Media Corruption Score in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Media Corruption Score was 2.42 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Media Corruption Score in United Kingdom, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 2.42 for media corruption score in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, media corruption score in United Kingdom peaked at 2.45 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 0.982, in 1900.
United Kingdom ranks 19th of 175 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.982 | 0.982 | 0.982 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.982 | 0.982 | 0.982 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.982 | 0.982 | 0.982 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.982 | 0.982 | 0.982 | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.45 | 0.982 | 2.38 | 10 |
| 1950s | 2.38 | 2.38 | 2.38 | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.38 | 2.38 | 2.38 | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.38 | 2.38 | 2.38 | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.38 | 2.38 | 2.38 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.39 | 2.38 | 2.45 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.45 | 2.45 | 2.45 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.45 | 2.45 | 2.45 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.42 | 2.42 | 2.42 | 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 media corruption score in United Kingdom?
- Media corruption score in United Kingdom was 2.42 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest media corruption score recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 2.45 in 1998.
- What is the lowest media corruption score recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.982 in 1900.
- How does United Kingdom rank for media corruption score?
- United Kingdom ranks 19th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is media corruption score rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. 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 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.