Freedom of Expression Score in Somalia
Somalia: Freedom of Expression Score was 2 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Freedom of Expression Score in Somalia, 2005–2025
Source: Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Somalia recorded 2 for freedom of expression score in 2025.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom of expression score in Somalia peaked at 3 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 1, in 2009.
Somalia ranks 98th of 128 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Freedom of Expression Score in Somalia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 3 | — |
| 2007 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1 | -66.7% |
| 2011 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 2015 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 2 | +0.0% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 2 is below the median for low income countries, which is 3, 67% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 2 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4, 50% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.33 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 2010s | 1.8 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 2020s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
- 98 Azerbaijan 2 compare
- 98 Belarus 2 compare
- 98 Cambodia 2 compare
- 98 Cameroon 2 compare
- 98 Chad 2 compare
- 98 Cuba 2 compare
- 98 Egypt 2 compare
- 98 Kazakhstan 2 compare
- 98 Laos 2 compare
- 98 Mali 2 compare
- 98 Morocco 2 compare
- 98 Nicaragua 2 compare
- 98 Niger 2 compare
- 98 Russia 2 compare
- 98 Saudi Arabia 2 compare
- 98 Sudan 2 compare
- 98 United Arab Emirates 2 compare
More social development data for Somalia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 20,967 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 892,037 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0454 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 892,037 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0011 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 Somalia?
- Freedom of expression score in Somalia was 2 in 2025, according to Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom of expression score recorded in Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 3 in 2005.
- What is the lowest freedom of expression score recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 2009.
- How does Somalia rank for freedom of expression score?
- Somalia ranks 98th out of 128 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom of expression score rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Somalia 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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CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Indicates the extent to which individuals, groups, and the press can express their views free from government interference.