Press freedom in Estonia
Estonia: Press freedom was 2 in 2016. ▲ Rising
Press freedom in Estonia, 1991–2016
Source: Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2016, press freedom in Estonia stood at 2. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, press freedom in Estonia peaked at 2 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1992.
Estonia ranks 1st of 194 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.89 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| 2000s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Estonia
- 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 Canada 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 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 Estonia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 41,299 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 86 (2025)
- Physical Integrity Rights Score 3.1 (2019)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of origin 52 (2025)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of asylum 321 (2025)
- Forcibly displaced people 41,620 (2025)
- Self-reported life satisfaction 6.41 (2025)
- Share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" 33.9% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is press freedom in Estonia?
- Press freedom in Estonia was 2 in 2016, according to Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest press freedom recorded in Estonia?
- The highest recorded value was 2 in 1991.
- What is the lowest press freedom recorded in Estonia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1992.
- How does Estonia rank for press freedom?
- Estonia ranks 1st out of 194 countries with data for 2016.
- Is press freedom rising or falling in Estonia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Estonia 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
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About this data
Based on the classification and data by Freedom House. It captures the legal, political, and economic environment of the press.