Key media freedoms in Liberia
Liberia: Key media freedoms was 0.544 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.544
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
90th
of 175 countries
All-time high
1.23
in 2017
All-time low
-2.71
in 1981
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Key media freedoms in Liberia, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, key media freedoms in Liberia stood at 0.544.
The figure is down 37.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key media freedoms in Liberia peaked at 1.23 in 2017 and was at its lowest, -2.71, in 1981.
Liberia ranks 90th 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 Liberia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | -0.954 | — |
| 1901 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1902 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1903 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1904 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1905 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1906 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1907 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1908 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1909 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1910 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1911 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1912 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1913 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1914 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1915 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1916 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1917 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1918 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1919 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1920 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1921 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1922 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1923 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1924 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1925 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1926 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1927 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1928 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1929 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1930 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1931 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1932 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1933 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1935 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1936 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1937 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1941 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1945 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1946 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1947 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1948 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1949 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1950 | -0.954 | -0.0% |
| 1951 | -1.23 | +29.0% |
| 1952 | -1.23 | -0.0% |
| 1953 | -1.23 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -1.23 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | -1.67 | +35.8% |
| 1956 | -1.67 | -0.0% |
| 1957 | -1.67 | -0.0% |
| 1958 | -1.67 | -0.0% |
| 1959 | -1.67 | -0.0% |
| 1960 | -1.67 | -0.0% |
| 1961 | -1.67 | -0.0% |
| 1962 | -1.67 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | -1.67 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | -1.67 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | -1.67 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | -1.67 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | -1.67 | -0.0% |
| 1968 | -1.67 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -1.67 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -1.67 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -1.09 | -35.0% |
| 1972 | -0.361 | -66.8% |
| 1973 | -0.361 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -0.361 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -0.361 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -0.361 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -0.361 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -0.361 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -0.361 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -1.8 | +397.8% |
| 1981 | -2.71 | +51.1% |
| 1982 | -2.71 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -2.71 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -2.71 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -2.71 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -1.46 | -46.3% |
| 1987 | -1.46 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -1.46 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -1.46 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -1.59 | +9.3% |
| 1991 | -0.261 | -83.6% |
| 1992 | -0.261 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.202 | -177.4% |
| 1994 | -0.268 | -232.7% |
| 1995 | -0.332 | +23.9% |
| 1996 | -0.332 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -0.303 | -8.7% |
| 1998 | -0.303 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -0.303 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -0.303 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | -0.303 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | -0.303 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | -0.303 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.718 | -337.0% |
| 2005 | 0.718 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.81 | +12.8% |
| 2007 | 0.81 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.81 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.81 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.81 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.81 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.81 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.87 | +7.4% |
| 2014 | 0.87 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.87 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.87 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.23 | +41.1% |
| 2018 | 0.544 | -55.7% |
| 2019 | 0.544 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.544 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.544 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.544 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.544 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 0.544 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 0.544 | +0.0% |
Liberia compared with similar countries
- Liberia's 0.544 is above the median for low income countries, which is -0.42. (25 countries reporting)
- Liberia's 0.544 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.123, 4.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | -0.954 | -0.954 | -0.954 | 10 |
| 1910s | -0.954 | -0.954 | -0.954 | 10 |
| 1920s | -0.954 | -0.954 | -0.954 | 10 |
| 1930s | -0.954 | -0.954 | -0.954 | 10 |
| 1940s | -0.954 | -0.954 | -0.954 | 10 |
| 1950s | -1.42 | -1.67 | -0.954 | 10 |
| 1960s | -1.67 | -1.67 | -1.67 | 10 |
| 1970s | -0.5646 | -1.67 | -0.361 | 10 |
| 1980s | -2.12 | -2.71 | -1.46 | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.3753 | -1.59 | 0.202 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3464 | -0.303 | 0.81 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8226 | 0.544 | 1.23 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.544 | 0.544 | 0.544 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Liberia
More social development data for Liberia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,172 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 5,117 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0009 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 5,117 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is key media freedoms in Liberia?
- Key media freedoms in Liberia was 0.544 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key media freedoms recorded in Liberia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.23 in 2017.
- What is the lowest key media freedoms recorded in Liberia?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.71 in 1981.
- How does Liberia rank for key media freedoms?
- Liberia ranks 90th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key media freedoms rising or falling in Liberia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Liberia 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.