Press freedom in Lebanon
Lebanon: Press freedom was 1 in 2016. ◆ Volatile
Press freedom in Lebanon, 1979–2016
Source: Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for press freedom in Lebanon is 1, measured in 2016. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, press freedom in Lebanon peaked at 1 in 1979 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1988.
Lebanon ranks 61st of 194 countries on this measure, 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 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1980s | 0.875 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| 1990s | 0.6 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Lebanon
- 61 Afghanistan 1 compare
- 61 Albania 1 compare
- 61 Antigua and Barbuda 1 compare
- 61 Argentina 1 compare
- 61 Benin 1 compare
- 61 Bhutan 1 compare
- 61 Bolivia 1 compare
- 61 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 compare
- 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 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 Lebanon
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 535,168 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 9,568 (2025)
- Physical Integrity Rights Score 0.0418 (2019)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of origin 8,798 (2025)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of asylum 7,617 (2025)
- Forcibly displaced people 835,059 (2025)
- Self-reported life satisfaction 3.72 (2025)
- Internally displaced people (IDP) by country or territory of asylum / 64,000 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNRWA by country or territory of asy 228,274 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is press freedom in Lebanon?
- Press freedom in Lebanon was 1 in 2016, according to Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest press freedom recorded in Lebanon?
- The highest recorded value was 1 in 1979.
- What is the lowest press freedom recorded in Lebanon?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1988.
- How does Lebanon rank for press freedom?
- Lebanon ranks 61st out of 194 countries with data for 2016.
- Is press freedom rising or falling in Lebanon?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lebanon 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.