Press freedom in Canada
Canada: 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 Canada, 1979–2016
Source: Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2016, press freedom in Canada stood at 2. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, press freedom in Canada peaked at 2 in 1979 and was at its lowest, 2, in 1979.
Canada ranks 1st of 194 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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 Canada
- 1 Andorra 2 compare
- 1 Australia 2 compare
- 1 Austria 2 compare
- 1 Bahamas 2 compare
- 1 Barbados 2 compare
- 1 Belgium 2 compare
- 1 Belize 2 compare
- 1 Cape Verde 2 compare
- 1 Chile 2 compare
- 1 Costa Rica 2 compare
- 1 Cyprus 2 compare
- 1 Czechia 2 compare
- 1 Denmark 2 compare
- 1 Dominica 2 compare
- 1 Estonia 2 compare
- 1 Finland 2 compare
- 1 France 2 compare
- 1 Germany 2 compare
- 1 Grenada 2 compare
- 1 Iceland 2 compare
- 1 Ireland 2 compare
- 1 Jamaica 2 compare
- 1 Japan 2 compare
- 1 Kiribati 2 compare
- 1 Latvia 2 compare
- 1 Liechtenstein 2 compare
- 1 Lithuania 2 compare
- 1 Luxembourg 2 compare
- 1 Malta 2 compare
- 1 Marshall Islands 2 compare
- 1 Mauritius 2 compare
- 1 Monaco 2 compare
- 1 Netherlands 2 compare
- 1 New Zealand 2 compare
- 1 Norway 2 compare
- 1 Palau 2 compare
- 1 Papua New Guinea 2 compare
- 1 Portugal 2 compare
- 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2 compare
- 1 Saint Lucia 2 compare
- 1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2 compare
- 1 Samoa 2 compare
- 1 San Marino 2 compare
- 1 Sao Tome and Principe 2 compare
- 1 Slovakia 2 compare
- 1 Slovenia 2 compare
- 1 Solomon Islands 2 compare
- 1 Spain 2 compare
- 1 Suriname 2 compare
- 1 Sweden 2 compare
- 1 Switzerland 2 compare
- 1 Taiwan 2 compare
- 1 Tonga 2 compare
- 1 Trinidad and Tobago 2 compare
- 1 Tuvalu 2 compare
- 1 United Kingdom 2 compare
- 1 United States 2 compare
- 1 Uruguay 2 compare
- 1 Vanuatu 2 compare
More social development data for Canada
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 416,028 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 360 (2025)
- Physical Integrity Rights Score 3.17 (2019)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of origin 215 (2025)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of asylum 314,469 (2025)
- Forcibly displaced people 730,497 (2025)
- Self-reported life satisfaction 6.74 (2025)
- Share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" 46.7% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is press freedom in Canada?
- Press freedom in Canada was 2 in 2016, according to Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest press freedom recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 2 in 1979.
- What is the lowest press freedom recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 2 in 1979.
- How does Canada rank for press freedom?
- Canada ranks 1st out of 194 countries with data for 2016.
- Is press freedom rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Canada 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 — 36 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.