Countries by Freedom of Expression Index
Complete ranking of 175 countries • 0-1 index • Data refreshed May 28, 2026
Leader
Denmark
Field size
175 countries
Lowest rank
North Korea
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About Freedom of Expression Index Rankings
Denmark leads all 175 countries in Freedom of Expression Index with a value of 0.98, while North Korea ranks last at 0.01. This represents a 75-fold difference between the highest and lowest values.
What Freedom of Expression Index Measures
V-Dem's 0-1 freedom of expression and alternative sources of information index.
Why This Ranking Matters
Examining Freedom of Expression Index across all countries reveals patterns that might not be obvious at the national level. Regional clusters, outlier nations, and historical trajectories all become clearer when the full global picture is assembled in a single ranking.
Global Range
Values range from 0.01 (North Korea) to 0.98 (Denmark) — a 75-fold difference across 175 countries.
Regional Patterns
European countries dominate this ranking, holding 14 of the top 20 positions. This strong regional concentration suggests shared economic, geographic, or policy factors that drive higher values across the continent.
Values are broadly distributed across countries, with the middle 50% ranging from 0.41 to 0.85. The overall spread from 0.01 to 0.98 reflects significant global variation.
Notable Outliers
The top of the ranking is competitive: Denmark and Ireland are separated by only 1%, indicating that the leading positions could shift with updated data.
Continental Leaders
Highest Freedom of Expression Index
The 5 strongest Freedom of Expression Index reads.
Lowest Freedom of Expression Index
The 5 lowest Freedom of Expression Index reads.
Data Note
Rankings are based on the latest available data from V-Dem Dataset, covering 175 of 249 countries and territories. Countries without data for this metric are excluded from the ranking. All values represent the most recently reported figures.
