Key media freedoms in Eritrea
Eritrea: Key media freedoms was -2.98 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Key media freedoms in Eritrea, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for key media freedoms in Eritrea is -2.98, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 126 years on record.
That represents a change of down 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key media freedoms in Eritrea peaked at 0.11 in 1950 and was at its lowest, -2.98, in 2023.
Eritrea ranks 174th of 175 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 126 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | -1.6 | -1.6 | -1.6 | 10 |
| 1910s | -1.6 | -1.6 | -1.6 | 10 |
| 1920s | -1.6 | -1.6 | -1.6 | 10 |
| 1930s | -1.77 | -2.03 | -1.6 | 10 |
| 1940s | -0.2884 | -1.65 | 0.053 | 10 |
| 1950s | -0.8336 | -1.24 | 0.11 | 10 |
| 1960s | -2.15 | -2.37 | -1.65 | 10 |
| 1970s | -2.69 | -2.9 | -2.37 | 10 |
| 1980s | -2.9 | -2.9 | -2.9 | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.03 | -1.58 | -0.964 | 10 |
| 2000s | -2.37 | -2.7 | -0.859 | 10 |
| 2010s | -2.7 | -2.7 | -2.7 | 10 |
| 2020s | -2.9 | -2.98 | -2.67 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Eritrea
- 171 North Korea -2.77 compare
- 172 Belarus -2.82 compare
- 173 Myanmar -2.95 compare
- 175 South Sudan -3.02 compare
More social development data for Eritrea
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 119 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 554,891 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Key features of democracy 0.069 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.024 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.023 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.069 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.008 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.009 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is key media freedoms in Eritrea?
- Key media freedoms in Eritrea was -2.98 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key media freedoms recorded in Eritrea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.11 in 1950.
- What is the lowest key media freedoms recorded in Eritrea?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.98 in 2023.
- How does Eritrea rank for key media freedoms?
- Eritrea ranks 174th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key media freedoms rising or falling in Eritrea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Eritrea 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.