Censorship by country
Censorship by country collects information on censorship, Internet censorship, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and human rights by country and presents it in a sortable table, together with links to articles with more information. In addition to countries, the table includes information on former countries, disputed countries, political sub-units within countries, and regional organizations.
Part of a series on |
Censorship by country |
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Countries |
See also |
Table
Key | |
Freedom House (FH) Freedom of the Press report:[1] 10 is most free, 99 is least free | |
10 to 30 | Free |
31 to 60 | Partly free |
61 to 99 | Not free |
— | Not rated |
Reporters Without Borders (RWB) Press freedom index:[2] 6 is most free, 85 is least free | |
6.00 to 12.99 | Good situation |
13.00 to 24.99 | Satisfactory situation |
25.00 to 36.49 | Noticeable problems |
36.50 to 55.29 | Difficult situation |
55.30 to 85 | Very serious situation |
— | Not rated |
OpenNet Initiative (ONI) classifications:[3][4] | |
ne | No evidence of filtering |
sus | Filtering suspected, but unconfirmed |
sel | Selective filtering observed |
sub | Substantial filtering observed |
per | Pervasive filtering observed |
nd | No data (does not indicate no censorship or no filtering) |
— | Not classified |
More information links: | |
c | Link to Censorship in country article |
i | Link to Internet censorship in country article |
p | Link to Freedom of the press or Freedom of speech in country article |
h | Link to Human rights in country article |
Country |
Region |
FH Free press report [1] |
RWB Press freedom index [2] |
ONI political filtering [3] |
ONI social filtering [3][4] |
ONI security filtering [3] |
ONI tools filtering [3] |
More info |
Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Afghanistan | Asia | 74 | 37.36 | ne | ne | ne | ne | i h | |
Albania | Europe | 51 | 30.88 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Algeria | Africa | 62 | 36.54 | ne | ne | ne | ne | c i h | |
Andorra | Europe | 13 | 6.82 | — | — | — | — | h | |
Angola | Africa | 67 | 37.8 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Antigua and Barbuda | NAmerica | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | See OECS | |
Argentina | SAmerica | 50 | 25.67 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Armenia | Eurasia | 65 | 28.04 | sub | sel | sel | sel | i h | |
Australia | Oceania | 21 | 15.24 | ne | ne | ne | ne | c i p h | |
Austria | Europe | 21 | 9.4 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Azerbaijan | Eurasia | 80 | 47.73 | sel | sel | ne | ne | i h | |
Bahamas | NAmerica | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | i | |
Bahrain | Asia | 84 | 62.75 | per | per | sel | sub | i h | |
Bangladesh | Asia | 52 | 42.01 | ne | ne | ne | ne | c i h | |
Barbados | NAmerica | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
Belarus | Europe | 93 | 48.35 | sel | sel | sel | sel | c i h | |
Belgium | Europe | 11 | 12.94 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Belize | NAmerica | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | i | |
Benin | Africa | 34 | 28.33 | — | — | — | — | h | |
Bhutan | Asia | 58 | 28.42 | — | — | — | — | c i h | |
Bolivia | SAmerica | 47 | 32.8 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Europe | 48 | 26.86 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Botswana | Africa | 40 | 22.91 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Brazil | SAmerica | 44 | 32.75 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Brunei | Asia | 75 | 35.45 | — | — | — | — | ||
Bulgaria | Europe | 36 | 28.58 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Burkina Faso | Africa | 42 | 23.7 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Burundi | Africa | 72 | 38.02 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Cambodia | Asia | 63 | 41.81 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Cameroon | Africa | 68 | 34.78 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Canada | NAmerica | 19 | 12.69 | ne | ne | ne | ne | c i p h | |
Cape Verde | Africa | 27 | 14.33 | — | — | — | — | h | |
Central African Republic | Africa | 62 | 26.61 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Chad | Africa | 75 | 34.87 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Chile | SAmerica | 31 | 26.24 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
China | Asia | 85 | 73.07 | per | sub | per | sub | c i p h | |
Colombia | SAmerica | 55 | 37.48 | ne | sel | ne | ne | i h | |
Comoros | Africa | 48 | 24.52 | — | — | — | — | h | |
Congo, Democratic Republic of the | Africa | 83 | 41.66 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Congo, Republic of the | Africa | 55 | 28.2 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Costa Rica | NAmerica | 19 | 12.08 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Côte d'Ivoire | Africa | 70 | 29.77 | — | — | — | — | i | also known as the Ivory Coast |
Croatia | Europe | 40 | 26.61 | ne | ne | ne | ne | i h | |
Cuba | NAmerica | 91 | 71.64 | nd | nd | nd | nd | c i p h | |
Cyprus | Europe | 22 | 13.83 | — | — | — | — | i h | see also Northern Cyprus |
Czech Republic | Europe | 19 | 10.17 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Denmark | Europe | 12 | 7.08 | ne | ne | ne | ne | c i p | |
Djibouti | Africa | 74 | 67.4 | — | — | — | — | ||
Dominica | NAmerica | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | See OECS | |
Dominican Republic | NAmerica | 41 | 28.34 | — | — | — | — | i | |
East Timor | Asia | 35 | 28.72 | — | — | — | — | i | also known as Timor-Leste |
Ecuador | SAmerica | 58 | 34.69 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Egypt | Africa | 57 | 48.66 | ne | ne | ne | ne | i h | |
El Salvador | NAmerica | 40 | 22.86 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Equatorial Guinea | Africa | 91 | 67.2 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Eritrea | Africa | 94 | 84.83 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Estonia | Europe | 18 | 9.26 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Ethiopia | Africa | 81 | 39.57 | per | ne | sel | sel | i h | |
Fiji | Oceania | 58 | 32.69 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Finland | Europe | 10 | 6.38 | ne | ne | ne | ne | c i h | |
France | Europe | 24 | 21.6 | ne | ne | ne | ne | c i p h | |
Gabon | Africa | 70 | 28.69 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Gambia | Africa | 81 | 45.09 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Georgia | Eurasia | 52 | 30.09 | sel | ne | sel | ne | i h | |
Germany | Europe | 17 | 10.24 | ne | ne | ne | ne | c i p h | See Internet censorship in Germany |
Ghana | Africa | 28 | 17.27 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Greece | Europe | 30 | 28.46 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Greenland | NAmerica | — | — | — | — | — | — | i | See Internet censorship in Denmark |
Grenada | NAmerica | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | See OECS | |
Guatemala | NAmerica | 60 | 29.39 | ne | ne | ne | ne | i | |
Guinea | Africa | 62 | 28.49 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Guinea-Bissau | Africa | 57 | 28.94 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Guyana | SAmerica | 33 | 27.08 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Haiti | NAmerica | 50 | 24.09 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Honduras | NAmerica | 62 | 36.92 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Hong Kong | Asia | 33 | 26.16 | — | — | — | — | c i h | part of China, but largely self-governing, with its own censorship policies. |
Hungary | Europe | 36 | 26.09 | ne | ne | ne | ne | i | |
Iceland | Europe | 14 | 8.49 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
India | Asia | 37 | 41.22 | sel | sel | sel | sel | c i p h | |
Indonesia | Asia | 49 | 41.05 | sel | sub | ne | sel | c i p h | |
Iran | Asia | 92 | 73.4 | per | per | sub | per | c i p h | |
Iraq | Asia | 69 | 44.67 | ne | ne | ne | ne | c i h | |
Ireland | Europe | 16 | 10.06 | — | — | — | — | c i p | |
Israel | Asia | 30 | 32.97 | ne | ne | ne | ne | c h | |
Italy | Europe | 33 | 26.11 | ne | sel | ne | ne | c i p | |
Jamaica | NAmerica | 18 | 9.88 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Japan | Asia | 22 | 25.17 | — | — | — | — | c i p h | |
Jordan | Asia | 63 | 38.47 | sel | ne | ne | ne | i h | |
Kazakhstan | Eurasia | 81 | 55.08 | sel | sel | ne | ne | i h | |
Kenya | Africa | 52 | 27.8 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Kiribati | Oceania | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
Kosovo | Europe | 49 | 28.47 | — | — | — | — | ||
Kuwait | Asia | 57 | 28.28 | sel | per | sel | per | i h | |
Kyrgyzstan | Asia | 69 | 32.2 | sel | sel | ne | ne | i h | |
Laos | Asia | 84 | 67.99 | ne | ne | ne | ne | i h | |
Latvia | Europe | 27 | 22.89 | ne | ne | ne | ne | i h | |
Lebanon | Asia | 51 | 30.15 | ne | ne | ne | ne | i h | |
Lesotho | Africa | 49 | 28.36 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Liberia | Africa | 60 | 29.89 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Libya | Africa | 60 | 37.86 | sel | ne | ne | ne | i p h | |
Liechtenstein | Europe | 14 | 7.35 | — | — | — | — | h | |
Lithuania | Europe | 23 | 18.24 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Luxembourg | Europe | 12 | 6.68 | — | — | — | — | ||
Macedonia | Europe | 54 | 34.27 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Madagascar | Africa | 63 | 28.62 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Malawi | Africa | 60 | 28.18 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Malaysia | Asia | 63 | 42.73 | ne | ne | ne | ne | c i p h | |
Maldives | Asia | 51 | 31.1 | — | — | — | — | c | |
Mali | Africa | 24 | 30.03 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Malta | Europe | 22 | 23.3 | — | — | — | — | ||
Marshall Islands | Oceania | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
Mauritania | Africa | 52 | 26.76 | sel | ne | ne | ne | i h | |
Mauritius | Africa | 29 | 26.47 | — | — | — | — | ||
Mexico | NAmerica | 62 | 45.3 | ne | ne | ne | ne | i h | |
Micronesia | Oceania | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
Moldova | Europe | 54 | 26.01 | sel | ne | ne | ne | i h | |
Monaco | Europe | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
Mongolia | Asia | 37 | 29.93 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Montenegro | Europe | 35 | 32.97 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Morocco | Africa | 68 | 39.04 | ne | sel | sel | sel | i h | |
Mozambique | Africa | 43 | 28.01 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Myanmar | Asia | 85 | 44.71 | sel | sub | ne | sel | c i h | Also known as Burma. Beginning in September 2012 the government began to relax its censorship policies.[5] |
Namibia | Africa | 32 | 12.5 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Nauru | Oceania | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | h | |
Nepal | Asia | 55 | 34.61 | ne | ne | ne | ne | i h | |
Netherlands | Europe | 12 | 6.48 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
New Zealand | Oceania | 17 | 8.38 | — | — | — | — | c i h | |
Nicaragua | NAmerica | 49 | 28.31 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Niger | Africa | 49 | 23.08 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Nigeria | Africa | 50 | 34.11 | ne | ne | ne | ne | i h | |
North Korea | Asia | 97 | 83.9 | nd | nd | nd | nd | c i h | |
Northern Cyprus | Europe | — | 29.34 | — | — | — | — | i h | see also Cyprus |
Norway | Europe | 10 | 6.52 | ne | ne | ne | ne | i p | |
Oman | Asia | 71 | 41.51 | sel | per | ne | sub | i h | |
Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States | NAmerica | — | 19.72 | — | — | — | — | ||
Pakistan | Asia | 63 | 51.31 | sel | sel | sub | sel | c i p h | |
Palau | Oceania | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
Palestinian territories | Asia | 83 | 43.09 | ne | sub | ne | ne | i h | Gaza and the West Bank |
Panama | NAmerica | 46 | 32.95 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Papua New Guinea | Oceania | 27 | 22.97 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Paraguay | SAmerica | 60 | 28.78 | — | — | — | — | i h | Situation changing following June 2012 parliamentary coup |
Peru | SAmerica | 44 | 31.87 | ne | ne | ne | ne | i h | |
Philippines | Asia | 42 | 43.11 | ne | ne | ne | ne | c h | |
Poland | Europe | 25 | 13.11 | — | — | — | — | c i h | |
Portugal | Europe | 17 | 16.75 | — | — | — | — | c i | |
Puerto Rico | NAmerica | — | — | — | — | — | — | i | See Internet censorship in the United States |
Qatar | Asia | 67 | 32.86 | sel | per | sel | per | i h | |
Romania | Europe | 41 | 23.05 | ne | ne | ne | ne | c i h | |
Russia | Eurasia | 80 | 43.42 | sel | sel | ne | ne | c i p h | See also Censorship in the Soviet Union |
Rwanda | Africa | 82 | 55.46 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | NAmerica | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | See OECS | |
Saint Lucia | NAmerica | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | See OECS | |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | NAmerica | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | See OECS | |
Samoa | Oceania | 29 | 23.84 | — | — | — | — | c | |
San Marino | Europe | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
São Tomé and Príncipe | Africa | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | h | |
Saudi Arabia | Asia | 84 | 56.88 | sub | per | sel | per | c i p h | |
Senegal | Africa | 55 | 26.19 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Serbia | Europe | 35 | 26.59 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Seychelles | Africa | 56 | 29.19 | — | — | — | — | ||
Sierra Leone | Africa | 49 | 26.35 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Singapore | Asia | 67 | 43.43 | ne | sel | ne | ne | c i h | |
Slovakia | Europe | 21 | 13.25 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Slovenia | Europe | 25 | 20.49 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Solomon Islands | Oceania | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
Somalia | Africa | 84 | 73.59 | — | — | — | — | c i h | |
South Africa | Africa | 34 | 24.56 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
South Korea | Asia | 32 | 24.48 | ne | sel | per | ne | c i p h | |
South Sudan | Africa | 59 | 36.2 | — | — | — | — | ||
Spain | Europe | 24 | 20.5 | — | — | — | — | c i p h | |
Sri Lanka | Asia | 72 | 56.59 | ne | ne | ne | ne | c h | |
Sudan | Africa | 78 | 70.06 | sel | sub | ne | sub | i p h | |
Suriname | SAmerica | 23 | 18.19 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Swaziland | Africa | 76 | 46.76 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Sweden | Europe | 10 | 9.23 | ne | ne | ne | ne | c i p | |
Switzerland | Europe | 12 | 9.94 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Syria | Asia | 89 | 78.53 | per | sel | sel | per | i h | |
Taiwan | Asia | 25 | 23.82 | — | — | — | — | c i h | Republic of China |
Tajikistan | Asia | 79 | 35.71 | sel | ne | ne | ne | i h | |
Tanzania | Africa | 49 | 27.34 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Thailand | Asia | 60 | 38.6 | sel | sel | ne | sel | c i h | |
Timor-Leste | Asia | 35 | 28.72 | — | — | — | — | also known as East Timor | |
Togo | Africa | 69 | 28.45 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Tonga | Oceania | 29 | 26.7 | — | — | — | — | ||
Trinidad and Tobago | NAmerica | 25 | 23.12 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Tunisia | Africa | 51 | 39.93 | ne | ne | ne | ne | c i | |
Turkey | Eurasia | 55 | 46.56 | sel | sel | ne | sel | c i h | |
Turkmenistan | Asia | 96 | 79.14 | per | sel | sel | sel | i h | |
Tuvalu | Oceania | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
Uganda | Africa | 57 | 31.69 | ne | ne | ne | ne | i h | |
Ukraine | Europe | 59 | 36.79 | ne | ne | ne | ne | i p h | |
United Arab Emirates | Asia | 72 | 33.49 | sub | per | sel | per | i h | |
United Kingdom | Europe | 21 | 16.89 | ne | ne | ne | ne | c i p h | |
United States | NAmerica | 18 | 18.22 | ne | ne | ne | ne | c i p h | |
Uruguay | SAmerica | 26 | 15.92 | — | — | — | — | i | |
Uzbekistan | Asia | 95 | 60.39 | per | sel | sel | sel | i h | |
Vanuatu | Oceania | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
Venezuela | SAmerica | 76 | 34.44 | ne | ne | ne | ne | c i h | |
Vietnam | Asia | 84 | 71.78 | per | sel | sel | sub | i h | |
Western Sahara | Africa | — | — | — | — | — | — | i h | A territory disputed between Morocco and the Polisario Front. See also: Morocco entry in this table. |
Yemen | Asia | 83 | 69.22 | sub | per | sel | sub | i h | |
Zambia | Africa | 60 | 27.93 | — | — | — | — | i h | |
Zimbabwe | Africa | 80 | 38.12 | ne | ne | ne | ne | i h |
Maps
Freedom of the Press Report
2015 Freedom of the Press Classifications[6]
Not Free |
Partly Free |
Free |
No Data
|
Press Freedom Index
Very serious situation
Difficult situation
Noticeable problems |
Satisfactory situation
Good situation
Not classified / No data
|
Internet censorship and surveillance
Internet censorship and surveillance by country (2018)[8][3][4]
Pervasive
Substantial
Selective |
Little or none
Not classified / No data
|
YouTube blocking
See also
References
- "2012 Freedom of the Press Data", Freedom House, 1 May 2012
- "Press Freedom Index 2013", Reporters Without Borders, 30 January 2013
- OpenNet Initiative "Summarized global Internet filtering data spreadsheet", 29 October 2012 and "Country Profiles", the OpenNet Initiative is a collaborative partnership of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto; the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University; and the SecDev Group, Ottawa
- Due to legal concerns the OpenNet Initiative does not check for filtering of child pornography and because their classifications focus on technical filtering, they do not include other types of censorship.
- "Update on information controls in Burma", Irene Poetranto, OpenNet Initiative, 23 October 2012
- "Scores and Status Data 1980-2015". Freedom of the Press 2015. Freedom House. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- "Press Freedom Index 2014" Archived February 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Reporters Without Borders, 11 May 2014
- "Freedom on the Net 2018" (PDF). Freedom House. November 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices". U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
This article incorporates licensed material from the Country Profiles, Regional Overviews, and Filtering Maps sections of the OpenNet Initiative web site. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license, see the lower right corner of pages at the OpenNet Initiative web site