Press freedom in Bhutan
Bhutan: Press freedom was 1 in 2016. ◆ Volatile
Press freedom in Bhutan, 1979–2016
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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
- 61 Afghanistan 1 compare
- 61 Albania 1 compare
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- 61 Argentina 1 compare
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- 61 Bolivia 1 compare
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- 61 Botswana 1 compare
- 61 Brazil 1 compare
- 61 Bulgaria 1 compare
- 61 Burkina Faso 1 compare
- 61 Colombia 1 compare
- 61 Comoros 1 compare
- 61 Congo 1 compare
- 61 Cote d'Ivoire 1 compare
- 61 Croatia 1 compare
- 61 Dominican Republic 1 compare
- 61 East Timor 1 compare
- 61 El Salvador 1 compare
- 61 Fiji 1 compare
- 61 Georgia 1 compare
- 61 Ghana 1 compare
- 61 Greece 1 compare
- 61 Guatemala 1 compare
- 61 Guinea-Bissau 1 compare
- 61 Guyana 1 compare
- 61 Haiti 1 compare
- 61 Hong Kong 1 compare
- 61 Hungary 1 compare
- 61 India 1 compare
- 61 Indonesia 1 compare
- 61 Israel 1 compare
- 61 Italy 1 compare
- 61 Kenya 1 compare
- 61 Kuwait 1 compare
- 61 Lebanon 1 compare
- 61 Lesotho 1 compare
- 61 Liberia 1 compare
- 61 Madagascar 1 compare
- 61 Malawi 1 compare
- 61 Mali 1 compare
- 61 Mauritania 1 compare
- 61 Moldova 1 compare
- 61 Mongolia 1 compare
- 61 Montenegro 1 compare
- 61 Mozambique 1 compare
- 61 Namibia 1 compare
- 61 Nauru 1 compare
- 61 Nepal 1 compare
- 61 Nicaragua 1 compare
- 61 Niger 1 compare
- 61 Nigeria 1 compare
- 61 Panama 1 compare
- 61 Paraguay 1 compare
- 61 Peru 1 compare
- 61 Philippines 1 compare
- 61 Poland 1 compare
- 61 Romania 1 compare
- 61 Senegal 1 compare
- 61 Serbia 1 compare
- 61 Seychelles 1 compare
- 61 Sierra Leone 1 compare
- 61 South Africa 1 compare
- 61 South Korea 1 compare
- 61 Tanzania 1 compare
- 61 Togo 1 compare
- 61 Tunisia 1 compare
- 61 Uganda 1 compare
- 61 Ukraine 1 compare
More social development data for Bhutan
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 7,257 (2025)
- Physical Integrity Rights Score 2.38 (2019)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of origin 77 (2025)
- Self-reported life satisfaction 5.08 (2018)
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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Based on the classification and data by Freedom House. It captures the legal, political, and economic environment of the press.