Statizoid

Press freedom in Hong Kong

Hong Kong: Press freedom was 1 in 2016. ▼ Falling

Latest (2016)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
61st
of 194 countries
All-time high
2
in 1993
All-time low
1
in 1996
Years of data
17
1993–2016

Press freedom in Hong Kong, 1993–2016

00.511.521993200420161993: 21994: 21995: 21996: 12004: 22005: 22006: 22007: 22008: 12009: 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 Hong Kong is 1, measured in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 50.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, press freedom in Hong Kong peaked at 2 in 1993 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1996.

Hong Kong ranks 61st of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.

Press freedom in Hong Kong, year by year

Year Value Change
1993 2 —
1994 2 +0.0%
1995 2 +0.0%
1996 1 -50.0%
2004 2 +100.0%
2005 2 +0.0%
2006 2 +0.0%
2007 2 +0.0%
2008 1 -50.0%
2009 1 +0.0%
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%

Hong Kong compared with similar countries

  • Hong Kong's 1 is below the median for high income countries, which is 2, 50% of the median. (65 countries reporting)
  • Hong Kong's 1 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1, 1.0× the median. (30 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.75 1 2 4
2000s 1.67 1 2 6
2010s 1 1 1 7

Countries ranked near Hong Kong

  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 Bhutan 1 compare
  7. 61 Bolivia 1 compare
  8. 61 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 compare
  9. 61 Botswana 1 compare
  10. 61 Brazil 1 compare
  11. 61 Bulgaria 1 compare
  12. 61 Burkina Faso 1 compare
  13. 61 Colombia 1 compare
  14. 61 Comoros 1 compare
  15. 61 Congo 1 compare
  16. 61 Cote d'Ivoire 1 compare
  17. 61 Croatia 1 compare
  18. 61 Dominican Republic 1 compare
  19. 61 East Timor 1 compare
  20. 61 El Salvador 1 compare
  21. 61 Fiji 1 compare
  22. 61 Georgia 1 compare
  23. 61 Ghana 1 compare
  24. 61 Greece 1 compare
  25. 61 Guatemala 1 compare
  26. 61 Guinea-Bissau 1 compare
  27. 61 Guyana 1 compare
  28. 61 Haiti 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 Hong Kong

All data for Hong Kong →

Frequently asked questions

What is press freedom in Hong Kong?
Press freedom in Hong Kong was 1 in 2016, according to Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest press freedom recorded in Hong Kong?
The highest recorded value was 2 in 1993.
What is the lowest press freedom recorded in Hong Kong?
The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1996.
How does Hong Kong rank for press freedom?
Hong Kong ranks 61st out of 194 countries with data for 2016.
Is press freedom rising or falling in Hong Kong?
Over the last ten years it is down 50.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Hong Kong 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 Hong Kong. Statizoid, drawing on Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 November 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/press-freedom-fh/hong-kong-sar-china/

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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.