Media Corruption Score in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Media Corruption Score was 1.99 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1.99
Change on year
up 7.8%
World rank
29th
of 175 countries
All-time high
2.35
in 1900
All-time low
-0.302
in 2006
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Media Corruption Score in Sri Lanka, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 1.99 for media corruption score in 2025.
That represents a change of up 7.8% on the previous year and up 438.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, media corruption score in Sri Lanka peaked at 2.35 in 1900 and was at its lowest, -0.302, in 2006.
Sri Lanka ranks 29th of 175 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 126 years of available data.
Media Corruption Score in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 2.35 | — |
| 1901 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 2.35 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 1.61 | -31.3% |
| 1971 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1.61 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | -0.024 | -101.5% |
| 2006 | -0.302 | +1158.3% |
| 2007 | -0.302 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | -0.302 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | -0.302 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | -0.302 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | -0.302 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | -0.302 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.205 | -167.9% |
| 2014 | 0.205 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.37 | +80.5% |
| 2016 | 0.37 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.37 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.37 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.562 | +51.9% |
| 2020 | 0.432 | -23.1% |
| 2021 | 0.427 | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 0.546 | +27.9% |
| 2023 | 0.739 | +35.3% |
| 2024 | 1.85 | +150.1% |
| 2025 | 1.99 | +7.8% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 1.99 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.2855, 7.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 1.99 is above the median for South Asia, which is 1.14, 1.7× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 2.35 | 2.35 | 2.35 | 10 |
| 1910s | 2.35 | 2.35 | 2.35 | 10 |
| 1920s | 2.35 | 2.35 | 2.35 | 10 |
| 1930s | 2.35 | 2.35 | 2.35 | 10 |
| 1940s | 2.35 | 2.35 | 2.35 | 10 |
| 1950s | 2.35 | 2.35 | 2.35 | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.35 | 2.35 | 2.35 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.61 | 1.61 | 1.61 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.61 | 1.61 | 1.61 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.61 | 1.61 | 1.61 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6838 | -0.302 | 1.61 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1546 | -0.302 | 0.562 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9975 | 0.427 | 1.99 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 26 Barbados 2.06 compare
- 27 Trinidad and Tobago 2.05 compare
- 28 Uruguay 2.01 compare
- 30 New Zealand 1.99 compare
- 31 Vanuatu 1.98 compare
- 32 Costa Rica 1.96 compare
More social development data for Sri Lanka
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 213 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 148,369 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 3 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0068 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 148,369 (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 Sri Lanka?
- Media corruption score in Sri Lanka was 1.99 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest media corruption score recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 2.35 in 1900.
- What is the lowest media corruption score recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.302 in 2006.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for media corruption score?
- Sri Lanka ranks 29th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is media corruption score rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 438.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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 — 126 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.