Key media freedoms in Sweden
Sweden: Key media freedoms was 2.75 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
2.75
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
11th
of 175 countries
All-time high
3.38
in 1949
All-time low
0.687
in 1940
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Key media freedoms in Sweden, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 2.75 for key media freedoms in 2025.
The figure is down 18.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key media freedoms in Sweden peaked at 3.38 in 1949 and was at its lowest, 0.687, in 1940.
That places Sweden 11th out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.
Key media freedoms in Sweden, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 1.45 | — |
| 1901 | 1.45 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 1.45 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 1.45 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 1.45 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 1.45 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 1.45 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 1.45 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 1.45 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 1.45 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 1.45 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 1.45 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 1.45 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 1.45 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 1.57 | +8.4% |
| 1915 | 1.57 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 1.57 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 1.57 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 1.82 | +15.8% |
| 1919 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 1.61 | -11.6% |
| 1937 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.935 | -41.9% |
| 1940 | 0.687 | -26.5% |
| 1941 | 0.687 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.687 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.687 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.687 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.687 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 2.55 | +271.5% |
| 1947 | 2.55 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 2.55 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 3.38 | +32.4% |
| 1950 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 3.38 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 2.75 | -18.7% |
| 2023 | 2.75 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 2.75 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 2.75 | +0.0% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 2.75 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.28, 2.1× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 2.75 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.973, 2.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 1.45 | 1.45 | 1.45 | 10 |
| 1910s | 1.57 | 1.45 | 1.82 | 10 |
| 1920s | 1.82 | 1.82 | 1.82 | 10 |
| 1930s | 1.67 | 0.935 | 1.82 | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.52 | 0.687 | 3.38 | 10 |
| 1950s | 3.38 | 3.38 | 3.38 | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.38 | 3.38 | 3.38 | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.38 | 3.38 | 3.38 | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.38 | 3.38 | 3.38 | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.38 | 3.38 | 3.38 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.38 | 3.38 | 3.38 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.38 | 3.38 | 3.38 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.96 | 2.75 | 3.38 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More social development data for Sweden
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 144,116 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 128 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (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 128 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0136 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 Sweden?
- Key media freedoms in Sweden was 2.75 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key media freedoms recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 3.38 in 1949.
- What is the lowest key media freedoms recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.687 in 1940.
- How does Sweden rank for key media freedoms?
- Sweden ranks 11th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key media freedoms rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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.