Statizoid

Press freedom in United States

United States: 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 United States, 1979–2016

00.511.521979199720161979: 21980: 21982: 21983: 21984: 21985: 21986: 21987: 21988: 21990: 21991: 21992: 21993: 21994: 21995: 21996: 21997: 21998: 21999: 22000: 22001: 22002: 22003: 22004: 22005: 22006: 22007: 22008: 22009: 22010: 22011: 22012: 22013: 22014: 22015: 22016: 2

Source: Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for press freedom in United States is 2, 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 United States peaked at 2 in 1979 and was at its lowest, 2, in 1979.

United States ranks 1st of 194 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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 United States

  1. 1 Andorra 2 compare
  2. 1 Australia 2 compare
  3. 1 Austria 2 compare
  4. 1 Bahamas 2 compare
  5. 1 Barbados 2 compare
  6. 1 Belgium 2 compare
  7. 1 Belize 2 compare
  8. 1 Canada 2 compare
  9. 1 Cape Verde 2 compare
  10. 1 Chile 2 compare
  11. 1 Costa Rica 2 compare
  12. 1 Cyprus 2 compare
  13. 1 Czechia 2 compare
  14. 1 Denmark 2 compare
  15. 1 Dominica 2 compare
  16. 1 Estonia 2 compare
  17. 1 Finland 2 compare
  18. 1 France 2 compare
  19. 1 Germany 2 compare
  20. 1 Grenada 2 compare
  21. 1 Iceland 2 compare
  22. 1 Ireland 2 compare
  23. 1 Jamaica 2 compare
  24. 1 Japan 2 compare
  25. 1 Kiribati 2 compare
  26. 1 Latvia 2 compare
  27. 1 Liechtenstein 2 compare
  28. 1 Lithuania 2 compare
  29. 1 Luxembourg 2 compare
  30. 1 Malta 2 compare
  31. 1 Marshall Islands 2 compare
  32. 1 Mauritius 2 compare
  33. 1 Monaco 2 compare
  34. 1 Netherlands 2 compare
  35. 1 New Zealand 2 compare
  36. 1 Norway 2 compare
  37. 1 Palau 2 compare
  38. 1 Papua New Guinea 2 compare
  39. 1 Portugal 2 compare
  40. 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2 compare
  41. 1 Saint Lucia 2 compare
  42. 1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2 compare
  43. 1 Samoa 2 compare
  44. 1 San Marino 2 compare
  45. 1 Sao Tome and Principe 2 compare
  46. 1 Slovakia 2 compare
  47. 1 Slovenia 2 compare
  48. 1 Solomon Islands 2 compare
  49. 1 Spain 2 compare
  50. 1 Suriname 2 compare
  51. 1 Sweden 2 compare
  52. 1 Switzerland 2 compare
  53. 1 Taiwan 2 compare
  54. 1 Tonga 2 compare
  55. 1 Trinidad and Tobago 2 compare
  56. 1 Tuvalu 2 compare
  57. 1 United Kingdom 2 compare
  58. 1 Uruguay 2 compare
  59. 1 Vanuatu 2 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More social development data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is press freedom in United States?
Press freedom in United States was 2 in 2016, according to Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest press freedom recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 2 in 1979.
What is the lowest press freedom recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 2 in 1979.
How does United States rank for press freedom?
United States ranks 1st out of 194 countries with data for 2016.
Is press freedom rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this United States 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

Indicator
Press freedom
Source
Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 6,417 data points, 1979–2016
Last refreshed

Based on the classification and data by Freedom House. It captures the legal, political, and economic environment of the press.