Key media freedoms in Switzerland
Switzerland: Key media freedoms was 2.01 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Key media freedoms in Switzerland, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, key media freedoms in Switzerland stood at 2.01.
That represents a change of down 36.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key media freedoms in Switzerland peaked at 3.17 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 1.31, in 1939.
That places Switzerland 25th 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 2.02 | 2.02 | 2.02 | 10 |
| 1910s | 2.02 | 2.02 | 2.02 | 10 |
| 1920s | 2.02 | 2.02 | 2.02 | 10 |
| 1930s | 1.95 | 1.31 | 2.02 | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.7 | 1.31 | 2.3 | 10 |
| 1950s | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.09 | 2.3 | 3.17 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.17 | 3.17 | 3.17 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.17 | 3.17 | 3.17 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.4 | 2.01 | 3.17 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More social development data for Switzerland
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 208,287 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 6 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Key features of democracy 0.882 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.967 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.917 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.882 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.785 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.843 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is key media freedoms in Switzerland?
- Key media freedoms in Switzerland was 2.01 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key media freedoms recorded in Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 3.17 in 1991.
- What is the lowest key media freedoms recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.31 in 1939.
- How does Switzerland rank for key media freedoms?
- Switzerland ranks 25th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key media freedoms rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Switzerland 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.