
1980s	0.4083	0.377	0.446	10
1990s	0.6687	0.504	0.742	10
2000s	0.7357	0.721	0.743	10
2010s	0.6889	0.589	0.748	10
2020s	0.6318	0.552	0.703	6

Countries ranked near Tanzania

112 Guinea 0.56 compare
113 Pakistan 0.559 compare
114 Jordan 0.556 compare
115 Guinea-Bissau 0.552 compare
117 Libya 0.536 compare
118 Cameroon 0.532 compare
118 Kuwait 0.532 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Tanzania

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 171,142 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,592 (2025)
Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
Electoral democracy 0 (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 1,592 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0024 units per person (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)

All data for Tanzania →

Frequently asked questions

What is freedom of expression index in Tanzania?: Freedom of expression index in Tanzania was 0.552 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest freedom of expression index recorded in Tanzania?: The highest recorded value was 0.748 in 2011.
What is the lowest freedom of expression index recorded in Tanzania?: The lowest recorded value was 0.206 in 1917.
How does Tanzania rank for freedom of expression index?: Tanzania ranks 115th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is freedom of expression index rising or falling in Tanzania?: Over the last ten years it is down 22.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Tanzania 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 — 112 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Freedom of Expression Index in Tanzania. 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/tanzania/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/freedom-of-expression-index/tanzania/">Freedom of Expression Index in Tanzania</a> — Statizoid

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: 30 October 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.