Key media freedoms in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Key media freedoms was 0.614 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.614
Change on year
up 1,044.6%
World rank
83rd
of 175 countries
All-time high
0.788
in 1992
All-time low
-1.12
in 1975
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Key media freedoms in Bangladesh, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, key media freedoms in Bangladesh stood at 0.614.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1,044.6% on the previous year and up 435.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key media freedoms in Bangladesh peaked at 0.788 in 1992 and was at its lowest, -1.12, in 1975.
Bangladesh ranks 83rd of 175 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Key media freedoms in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | -0.629 | — |
| 1901 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1902 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1903 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1904 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1905 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1906 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1907 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1908 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1909 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1910 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1911 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1912 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1913 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1914 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1915 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1916 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1917 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1918 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1919 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1920 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1921 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1922 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1923 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1924 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1925 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1926 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1927 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1928 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1929 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1930 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1931 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1932 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1933 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -0.629 | -0.0% |
| 1935 | -0.603 | -4.1% |
| 1936 | -0.603 | -0.0% |
| 1937 | -0.603 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -0.603 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -0.603 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -0.645 | +7.0% |
| 1941 | -0.645 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -0.645 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -0.645 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | -0.645 | -0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.388 | -160.2% |
| 1946 | 0.388 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | -0.292 | -175.3% |
| 1948 | -0.292 | -0.0% |
| 1949 | -0.292 | -0.0% |
| 1950 | -0.292 | -0.0% |
| 1951 | -0.292 | -0.0% |
| 1952 | -0.292 | -0.0% |
| 1953 | -0.292 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -0.292 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | -0.292 | -0.0% |
| 1956 | -0.292 | -0.0% |
| 1957 | -0.292 | -0.0% |
| 1958 | -0.774 | +165.1% |
| 1959 | -0.774 | -0.0% |
| 1960 | -0.774 | -0.0% |
| 1961 | -0.774 | -0.0% |
| 1962 | -0.774 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | -0.774 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | -0.774 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | -0.774 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | -0.774 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | -0.774 | -0.0% |
| 1968 | -0.774 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -0.774 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.203 | -126.2% |
| 1971 | -0.375 | -284.7% |
| 1972 | 0.059 | -115.7% |
| 1973 | 0.059 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.059 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | -1.12 | -1996.6% |
| 1976 | -0.361 | -67.7% |
| 1977 | 0.339 | -193.9% |
| 1978 | 0.339 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.339 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.339 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.339 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | -0.184 | -154.3% |
| 1983 | -0.184 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -0.184 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -0.184 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -0.184 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -0.184 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -0.184 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -0.184 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -0.184 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.578 | -414.1% |
| 1992 | 0.788 | +36.3% |
| 1993 | 0.788 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.788 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.788 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.788 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.788 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.788 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.788 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.788 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.788 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.788 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.788 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.788 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.788 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.674 | -14.5% |
| 2007 | 0.118 | -82.5% |
| 2008 | 0.313 | +165.3% |
| 2009 | 0.188 | -39.9% |
| 2010 | 0.188 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.142 | -24.5% |
| 2012 | 0.142 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | -0.223 | -257.0% |
| 2014 | -0.277 | +24.2% |
| 2015 | -0.183 | -33.9% |
| 2016 | -0.306 | +67.2% |
| 2017 | -0.489 | +59.8% |
| 2018 | -0.489 | -0.0% |
| 2019 | -0.489 | -0.0% |
| 2020 | -0.389 | -20.4% |
| 2021 | -0.531 | +36.5% |
| 2022 | -0.855 | +61.0% |
| 2023 | -0.855 | -0.0% |
| 2024 | -0.065 | -92.4% |
| 2025 | 0.614 | -1044.6% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 0.614 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.292, 2.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 0.614 is below the median for South Asia, which is 1.23, 50% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | -0.629 | -0.629 | -0.629 | 10 |
| 1910s | -0.629 | -0.629 | -0.629 | 10 |
| 1920s | -0.629 | -0.629 | -0.629 | 10 |
| 1930s | -0.616 | -0.629 | -0.603 | 10 |
| 1940s | -0.3325 | -0.645 | 0.388 | 10 |
| 1950s | -0.3884 | -0.774 | -0.292 | 10 |
| 1960s | -0.774 | -0.774 | -0.774 | 10 |
| 1970s | -0.0458 | -1.12 | 0.339 | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.0794 | -0.184 | 0.339 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.6698 | -0.184 | 0.788 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6021 | 0.118 | 0.788 | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.1984 | -0.489 | 0.188 | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.3468 | -0.855 | 0.614 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More social development data for Bangladesh
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1.18 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 31,862 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 5 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 31,862 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0067 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 key media freedoms in Bangladesh?
- Key media freedoms in Bangladesh was 0.614 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key media freedoms recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 0.788 in 1992.
- What is the lowest key media freedoms recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.12 in 1975.
- How does Bangladesh rank for key media freedoms?
- Bangladesh ranks 83rd out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key media freedoms rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 435.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Key media freedoms. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which the government directly or indirectly attempts to censor political content in print and broadcast media, through formal restrictions or indirect pressures such as financial control, licensing, or access to distribution channels.