Media Corruption Score in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Media Corruption Score was -1.58 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
-1.58
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
161st
of 175 countries
All-time high
-1.3
in 2004
All-time low
-2.35
in 1970
Years of data
94
1932–2025
Media Corruption Score in Saudi Arabia, 1932–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, media corruption score in Saudi Arabia stood at -1.58.
That represents a change of up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, media corruption score in Saudi Arabia peaked at -1.3 in 2004 and was at its lowest, -2.35, in 1970.
That places Saudi Arabia 161st out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 94 years of available data.
Media Corruption Score in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1932 | -2.18 | — |
| 1933 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1935 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1936 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1937 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1941 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1945 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1946 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1947 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1948 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1949 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1950 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1951 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1952 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1953 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1956 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1957 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1958 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1959 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1960 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1961 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1962 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1968 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -2.18 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -2.35 | +8.1% |
| 1971 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -2.35 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -1.8 | -23.7% |
| 1980 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | -1.8 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | -1.3 | -27.5% |
| 2005 | -1.59 | +22.5% |
| 2006 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2018 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2019 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2020 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2021 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2022 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2023 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2024 | -1.58 | -1.2% |
| 2025 | -1.58 | -0.0% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's -1.58 is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.96. (55 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's -1.58 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is -0.307, 5.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | -2.18 | -2.18 | -2.18 | 8 |
| 1940s | -2.18 | -2.18 | -2.18 | 10 |
| 1950s | -2.18 | -2.18 | -2.18 | 10 |
| 1960s | -2.18 | -2.18 | -2.18 | 10 |
| 1970s | -2.3 | -2.35 | -1.8 | 10 |
| 1980s | -1.8 | -1.8 | -1.8 | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.8 | -1.8 | -1.8 | 10 |
| 2000s | -1.65 | -1.8 | -1.3 | 10 |
| 2010s | -1.59 | -1.59 | -1.59 | 10 |
| 2020s | -1.59 | -1.59 | -1.58 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More social development data for Saudi Arabia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 448 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,368 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,368 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is media corruption score in Saudi Arabia?
- Media corruption score in Saudi Arabia was -1.58 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest media corruption score recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was -1.3 in 2004.
- What is the lowest media corruption score recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.35 in 1970.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for media corruption score?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 161st out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is media corruption score rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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 — 94 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.