Key media freedoms in Suriname
Suriname: Key media freedoms was 2.11 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
2.11
Change on year
up 30.1%
World rank
23rd
of 175 countries
All-time high
2.29
in 1997
All-time low
0.19
in 1983
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Key media freedoms in Suriname, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for key media freedoms in Suriname is 2.11, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 30.1% on the previous year and up 35.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key media freedoms in Suriname peaked at 2.29 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 0.19, in 1983.
That places Suriname 23rd out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.
Key media freedoms in Suriname, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.78 | — |
| 1901 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.78 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.834 | +6.9% |
| 1956 | 0.834 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.834 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.834 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.834 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.834 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 0.834 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.834 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.834 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.834 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.834 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.834 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.834 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.834 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.834 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.834 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.834 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.834 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.682 | -18.2% |
| 1974 | 0.852 | +24.9% |
| 1975 | 0.852 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 1.1 | +28.8% |
| 1977 | 1.1 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 1.1 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 1.1 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.247 | -77.5% |
| 1981 | 0.241 | -2.4% |
| 1982 | 0.237 | -1.7% |
| 1983 | 0.19 | -19.8% |
| 1984 | 0.19 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.19 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.19 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.19 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1.29 | +580.5% |
| 1989 | 1.56 | +20.5% |
| 1990 | 1.56 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 1.94 | +24.3% |
| 1992 | 1.94 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1.94 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1.94 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1.94 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1.94 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 2.29 | +18.1% |
| 1998 | 2.29 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 2.29 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 2.29 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1.77 | -22.6% |
| 2002 | 1.77 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1.77 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1.77 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1.77 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1.77 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1.57 | -11.2% |
| 2008 | 1.69 | +7.4% |
| 2009 | 1.69 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1.69 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1.69 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1.69 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1.56 | -7.5% |
| 2014 | 1.56 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.56 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.56 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.31 | -15.9% |
| 2018 | 1.31 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1.31 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.15 | -12.3% |
| 2021 | 1.4 | +21.1% |
| 2022 | 1.62 | +16.1% |
| 2023 | 1.62 | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 1.62 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 2.11 | +30.1% |
Suriname compared with similar countries
- Suriname's 2.11 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.209, 10.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Suriname's 2.11 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.25, 1.7× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.78 | 0.78 | 0.78 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.78 | 0.78 | 0.78 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.78 | 0.78 | 0.78 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.78 | 0.78 | 0.78 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.78 | 0.78 | 0.78 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.807 | 0.78 | 0.834 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.834 | 0.834 | 0.834 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.9276 | 0.682 | 1.1 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.4526 | 0.19 | 1.56 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2 | 1.56 | 2.29 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.79 | 1.57 | 2.29 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.53 | 1.31 | 1.69 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.59 | 1.15 | 2.11 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Suriname
More social development data for Suriname
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 24 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 56 (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 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 56 (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 Suriname?
- Key media freedoms in Suriname was 2.11 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key media freedoms recorded in Suriname?
- The highest recorded value was 2.29 in 1997.
- What is the lowest key media freedoms recorded in Suriname?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.19 in 1983.
- How does Suriname rank for key media freedoms?
- Suriname ranks 23rd out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key media freedoms rising or falling in Suriname?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Suriname 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.