Press freedom in Libya
Libya: Press freedom was 0 in 2016. ◆ Volatile
Press freedom in Libya, 1979–2016
Source: Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Libya recorded 0 for press freedom in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 100.0% over five years.
Over the whole period, press freedom in Libya peaked at 1 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1979.
That places Libya 131st 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 | 8 |
| 1990s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2857 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Libya
- 131 Algeria 0 compare
- 131 Angola 0 compare
- 131 Armenia 0 compare
- 131 Azerbaijan 0 compare
- 131 Bahrain 0 compare
- 131 Bangladesh 0 compare
- 131 Belarus 0 compare
- 131 Brunei 0 compare
- 131 Burundi 0 compare
- 131 Cambodia 0 compare
- 131 Cameroon 0 compare
- 131 Central African Republic 0 compare
- 131 Chad 0 compare
- 131 China 0 compare
- 131 Cuba 0 compare
- 131 Democratic Republic of Congo 0 compare
- 131 Djibouti 0 compare
- 131 Ecuador 0 compare
- 131 Egypt 0 compare
- 131 Equatorial Guinea 0 compare
- 131 Eritrea 0 compare
- 131 Eswatini 0 compare
- 131 Ethiopia 0 compare
- 131 Gabon 0 compare
- 131 Gambia 0 compare
- 131 Guinea 0 compare
- 131 Honduras 0 compare
- 131 Iran 0 compare
- 131 Iraq 0 compare
- 131 Jordan 0 compare
- 131 Kazakhstan 0 compare
- 131 Kyrgyzstan 0 compare
- 131 Laos 0 compare
- 131 Malaysia 0 compare
- 131 Maldives 0 compare
- 131 Mexico 0 compare
- 131 Morocco 0 compare
- 131 Myanmar 0 compare
- 131 North Korea 0 compare
- 131 North Macedonia 0 compare
- 131 Oman 0 compare
- 131 Pakistan 0 compare
- 131 Qatar 0 compare
- 131 Russia 0 compare
- 131 Rwanda 0 compare
- 131 Saudi Arabia 0 compare
- 131 Singapore 0 compare
- 131 Somalia 0 compare
- 131 South Sudan 0 compare
- 131 Sri Lanka 0 compare
- 131 Sudan 0 compare
- 131 Syria 0 compare
- 131 Tajikistan 0 compare
- 131 Thailand 0 compare
- 131 Turkey 0 compare
- 131 Turkmenistan 0 compare
- 131 United Arab Emirates 0 compare
- 131 Uzbekistan 0 compare
- 131 Venezuela 0 compare
- 131 Vietnam 0 compare
- 131 Yemen 0 compare
- 131 Zambia 0 compare
- 131 Zimbabwe 0 compare
More social development data for Libya
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 552,523 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 17,161 (2025)
- Physical Integrity Rights Score -2.02 (2019)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of origin 3,802 (2025)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of asylum 105,954 (2025)
- Forcibly displaced people 743,477 (2025)
- Self-reported life satisfaction 5.73 (2025)
- Internally displaced people (IDP) by country or territory of asylum / 85,000 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is press freedom in Libya?
- Press freedom in Libya was 0 in 2016, according to Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest press freedom recorded in Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 1 in 2011.
- What is the lowest press freedom recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1979.
- How does Libya rank for press freedom?
- Libya ranks 131st out of 194 countries with data for 2016.
- Where does this Libya 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.