Key media freedoms in Guatemala
Guatemala: Key media freedoms was 1.73 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
1.73
Change on year
up 30.0%
World rank
35th
of 175 countries
All-time high
1.73
in 2025
All-time low
-2.06
in 1931
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Key media freedoms in Guatemala, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, key media freedoms in Guatemala stood at 1.73. That is the highest value across all 126 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 30.0% on the previous year and up 62.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key media freedoms in Guatemala peaked at 1.73 in 2025 and was at its lowest, -2.06, in 1931.
That places Guatemala 35th out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Key media freedoms in Guatemala, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | -1.38 | — |
| 1901 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1902 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1903 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1904 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1905 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1906 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1907 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1908 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1909 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1910 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1911 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1912 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1913 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1914 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1915 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1916 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1917 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1918 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1919 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1920 | -1.1 | -20.5% |
| 1921 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1922 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1923 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1924 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1925 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1926 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1927 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1928 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1929 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1930 | -1.37 | +24.8% |
| 1931 | -2.06 | +50.5% |
| 1932 | -2.06 | -0.0% |
| 1933 | -2.06 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -2.06 | -0.0% |
| 1935 | -2.06 | -0.0% |
| 1936 | -2.06 | -0.0% |
| 1937 | -2.06 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -2.06 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -2.06 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -2.06 | -0.0% |
| 1941 | -2.06 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -2.06 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -2.06 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.06 | -102.9% |
| 1945 | 0.969 | +1515.0% |
| 1946 | 0.969 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.969 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.969 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.969 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.969 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.969 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.969 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.969 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.618 | -36.2% |
| 1955 | -1.37 | -321.8% |
| 1956 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1957 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1958 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1959 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1960 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1961 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1962 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | -1.09 | -20.3% |
| 1967 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1968 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -1.37 | +25.7% |
| 1975 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -1.05 | -23.8% |
| 1985 | -0.391 | -62.7% |
| 1986 | 0.064 | -116.4% |
| 1987 | 0.064 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.064 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.064 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.064 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.064 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.064 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.064 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.346 | +440.6% |
| 1995 | 0.713 | +106.1% |
| 1996 | 0.879 | +23.3% |
| 1997 | 0.879 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.879 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.879 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.879 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.879 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.879 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.879 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.879 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.879 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.879 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.719 | -18.2% |
| 2008 | 0.882 | +22.7% |
| 2009 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.06 | +20.5% |
| 2016 | 1.06 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.878 | -17.4% |
| 2018 | 0.826 | -5.9% |
| 2019 | 0.826 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.13 | +36.4% |
| 2021 | -0.215 | -119.1% |
| 2022 | -0.295 | +37.2% |
| 2023 | -0.517 | +75.3% |
| 2024 | 1.33 | -356.9% |
| 2025 | 1.73 | +30.0% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 1.73 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.209, 8.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 1.73 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.25, 1.4× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | -1.38 | -1.38 | -1.38 | 10 |
| 1910s | -1.38 | -1.38 | -1.38 | 10 |
| 1920s | -1.1 | -1.1 | -1.1 | 10 |
| 1930s | -1.99 | -2.06 | -1.37 | 10 |
| 1940s | -0.3331 | -2.06 | 0.969 | 10 |
| 1950s | -0.2361 | -1.37 | 0.969 | 10 |
| 1960s | -1.26 | -1.37 | -1.09 | 10 |
| 1970s | -1.26 | -1.37 | -1.09 | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.6678 | -1.37 | 0.064 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4831 | 0.064 | 0.879 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8636 | 0.719 | 0.882 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9066 | 0.826 | 1.06 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5258 | -0.517 | 1.73 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
More social development data for Guatemala
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,586 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 34,994 (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 0.0019 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 34,994 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is key media freedoms in Guatemala?
- Key media freedoms in Guatemala was 1.73 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key media freedoms recorded in Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 1.73 in 2025.
- What is the lowest key media freedoms recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.06 in 1931.
- How does Guatemala rank for key media freedoms?
- Guatemala ranks 35th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key media freedoms rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is up 62.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Guatemala 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.