Key media freedoms in Malaysia
Malaysia: Key media freedoms was -0.017 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Key media freedoms in Malaysia, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded -0.017 for key media freedoms in 2025.
The figure is up 89.8% on the previous year and up 97.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key media freedoms in Malaysia peaked at 1.01 in 2019 and was at its lowest, -2.41, in 1900.
That places Malaysia 107th out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | -2.41 | -2.41 | -2.41 | 10 |
| 1910s | -2.41 | -2.41 | -2.41 | 10 |
| 1920s | -2.41 | -2.41 | -2.41 | 10 |
| 1930s | -2.41 | -2.41 | -2.41 | 10 |
| 1940s | -2.13 | -2.41 | -1.7 | 10 |
| 1950s | -1.7 | -1.7 | -1.7 | 10 |
| 1960s | -1.7 | -1.7 | -1.7 | 10 |
| 1970s | -1.7 | -1.7 | -1.7 | 10 |
| 1980s | -1.76 | -2 | -1.7 | 10 |
| 1990s | -2 | -2 | -2 | 10 |
| 2000s | -1.04 | -2 | -0.754 | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.4977 | -0.822 | 1.01 | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.0282 | -0.166 | 0.067 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More social development data for Malaysia
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 150,164 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 2,477 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Key features of democracy 0.504 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.586 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.791 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.504 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.303 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.355 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is key media freedoms in Malaysia?
- Key media freedoms in Malaysia was -0.017 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key media freedoms recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.01 in 2019.
- What is the lowest key media freedoms recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.41 in 1900.
- How does Malaysia rank for key media freedoms?
- Malaysia ranks 107th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key media freedoms rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 97.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.