Key media freedoms in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Key media freedoms was 1.28 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Key media freedoms in United Kingdom, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for key media freedoms in United Kingdom is 1.28, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 21.7% on the previous year and down 48.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key media freedoms in United Kingdom peaked at 2.92 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.09, in 1939.
That places United Kingdom 52nd 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 1.94 | 1.94 | 1.94 | 10 |
| 1910s | 1.56 | 1.19 | 1.94 | 10 |
| 1920s | 1.94 | 1.94 | 1.94 | 10 |
| 1930s | 1.86 | 1.09 | 1.94 | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.33 | 1.09 | 1.77 | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.77 | 1.77 | 1.77 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.77 | 1.77 | 1.77 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.77 | 1.77 | 1.77 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.77 | 1.77 | 1.77 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.77 | 1.77 | 1.77 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.67 | 1.77 | 2.77 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.54 | 2.48 | 2.77 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.92 | 1.28 | 2.92 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More social development data for United Kingdom
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 581,072 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 517 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Key features of democracy 0.772 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.833 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.859 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.772 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.533 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.689 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is key media freedoms in United Kingdom?
- Key media freedoms in United Kingdom was 1.28 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key media freedoms recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 2.92 in 2020.
- What is the lowest key media freedoms recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.09 in 1939.
- How does United Kingdom rank for key media freedoms?
- United Kingdom ranks 52nd out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key media freedoms rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 48.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.