Statizoid

Press freedom in India

India: 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 1988
All-time low
1
in 1979
Years of data
36
1979–2016

Press freedom in India, 1979–2016

00.511.521979199720161979: 11980: 11982: 11983: 11984: 11985: 11986: 11987: 11988: 21990: 21991: 21992: 21993: 11994: 11995: 11996: 11997: 11998: 11999: 12000: 12001: 12002: 12003: 12004: 12005: 12006: 12007: 12008: 12009: 12010: 12011: 12012: 12013: 12014: 12015: 12016: 1

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

Analysis

In 2016, press freedom in India stood at 1. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.

That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, press freedom in India peaked at 2 in 1988 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1979.

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

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.

Press freedom in India, year by year

Year Value Change
1979 1 —
1980 1 +0.0%
1982 1 +0.0%
1983 1 +0.0%
1984 1 +0.0%
1985 1 +0.0%
1986 1 +0.0%
1987 1 +0.0%
1988 2 +100.0%
1990 2 +0.0%
1991 2 +0.0%
1992 2 +0.0%
1993 1 -50.0%
1994 1 +0.0%
1995 1 +0.0%
1996 1 +0.0%
1997 1 +0.0%
1998 1 +0.0%
1999 1 +0.0%
2000 1 +0.0%
2001 1 +0.0%
2002 1 +0.0%
2003 1 +0.0%
2004 1 +0.0%
2005 1 +0.0%
2006 1 +0.0%
2007 1 +0.0%
2008 1 +0.0%
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%

India compared with similar countries

  • India's 1 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
  • India'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 1 1 1 1
1980s 1.12 1 2 8
1990s 1.3 1 2 10
2000s 1 1 1 10
2010s 1 1 1 7

Countries ranked near India

  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 Hong Kong 1 compare
  30. 61 Hungary 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 India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is press freedom in India?
Press freedom in India was 1 in 2016, according to Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest press freedom recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 2 in 1988.
What is the lowest press freedom recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1979.
How does India rank for press freedom?
India ranks 61st out of 194 countries with data for 2016.
Is press freedom rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this India 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 India. 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/india/

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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.