Key media freedoms in Thailand
Thailand: Key media freedoms was -0.505 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
-0.505
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
125th
of 175 countries
All-time high
-0.417
in 2013
All-time low
-2.62
in 2014
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Key media freedoms in Thailand, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, key media freedoms in Thailand stood at -0.505.
The figure is up 80.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key media freedoms in Thailand peaked at -0.417 in 2013 and was at its lowest, -2.62, in 2014.
That places Thailand 125th out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.
Key media freedoms in Thailand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | -1.58 | — |
| 1901 | -1.58 | -0.0% |
| 1902 | -1.58 | -0.0% |
| 1903 | -1.58 | -0.0% |
| 1904 | -1.58 | -0.0% |
| 1905 | -1.58 | -0.0% |
| 1906 | -1.58 | -0.0% |
| 1907 | -1.58 | -0.0% |
| 1908 | -1.58 | -0.0% |
| 1909 | -2.07 | +30.7% |
| 1910 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1911 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1912 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1913 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1914 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1915 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1916 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1917 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1918 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1919 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1920 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1921 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1922 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1923 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1924 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1925 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1926 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1927 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1928 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1929 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1930 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1931 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1932 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1933 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1935 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1936 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1937 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1941 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1945 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1946 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1947 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1948 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1949 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1950 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1951 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1952 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1953 | -2.07 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -1.52 | -26.3% |
| 1955 | -1.52 | -0.0% |
| 1956 | -1.52 | -0.0% |
| 1957 | -1.52 | -0.0% |
| 1958 | -1.38 | -9.4% |
| 1959 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1960 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1961 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1962 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1968 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -1.38 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -1.05 | -24.3% |
| 1971 | -1.05 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -1.39 | +33.3% |
| 1973 | -1.39 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -1.24 | -11.0% |
| 1975 | -1.68 | +35.5% |
| 1976 | -1.68 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -1.37 | -18.3% |
| 1978 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -1.37 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -1.27 | -7.8% |
| 1981 | -1.27 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -1.27 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -1.27 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -1.27 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -1.27 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -1.27 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -1.27 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -1.27 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -1.27 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -1.27 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | -1.27 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | -1.02 | -19.4% |
| 1993 | -0.429 | -57.9% |
| 1994 | -0.429 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -0.429 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -0.429 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -0.429 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -0.429 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -0.429 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -0.429 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | -0.429 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | -0.429 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | -0.429 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | -0.429 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | -0.429 | -0.0% |
| 2006 | -1.2 | +179.3% |
| 2007 | -1.58 | +32.1% |
| 2008 | -0.494 | -68.8% |
| 2009 | -0.663 | +34.2% |
| 2010 | -0.663 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | -0.439 | -33.8% |
| 2012 | -0.439 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | -0.417 | -5.0% |
| 2014 | -2.62 | +528.8% |
| 2015 | -2.62 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | -1.72 | -34.5% |
| 2017 | -2.46 | +43.2% |
| 2018 | -1.17 | -52.5% |
| 2019 | -0.515 | -55.9% |
| 2020 | -0.515 | -0.0% |
| 2021 | -0.515 | -0.0% |
| 2022 | -0.515 | -0.0% |
| 2023 | -0.64 | +24.3% |
| 2024 | -0.505 | -21.1% |
| 2025 | -0.505 | -0.0% |
Thailand compared with similar countries
- Thailand's -0.505 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.209. (48 countries reporting)
- Thailand's -0.505 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.3835. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | -1.63 | -2.07 | -1.58 | 10 |
| 1910s | -2.07 | -2.07 | -2.07 | 10 |
| 1920s | -2.07 | -2.07 | -2.07 | 10 |
| 1930s | -2.07 | -2.07 | -2.07 | 10 |
| 1940s | -2.07 | -2.07 | -2.07 | 10 |
| 1950s | -1.71 | -2.07 | -1.38 | 10 |
| 1960s | -1.38 | -1.38 | -1.38 | 10 |
| 1970s | -1.36 | -1.68 | -1.05 | 10 |
| 1980s | -1.27 | -1.27 | -1.27 | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.6555 | -1.27 | -0.429 | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.6511 | -1.58 | -0.429 | 10 |
| 2010s | -1.31 | -2.62 | -0.417 | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.5325 | -0.64 | -0.505 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
More social development data for Thailand
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 84,017 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 327 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 6 (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 327 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0012 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 Thailand?
- Key media freedoms in Thailand was -0.505 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key media freedoms recorded in Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was -0.417 in 2013.
- What is the lowest key media freedoms recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.62 in 2014.
- How does Thailand rank for key media freedoms?
- Thailand ranks 125th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key media freedoms rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 80.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Thailand 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.