Media Corruption Score in Australia
Australia: Media Corruption Score was 1.72 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
1.72
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
39th
of 175 countries
All-time high
3.29
in 2013
All-time low
1.72
in 2024
Years of data
125
1901–2025
Media Corruption Score in Australia, 1901–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, media corruption score in Australia stood at 1.72. That is the lowest value across all 125 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 47.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, media corruption score in Australia peaked at 3.29 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 1.72, in 2024.
Australia ranks 39th of 175 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Media Corruption Score in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 2.8 | — |
| 1902 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 2.8 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3.29 | +17.4% |
| 2014 | 3.29 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3.29 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3.29 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 3.29 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 3.29 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3.29 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3.29 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 2.35 | -28.5% |
| 2022 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 1.72 | -26.9% |
| 2025 | 1.72 | +0.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 1.72 is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.96, 88% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Australia's 1.72 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.819, 2.1× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 9 |
| 1910s | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 10 |
| 1920s | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 10 |
| 1930s | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 10 |
| 1940s | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 10 |
| 1950s | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.14 | 2.8 | 3.29 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.3 | 1.72 | 3.29 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More social development data for Australia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 33,415 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 41 (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 41 (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 media corruption score in Australia?
- Media corruption score in Australia was 1.72 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest media corruption score recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.29 in 2013.
- What is the lowest media corruption score recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.72 in 2024.
- How does Australia rank for media corruption score?
- Australia ranks 39th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is media corruption score rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Media Corruption Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 125 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Gauges the frequency with which journalists, publishers, or broadcasters accept payments to modify news content, indicating the integrity (or corruption) of the media sphere.