Key media freedoms in Sudan
Sudan: Key media freedoms was -0.755 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
-0.755
Change on year
down 34.6%
World rank
132nd
of 175 countries
All-time high
0.118
in 1965
All-time low
-2.16
in 2017
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Key media freedoms in Sudan, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sudan recorded -0.755 for key media freedoms in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 34.6% on the previous year and up 63.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key media freedoms in Sudan peaked at 0.118 in 1965 and was at its lowest, -2.16, in 2017.
That places Sudan 132nd out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Key media freedoms in Sudan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | -0.668 | — |
| 1901 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1902 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1903 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1904 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1905 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1906 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1907 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1908 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1909 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1910 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1911 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1912 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1913 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1914 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1915 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1916 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1917 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1918 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1919 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1920 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1921 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1922 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1923 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1924 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1925 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1926 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1927 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1928 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1929 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1930 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1931 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1932 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1933 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1935 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1936 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1937 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1941 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1945 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1946 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1947 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1948 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1949 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1950 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1951 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1952 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1953 | -0.423 | -36.7% |
| 1954 | -0.423 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | -0.423 | -0.0% |
| 1956 | -0.142 | -66.4% |
| 1957 | -0.142 | -0.0% |
| 1958 | -0.142 | -0.0% |
| 1959 | -1.52 | +967.6% |
| 1960 | -1.52 | -0.0% |
| 1961 | -1.52 | -0.0% |
| 1962 | -1.52 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | -1.52 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | -1.52 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.118 | -107.8% |
| 1966 | 0.118 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.118 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.118 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | -1.52 | -1384.7% |
| 1970 | -1.52 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -1.89 | +24.9% |
| 1972 | -1.89 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -1.89 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -1.89 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -1.89 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -1.89 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -1.89 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -1.52 | -19.9% |
| 1979 | -1.52 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -1.52 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -1.52 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -1.52 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -1.52 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -1.52 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -0.282 | -81.4% |
| 1986 | -0.06 | -78.7% |
| 1987 | -0.06 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -0.06 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -1.3 | +2073.3% |
| 1990 | -1.72 | +31.5% |
| 1991 | -1.72 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | -1.72 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -1.72 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -1.72 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -1.72 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -1.72 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -1.72 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -1.72 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -1.72 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -1.72 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | -1.49 | -12.9% |
| 2002 | -1.74 | +16.3% |
| 2003 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | -1.85 | +6.6% |
| 2005 | -1.85 | -0.0% |
| 2006 | -1.8 | -2.8% |
| 2007 | -2.04 | +13.2% |
| 2008 | -1.87 | -8.1% |
| 2009 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | -1.87 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | -2.04 | +9.2% |
| 2012 | -2.04 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | -2.04 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | -2.04 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | -2.04 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | -2.04 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | -2.16 | +5.7% |
| 2018 | -1.87 | -13.6% |
| 2019 | -0.745 | -60.1% |
| 2020 | -0.775 | +4.0% |
| 2021 | -0.775 | -0.0% |
| 2022 | -0.608 | -21.5% |
| 2023 | -0.807 | +32.7% |
| 2024 | -0.561 | -30.5% |
| 2025 | -0.755 | +34.6% |
Sudan compared with similar countries
- Sudan's -0.755 is below the median for low income countries, which is -0.42, 1.8× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sudan's -0.755 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.123. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | -0.668 | -0.668 | -0.668 | 10 |
| 1910s | -0.668 | -0.668 | -0.668 | 10 |
| 1920s | -0.668 | -0.668 | -0.668 | 10 |
| 1930s | -0.668 | -0.668 | -0.668 | 10 |
| 1940s | -0.668 | -0.668 | -0.668 | 10 |
| 1950s | -0.5215 | -1.52 | -0.142 | 10 |
| 1960s | -0.8624 | -1.52 | 0.118 | 10 |
| 1970s | -1.78 | -1.89 | -1.52 | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.9356 | -1.52 | -0.06 | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.72 | -1.72 | -1.72 | 10 |
| 2000s | -1.8 | -2.04 | -1.49 | 10 |
| 2010s | -1.89 | -2.16 | -0.745 | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.7135 | -0.807 | -0.561 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sudan
More social development data for Sudan
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 809,816 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2.82 million (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 0.0546 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2.82 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0157 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 Sudan?
- Key media freedoms in Sudan was -0.755 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key media freedoms recorded in Sudan?
- The highest recorded value was 0.118 in 1965.
- What is the lowest key media freedoms recorded in Sudan?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.16 in 2017.
- How does Sudan rank for key media freedoms?
- Sudan ranks 132nd out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key media freedoms rising or falling in Sudan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 63.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sudan 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.