Key media freedoms in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Key media freedoms was -1.32 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
-1.32
Change on year
up 22.7%
World rank
145th
of 175 countries
All-time high
-1.32
in 2025
All-time low
-2.36
in 1975
Years of data
94
1932–2025
Key media freedoms in Saudi Arabia, 1932–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, key media freedoms in Saudi Arabia stood at -1.32. That is the highest value across all 94 years on record.
That represents a change of up 22.7% on the previous year and up 40.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key media freedoms in Saudi Arabia peaked at -1.32 in 2025 and was at its lowest, -2.36, in 1975.
That places Saudi Arabia 145th out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 94 years of available data.
Key media freedoms in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1932 | -2.35 | — |
| 1933 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1935 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1936 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1937 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1941 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1945 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1946 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1947 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1948 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1949 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1950 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1951 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1952 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1953 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -1.67 | -29.1% |
| 1955 | -1.67 | -0.0% |
| 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 | -1.67 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -1.67 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -1.67 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -1.67 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -2.36 | +41.7% |
| 1976 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | -2.36 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | -2.22 | -6.2% |
| 2006 | -2.22 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | -2.22 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | -2.22 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | -2.22 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | -2.22 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | -2.22 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | -2.22 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | -2.22 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | -2.22 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | -2.22 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | -2.22 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | -2.22 | -0.0% |
| 2018 | -1.7 | -23.2% |
| 2019 | -1.7 | -0.0% |
| 2020 | -1.7 | -0.0% |
| 2021 | -1.7 | -0.0% |
| 2022 | -1.7 | -0.0% |
| 2023 | -1.7 | -0.0% |
| 2024 | -1.7 | -0.0% |
| 2025 | -1.32 | -22.7% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's -1.32 is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.28. (55 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's -1.32 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is -0.982, 1.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | -2.35 | -2.35 | -2.35 | 8 |
| 1940s | -2.35 | -2.35 | -2.35 | 10 |
| 1950s | -1.94 | -2.35 | -1.67 | 10 |
| 1960s | -1.67 | -1.67 | -1.67 | 10 |
| 1970s | -2.01 | -2.36 | -1.67 | 10 |
| 1980s | -2.36 | -2.36 | -2.36 | 10 |
| 1990s | -2.36 | -2.36 | -2.36 | 10 |
| 2000s | -2.29 | -2.36 | -2.22 | 10 |
| 2010s | -2.11 | -2.22 | -1.7 | 10 |
| 2020s | -1.64 | -1.7 | -1.32 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More social development data for Saudi Arabia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 448 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,368 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (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 2,368 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 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 Saudi Arabia?
- Key media freedoms in Saudi Arabia was -1.32 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key media freedoms recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was -1.32 in 2025.
- What is the lowest key media freedoms recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.36 in 1975.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for key media freedoms?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 145th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key media freedoms rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 40.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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 — 94 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.