Freedom of expression index in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Freedom of expression index was 0.833 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
0.833
Change on year
down 9.0%
World rank
53rd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.964
in 2006
All-time low
0.599
in 1816
Years of data
237
1789–2025
Freedom of expression index in United Kingdom, 1789–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 0.833 for freedom of expression index in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.0% on the previous year and down 12.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom of expression index in United Kingdom peaked at 0.964 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 0.599, in 1816.
That places United Kingdom 53rd 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 | 0.702 | 0.702 | 0.702 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0.6641 | 0.643 | 0.702 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0.643 | 0.643 | 0.643 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0.6254 | 0.599 | 0.643 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0.6729 | 0.636 | 0.72 | 10 |
| 1830s | 0.72 | 0.72 | 0.72 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0.78 | 0.78 | 0.78 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.8074 | 0.793 | 0.809 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.809 | 0.809 | 0.809 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.8237 | 0.809 | 0.83 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.83 | 0.83 | 0.83 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.83 | 0.83 | 0.83 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.8475 | 0.847 | 0.852 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.8176 | 0.786 | 0.847 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.851 | 0.851 | 0.851 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.8441 | 0.795 | 0.856 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.8395 | 0.795 | 0.907 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.907 | 0.907 | 0.907 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.9087 | 0.902 | 0.922 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.9119 | 0.902 | 0.913 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.891 | 0.891 | 0.891 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9177 | 0.915 | 0.942 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9609 | 0.953 | 0.964 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9549 | 0.947 | 0.961 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.918 | 0.833 | 0.956 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 51 South Africa 0.837 compare
- 52 Liberia 0.836 compare
- 54 Malta 0.829 compare
- 55 Sierra Leone 0.823 compare
- 56 Israel 0.822 compare
More social development data for United Kingdom
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 581,072 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 517 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh 1 (2025)
- Democracy lexical 1 (2025)
- Human rights index vs electoral democracy index 0.844 (2025)
- Liberal democracy index 0.689 (2025)
- Electoral democracy index 0.772 (2025)
- Freedom of association index 0.859 (2025)
- Participatory democracy index 0.533 (2025)
- Varieties democracy vdem 0.772 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is freedom of expression index in United Kingdom?
- Freedom of expression index in United Kingdom was 0.833 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom of expression index recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 0.964 in 2006.
- What is the lowest freedom of expression index recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.599 in 1816.
- How does United Kingdom rank for freedom of expression index?
- United Kingdom ranks 53rd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom of expression index rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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).