Key media freedoms in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Key media freedoms was 1.87 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
1.87
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
29th
of 175 countries
All-time high
2.09
in 2021
All-time low
-0.959
in 1969
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Key media freedoms in Sierra Leone, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for key media freedoms in Sierra Leone is 1.87, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 23.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key media freedoms in Sierra Leone peaked at 2.09 in 2021 and was at its lowest, -0.959, in 1969.
Sierra Leone ranks 29th of 175 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Key media freedoms in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | -0.598 | — |
| 1901 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1902 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1903 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1904 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1905 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1906 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1907 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1908 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1909 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1910 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1911 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1912 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1913 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1914 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1915 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1916 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1917 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1918 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1919 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1920 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1921 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1922 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1923 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1924 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1925 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1926 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1927 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1928 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1929 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1930 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1931 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1932 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1933 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1935 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1936 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1937 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1941 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1945 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1946 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1947 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1948 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1949 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1950 | -0.598 | -0.0% |
| 1951 | -0.409 | -31.6% |
| 1952 | -0.409 | -0.0% |
| 1953 | -0.409 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -0.409 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | -0.409 | -0.0% |
| 1956 | -0.409 | -0.0% |
| 1957 | -0.409 | -0.0% |
| 1958 | -0.409 | -0.0% |
| 1959 | -0.409 | -0.0% |
| 1960 | -0.409 | -0.0% |
| 1961 | 0.036 | -108.8% |
| 1962 | 0.036 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.036 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.036 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.036 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.036 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | -0.397 | -1202.8% |
| 1968 | -0.397 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -0.959 | +141.6% |
| 1970 | -0.959 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -0.569 | -40.7% |
| 1972 | -0.569 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -0.569 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -0.569 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -0.569 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -0.569 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -0.569 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -0.196 | -65.6% |
| 1979 | -0.196 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -0.196 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -0.374 | +90.8% |
| 1982 | -0.374 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -0.374 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -0.374 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -0.374 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -0.462 | +23.5% |
| 1987 | -0.462 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -0.462 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -0.462 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -0.462 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | -0.496 | +7.4% |
| 1992 | -0.236 | -52.4% |
| 1993 | -0.236 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -0.236 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -0.236 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.447 | -289.4% |
| 1997 | 0.815 | +82.3% |
| 1998 | 0.537 | -34.1% |
| 1999 | 1.2 | +123.5% |
| 2000 | 1.2 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1.2 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1.55 | +29.1% |
| 2003 | 1.37 | -11.5% |
| 2004 | 1.37 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1.37 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1.37 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1.37 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1.37 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1.37 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1.37 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1.37 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1 | -26.9% |
| 2013 | 1.51 | +51.0% |
| 2014 | 1.51 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.51 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.51 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.51 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1.51 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1.51 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.51 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 2.09 | +38.2% |
| 2022 | 2.09 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1.87 | -10.7% |
| 2024 | 1.87 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 1.87 | +0.0% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 1.87 is above the median for low income countries, which is -0.42. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 1.87 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.123, 15.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | -0.598 | -0.598 | -0.598 | 10 |
| 1910s | -0.598 | -0.598 | -0.598 | 10 |
| 1920s | -0.598 | -0.598 | -0.598 | 10 |
| 1930s | -0.598 | -0.598 | -0.598 | 10 |
| 1940s | -0.598 | -0.598 | -0.598 | 10 |
| 1950s | -0.4279 | -0.598 | -0.409 | 10 |
| 1960s | -0.1946 | -0.959 | 0.036 | 10 |
| 1970s | -0.5334 | -0.959 | -0.196 | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.3914 | -0.462 | -0.196 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1097 | -0.496 | 1.2 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.35 | 1.2 | 1.55 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.43 | 1 | 1.51 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.88 | 1.51 | 2.09 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 26 Sri Lanka 1.96 compare
- 27 Uruguay 1.9 compare
- 28 Montenegro 1.9 compare
- 29 South Korea 1.87 compare
- 31 Trinidad and Tobago 1.85 compare
- 32 Dominican Republic 1.84 compare
More social development data for Sierra Leone
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8,925 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (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 0.001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8,925 (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 Sierra Leone?
- Key media freedoms in Sierra Leone was 1.87 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key media freedoms recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 2.09 in 2021.
- What is the lowest key media freedoms recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.959 in 1969.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for key media freedoms?
- Sierra Leone ranks 29th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key media freedoms rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.