Key media freedoms in Switzerland
Switzerland: Key media freedoms was 2.01 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
2.01
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
25th
of 175 countries
All-time high
3.17
in 1991
All-time low
1.31
in 1939
Years of data
126
1900–2025
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.
Key media freedoms in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 2.02 | — |
| 1901 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 1.31 | -35.2% |
| 1940 | 1.31 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 1.31 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 1.31 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 1.31 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 1.31 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 1.31 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 2.3 | +75.3% |
| 1947 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 3.17 | +38.2% |
| 1992 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 3.17 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 2.01 | -36.5% |
| 2023 | 2.01 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 2.01 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 2.01 | +0.0% |
Switzerland compared with similar countries
- Switzerland's 2.01 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.28, 1.6× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Switzerland's 2.01 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.973, 2.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
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
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 208,287 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6 (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 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0229 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 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.