Key media freedoms in Ecuador
Ecuador: Key media freedoms was 0.653 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.653
Change on year
down 18.0%
World rank
82nd
of 175 countries
All-time high
1.69
in 2021
All-time low
-1.87
in 1830
Years of data
196
1830–2025
Key media freedoms in Ecuador, 1830–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for key media freedoms in Ecuador is 0.653, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 18.0% on the previous year and up 2,939.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key media freedoms in Ecuador peaked at 1.69 in 2021 and was at its lowest, -1.87, in 1830.
That places Ecuador 82nd out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Ecuador, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1830 | -1.87 | — |
| 1831 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1832 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1833 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1834 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1835 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1836 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1837 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1838 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1839 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1840 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1841 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1842 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1843 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1844 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1845 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1846 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1847 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1848 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1849 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1850 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1851 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1852 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1853 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1854 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1855 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1856 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1857 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1858 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1859 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1860 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1861 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1862 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1863 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1864 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1865 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1866 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1867 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1868 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1869 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1870 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1871 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1872 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1873 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1874 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1875 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1876 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1877 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1878 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1879 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1880 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1881 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1882 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1883 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1884 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1885 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1886 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1887 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1888 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1889 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1890 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1891 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1892 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1893 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1894 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 1895 | 0.594 | -131.7% |
| 1896 | 0.594 | +0.0% |
| 1897 | 0.594 | +0.0% |
| 1898 | 0.594 | +0.0% |
| 1899 | 0.594 | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 0.594 | +0.0% |
| 1901 | 0.594 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.594 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.594 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.594 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.087 | -85.4% |
| 1906 | 0.087 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.087 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.087 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.087 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.087 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.087 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.087 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.087 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.087 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.087 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.02 | -77.0% |
| 1917 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | -0.253 | -1365.0% |
| 1937 | -0.253 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -0.253 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -0.253 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -0.345 | +36.4% |
| 1941 | -0.345 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -0.345 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -0.345 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | -0.084 | -75.7% |
| 1945 | -0.084 | -0.0% |
| 1946 | -0.084 | -0.0% |
| 1947 | -0.084 | -0.0% |
| 1948 | 1.07 | -1373.8% |
| 1949 | 1.07 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 1.07 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 1.07 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | -0.503 | -147.0% |
| 1953 | -0.503 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -0.503 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | -0.503 | -0.0% |
| 1956 | -0.503 | -0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.542 | -207.8% |
| 1958 | 0.542 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.542 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | -0.497 | -191.7% |
| 1961 | -0.497 | -0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.522 | -205.0% |
| 1963 | 0.222 | -57.5% |
| 1964 | 0.222 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.222 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.222 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.514 | +131.5% |
| 1968 | 0.514 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | -0.508 | -198.8% |
| 1970 | -0.508 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.529 | -204.1% |
| 1972 | 0.529 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.226 | -57.3% |
| 1974 | 0.226 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.226 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.226 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.226 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.226 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 1.29 | +471.7% |
| 1980 | 1.29 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 1.29 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1.29 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1.29 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 1.29 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1.29 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 1.29 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 1.29 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1.29 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.713 | -44.8% |
| 1990 | 0.713 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.713 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.713 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.635 | -10.9% |
| 1994 | 0.635 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.635 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.635 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.635 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.635 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.635 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.635 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.635 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.635 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.635 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.635 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.635 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.743 | +17.0% |
| 2007 | 0.748 | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 0.712 | -4.8% |
| 2009 | 0.907 | +27.4% |
| 2010 | 0.624 | -31.2% |
| 2011 | 0.624 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.803 | +28.7% |
| 2013 | -0.023 | -102.9% |
| 2014 | -0.023 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | -0.023 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | -0.023 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | -0.106 | +360.9% |
| 2018 | 1.51 | -1521.7% |
| 2019 | 0.933 | -38.1% |
| 2020 | 1.61 | +72.9% |
| 2021 | 1.69 | +4.9% |
| 2022 | 1.45 | -14.5% |
| 2023 | 0.967 | -33.1% |
| 2024 | 0.796 | -17.7% |
| 2025 | 0.653 | -18.0% |
Ecuador compared with similar countries
- Ecuador's 0.653 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.209, 3.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Ecuador's 0.653 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.25, 52% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | -1.87 | -1.87 | -1.87 | 10 |
| 1840s | -1.87 | -1.87 | -1.87 | 10 |
| 1850s | -1.87 | -1.87 | -1.87 | 10 |
| 1860s | -1.87 | -1.87 | -1.87 | 10 |
| 1870s | -1.87 | -1.87 | -1.87 | 10 |
| 1880s | -1.87 | -1.87 | -1.87 | 10 |
| 1890s | -0.64 | -1.87 | 0.594 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.3405 | 0.087 | 0.594 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.0602 | 0.02 | 0.087 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 10 |
| 1930s | -0.0892 | -0.253 | 0.02 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.0424 | -0.345 | 1.07 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.1251 | -0.503 | 1.07 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.0936 | -0.508 | 0.522 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.3198 | -0.508 | 1.29 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.23 | 0.713 | 1.29 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.6584 | 0.635 | 0.713 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.692 | 0.635 | 0.907 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4293 | -0.106 | 1.51 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.19 | 0.653 | 1.69 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ecuador
- 79 Philippines 0.712 compare
- 80 Mauritania 0.683 compare
- 81 Zambia 0.665 compare
- 83 Bangladesh 0.614 compare
- 84 Italy 0.599 compare
- 85 Bolivia 0.595 compare
More social development data for Ecuador
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 26,428 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 5,723 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 3 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0003 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 5,723 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0014 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 Ecuador?
- Key media freedoms in Ecuador was 0.653 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key media freedoms recorded in Ecuador?
- The highest recorded value was 1.69 in 2021.
- What is the lowest key media freedoms recorded in Ecuador?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.87 in 1830.
- How does Ecuador rank for key media freedoms?
- Ecuador ranks 82nd out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key media freedoms rising or falling in Ecuador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2,939.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ecuador 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 — 196 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.