Press freedom in Ireland
Ireland: 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 Ireland, 1979–2016
Source: Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Ireland 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 Ireland peaked at 2 in 1979 and was at its lowest, 2, in 1979.
That places Ireland 1st out of 194 countries with data for 2016, putting it 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 Ireland
- 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 Estonia 2 compare
- 1 Finland 2 compare
- 1 France 2 compare
- 1 Germany 2 compare
- 1 Grenada 2 compare
- 1 Iceland 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 Ireland
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 137,869 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 69 (2025)
- Physical Integrity Rights Score 3.12 (2019)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of origin 330 (2025)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of asylum 33,728 (2025)
- Forcibly displaced people 171,597 (2025)
- Self-reported life satisfaction 6.93 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is press freedom in Ireland?
- Press freedom in Ireland was 2 in 2016, according to Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest press freedom recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 2 in 1979.
- What is the lowest press freedom recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2 in 1979.
- How does Ireland rank for press freedom?
- Ireland ranks 1st out of 194 countries with data for 2016.
- Is press freedom rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Ireland 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.