Statizoid

Press freedom in Bhutan

Bhutan: Press freedom was 1 in 2016. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2016)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
61st
of 194 countries
All-time high
1
in 2009
All-time low
0
in 1979
Years of data
30
1979–2016

Press freedom in Bhutan, 1979–2016

00.20.40.60.811979199720161979: 01980: 01988: 01990: 01991: 01992: 01993: 01994: 01995: 01996: 01997: 01998: 01999: 02000: 02001: 02002: 02003: 02004: 02005: 02006: 02007: 02008: 02009: 12010: 12011: 12012: 12013: 12014: 12015: 12016: 1

Source: Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for press freedom in Bhutan is 1, measured in 2016. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over five years.

Over the whole period, press freedom in Bhutan peaked at 1 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1979.

That places Bhutan 61st out of 194 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Press freedom in Bhutan, year by year

Year Value Change
1979 0 —
1980 0 —
1988 0 —
1990 0 —
1991 0 —
1992 0 —
1993 0 —
1994 0 —
1995 0 —
1996 0 —
1997 0 —
1998 0 —
1999 0 —
2000 0 —
2001 0 —
2002 0 —
2003 0 —
2004 0 —
2005 0 —
2006 0 —
2007 0 —
2008 0 —
2009 1 —
2010 1 +0.0%
2011 1 +0.0%
2012 1 +0.0%
2013 1 +0.0%
2014 1 +0.0%
2015 1 +0.0%
2016 1 +0.0%

Bhutan compared with similar countries

  • Bhutan's 1 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
  • Bhutan's 1 is above the median for South Asia, which is 0.5, 2.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0 0 0 1
1980s 0 0 0 2
1990s 0 0 0 10
2000s 0.1 0 1 10
2010s 1 1 1 7

Countries ranked near Bhutan

  1. 61 Afghanistan 1 compare
  2. 61 Albania 1 compare
  3. 61 Antigua and Barbuda 1 compare
  4. 61 Argentina 1 compare
  5. 61 Benin 1 compare
  6. 61 Bolivia 1 compare
  7. 61 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 compare
  8. 61 Botswana 1 compare
  9. 61 Brazil 1 compare
  10. 61 Bulgaria 1 compare
  11. 61 Burkina Faso 1 compare
  12. 61 Colombia 1 compare
  13. 61 Comoros 1 compare
  14. 61 Congo 1 compare
  15. 61 Cote d'Ivoire 1 compare
  16. 61 Croatia 1 compare
  17. 61 Dominican Republic 1 compare
  18. 61 East Timor 1 compare
  19. 61 El Salvador 1 compare
  20. 61 Fiji 1 compare
  21. 61 Georgia 1 compare
  22. 61 Ghana 1 compare
  23. 61 Greece 1 compare
  24. 61 Guatemala 1 compare
  25. 61 Guinea-Bissau 1 compare
  26. 61 Guyana 1 compare
  27. 61 Haiti 1 compare
  28. 61 Hong Kong 1 compare
  29. 61 Hungary 1 compare
  30. 61 India 1 compare
  31. 61 Indonesia 1 compare
  32. 61 Israel 1 compare
  33. 61 Italy 1 compare
  34. 61 Kenya 1 compare
  35. 61 Kuwait 1 compare
  36. 61 Lebanon 1 compare
  37. 61 Lesotho 1 compare
  38. 61 Liberia 1 compare
  39. 61 Madagascar 1 compare
  40. 61 Malawi 1 compare
  41. 61 Mali 1 compare
  42. 61 Mauritania 1 compare
  43. 61 Moldova 1 compare
  44. 61 Mongolia 1 compare
  45. 61 Montenegro 1 compare
  46. 61 Mozambique 1 compare
  47. 61 Namibia 1 compare
  48. 61 Nauru 1 compare
  49. 61 Nepal 1 compare
  50. 61 Nicaragua 1 compare
  51. 61 Niger 1 compare
  52. 61 Nigeria 1 compare
  53. 61 Panama 1 compare
  54. 61 Paraguay 1 compare
  55. 61 Peru 1 compare
  56. 61 Philippines 1 compare
  57. 61 Poland 1 compare
  58. 61 Romania 1 compare
  59. 61 Senegal 1 compare
  60. 61 Serbia 1 compare
  61. 61 Seychelles 1 compare
  62. 61 Sierra Leone 1 compare
  63. 61 South Africa 1 compare
  64. 61 South Korea 1 compare
  65. 61 Tanzania 1 compare
  66. 61 Togo 1 compare
  67. 61 Tunisia 1 compare
  68. 61 Uganda 1 compare
  69. 61 Ukraine 1 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More social development data for Bhutan

All data for Bhutan →

Frequently asked questions

What is press freedom in Bhutan?
Press freedom in Bhutan was 1 in 2016, according to Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest press freedom recorded in Bhutan?
The highest recorded value was 1 in 2009.
What is the lowest press freedom recorded in Bhutan?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1979.
How does Bhutan rank for press freedom?
Bhutan ranks 61st out of 194 countries with data for 2016.
Where does this Bhutan data come from?
The figures come from Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Press freedom. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Press freedom in Bhutan. Statizoid, drawing on Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/press-freedom-fh/bhutan/

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About this data

Indicator
Press freedom
Source
Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 6,417 data points, 1979–2016
Last refreshed

Based on the classification and data by Freedom House. It captures the legal, political, and economic environment of the press.