Freedom of Expression Score in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Freedom of Expression Score was 7 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Freedom of Expression Score in Papua New Guinea, 2005–2025
Source: Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 7 for freedom of expression score in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.5% on the previous year and down 22.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom of expression score in Papua New Guinea peaked at 10 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 7, in 2025.
Papua New Guinea ranks 19th of 128 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Freedom of Expression Score in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 10 | — |
| 2007 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 9 | -10.0% |
| 2015 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 8 | -11.1% |
| 2019 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 7 | -12.5% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 7 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4, 1.8× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 7 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3, 2.3× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10 | 10 | 10 | 3 |
| 2010s | 8.8 | 8 | 10 | 5 |
| 2020s | 7.67 | 7 | 8 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 19 Albania 7 compare
- 19 Argentina 7 compare
- 19 Bhutan 7 compare
- 19 Bolivia 7 compare
- 19 Brazil 7 compare
- 19 Colombia 7 compare
- 19 Cote d'Ivoire 7 compare
- 19 Croatia 7 compare
- 19 Ecuador 7 compare
- 19 Lesotho 7 compare
- 19 Liberia 7 compare
- 19 Malawi 7 compare
- 19 Montenegro 7 compare
- 19 Namibia 7 compare
- 19 North Macedonia 7 compare
- 19 Panama 7 compare
- 19 Peru 7 compare
- 19 Romania 7 compare
- 19 Senegal 7 compare
- 19 South Africa 7 compare
- 19 Sri Lanka 7 compare
More social development data for Papua New Guinea
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 7,727 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 644 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 644 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0007 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is freedom of expression score in Papua New Guinea?
- Freedom of expression score in Papua New Guinea was 7 in 2025, according to Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom of expression score recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 10 in 2005.
- What is the lowest freedom of expression score recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 7 in 2025.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for freedom of expression score?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 19th out of 128 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom of expression score rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Freedom of Expression Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Indicates the extent to which individuals, groups, and the press can express their views free from government interference.