Statizoid

Press freedom in Sweden

Sweden: Press freedom was 2 in 2016. ▬ Flat

Latest (2016)
2
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 194 countries
All-time high
2
in 1979
All-time low
2
in 1979
Years of data
36
1979–2016

Press freedom in Sweden, 1979–2016

00.511.521979199720161979: 21980: 21982: 21983: 21984: 21985: 21986: 21987: 21988: 21990: 21991: 21992: 21993: 21994: 21995: 21996: 21997: 21998: 21999: 22000: 22001: 22002: 22003: 22004: 22005: 22006: 22007: 22008: 22009: 22010: 22011: 22012: 22013: 22014: 22015: 22016: 2

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

Analysis

Sweden recorded 2 for press freedom in 2016. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

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

Sweden ranks 1st of 194 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Press freedom in Sweden, year by year

Year Value Change
1979 2 —
1980 2 +0.0%
1982 2 +0.0%
1983 2 +0.0%
1984 2 +0.0%
1985 2 +0.0%
1986 2 +0.0%
1987 2 +0.0%
1988 2 +0.0%
1990 2 +0.0%
1991 2 +0.0%
1992 2 +0.0%
1993 2 +0.0%
1994 2 +0.0%
1995 2 +0.0%
1996 2 +0.0%
1997 2 +0.0%
1998 2 +0.0%
1999 2 +0.0%
2000 2 +0.0%
2001 2 +0.0%
2002 2 +0.0%
2003 2 +0.0%
2004 2 +0.0%
2005 2 +0.0%
2006 2 +0.0%
2007 2 +0.0%
2008 2 +0.0%
2009 2 +0.0%
2010 2 +0.0%
2011 2 +0.0%
2012 2 +0.0%
2013 2 +0.0%
2014 2 +0.0%
2015 2 +0.0%
2016 2 +0.0%

Sweden compared with similar countries

  • Sweden's 2 is above the median for high income countries, which is 2, 1.0× the median. (65 countries reporting)
  • Sweden's 2 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2, 1.0× the median. (52 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 2 2 2 1
1980s 2 2 2 8
1990s 2 2 2 10
2000s 2 2 2 10
2010s 2 2 2 7

Countries ranked near Sweden

  1. 1 Andorra 2 compare
  2. 1 Australia 2 compare
  3. 1 Austria 2 compare
  4. 1 Bahamas 2 compare
  5. 1 Barbados 2 compare
  6. 1 Belgium 2 compare
  7. 1 Belize 2 compare
  8. 1 Canada 2 compare
  9. 1 Cape Verde 2 compare
  10. 1 Chile 2 compare
  11. 1 Costa Rica 2 compare
  12. 1 Cyprus 2 compare
  13. 1 Czechia 2 compare
  14. 1 Denmark 2 compare
  15. 1 Dominica 2 compare
  16. 1 Estonia 2 compare
  17. 1 Finland 2 compare
  18. 1 France 2 compare
  19. 1 Germany 2 compare
  20. 1 Grenada 2 compare
  21. 1 Iceland 2 compare
  22. 1 Ireland 2 compare
  23. 1 Jamaica 2 compare
  24. 1 Japan 2 compare
  25. 1 Kiribati 2 compare
  26. 1 Latvia 2 compare
  27. 1 Liechtenstein 2 compare
  28. 1 Lithuania 2 compare
  29. 1 Luxembourg 2 compare
  30. 1 Malta 2 compare
  31. 1 Marshall Islands 2 compare
  32. 1 Mauritius 2 compare
  33. 1 Monaco 2 compare
  34. 1 Netherlands 2 compare
  35. 1 New Zealand 2 compare
  36. 1 Norway 2 compare
  37. 1 Palau 2 compare
  38. 1 Papua New Guinea 2 compare
  39. 1 Portugal 2 compare
  40. 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2 compare
  41. 1 Saint Lucia 2 compare
  42. 1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2 compare
  43. 1 Samoa 2 compare
  44. 1 San Marino 2 compare
  45. 1 Sao Tome and Principe 2 compare
  46. 1 Slovakia 2 compare
  47. 1 Slovenia 2 compare
  48. 1 Solomon Islands 2 compare
  49. 1 Spain 2 compare
  50. 1 Suriname 2 compare
  51. 1 Switzerland 2 compare
  52. 1 Taiwan 2 compare
  53. 1 Tonga 2 compare
  54. 1 Trinidad and Tobago 2 compare
  55. 1 Tuvalu 2 compare
  56. 1 United Kingdom 2 compare
  57. 1 United States 2 compare
  58. 1 Uruguay 2 compare
  59. 1 Vanuatu 2 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More social development data for Sweden

All data for Sweden →

Frequently asked questions

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

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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.