Data for 1991

Government Censorship of the Media, 1991

1991, as V-Dem Institute’s 2026 release gives it · stored as published, never rewritten

Government Censorship of the Media, 1991 covers 171 countries. Belgium is highest, at 3.489; Syria is lowest, at -3.045. The middle country reads 0.387. Against 1990, 50 values changed (38 up, 12 down), 3 countries joined.

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Government Censorship of the Media · Data for 1991

HighestBelgium

3.489

LowestSyria

-3.045

Shaded by value in five groups of equal size, darkest at the better end. A higher value is the better result.

171countries
1measure
1991the year it describes
167distinct values3 decimals, as published
Sep 26, 2026read from the publisher
CC BY-SA 4.0licence

01Position · derived

The table

Every country and every column of Government Censorship of the Media, 1991, as published. V-Dem Institute ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. “=” marks a shared position.

Search this table

Showing 25 of 171 countries · select a heading to sort

Government Censorship of the Media, 1991: every country, as published by V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg.
derived
1	BelgiumBELWestern Europe	3.489
2	GermanyDEUWestern Europe	3.380
3	SwedenSWENorthern Europe	3.378
4	AustraliaAUSAustralia and New Zealand	3.355
5	DenmarkDNKNorthern Europe	3.258
6	FinlandFINNorthern Europe	3.255
7	NetherlandsNLDWestern Europe	3.254
8	SwitzerlandCHEWestern Europe	3.173
9	LuxembourgLUXWestern Europe	3.043
10	CzechiaCZEEastern Europe	2.916
11	New ZealandNZLAustralia and New Zealand	2.749
12	AustriaAUTWestern Europe	2.610
13	Costa RicaCRICentral America	2.601
14	CanadaCANNorthern America	2.573
15	GreeceGRCSouthern Europe	2.487
16	ItalyITASouthern Europe	2.401
17	ChileCHLSouth America	2.313
18	IrelandIRLNorthern Europe	2.311
19	BeninBENWestern Africa	2.306
20	PortugalPRTSouthern Europe	2.299
21	JapanJPNEastern Asia	2.295
22	IcelandISLNorthern Europe	2.248
23	FranceFRAWestern Europe	2.241
24	EstoniaESTNorthern Europe	2.182
25	NepalNPLSouthern Asia	2.152
26	MaltaMLTSouthern Europe	2.136
27	PolandPOLEastern Europe	2.111
28	NorwayNORNorthern Europe	2.109
29	MongoliaMNGEastern Asia	2.089
30	VanuatuVUTMelanesia	2.077
31	HungaryHUNEastern Europe	2.055
32	SpainESPSouthern Europe	2.052
33	PhilippinesPHLSouth-eastern Asia	2.032
34	ArgentinaARGSouth America	2.009
35	Hong KongHKGEastern Asia	1.998
36	SurinameSURSouth America	1.936
37	LithuaniaLTUNorthern Europe	1.898
38	BulgariaBGREastern Europe	1.840
39	LatviaLVANorthern Europe	1.773
40	United KingdomGBRNorthern Europe	1.772
41	IndiaINDSouthern Asia	1.763
42	Dominican RepublicDOMCaribbean	1.726
43	NicaraguaNICCentral America	1.719
44	BarbadosBRBCaribbean	1.695
45	Solomon IslandsSLBMelanesia	1.656
46	PanamaPANCentral America	1.655
47	United StatesUSANorthern America	1.577
48	ColombiaCOLSouth America	1.531
49	South KoreaKOREastern Asia	1.420
50	NigerNERWestern Africa	1.387
51	VenezuelaVENSouth America	1.375
52	CyprusCYPWestern Asia	1.365
53	UruguayURYSouth America	1.351
54	MauritiusMUSEastern Africa	1.333
55	BrazilBRASouth America	1.285
56	JamaicaJAMCaribbean	1.195
57	Papua New GuineaPNGMelanesia	1.111
58	Cabo VerdeCPVWestern Africa	1.065
59	MaliMLIWestern Africa	1.062
60	BoliviaBOLSouth America	1.059
61	NamibiaNAMSouthern Africa	1.017
62	PakistanPAKSouthern Asia	1.001
63	SloveniaSVNSouthern Europe	0.977
64	North MacedoniaMKDSouthern Europe	0.968
65	Republic of the CongoCOGMiddle Africa	0.937
66	HondurasHNDCentral America	0.850
67	SomalilandXSLEastern Africa	0.829
68	ArmeniaARMWestern Asia	0.795
=69	GuineaGINWestern Africa	0.740
=69	MoldovaMDAEastern Europe	0.740
71	EcuadorECUSouth America	0.713
72	TajikistanTJKCentral Asia	0.681
73	Trinidad and TobagoTTOCaribbean	0.668
74	UkraineUKREastern Europe	0.589
75	GambiaGMBWestern Africa	0.588
76	BangladeshBGDSouthern Asia	0.578
77	BotswanaBWASouthern Africa	0.526
78	São Tomé and PríncipeSTPMiddle Africa	0.522
79	IsraelISRWestern Asia	0.503
80	KazakhstanKAZCentral Asia	0.480
81	ParaguayPRYSouth America	0.469
82	KyrgyzstanKGZCentral Asia	0.460
83	TürkiyeTURWestern Asia	0.459
84	AlbaniaALBSouthern Europe	0.431
85	BelarusBLREastern Europe	0.423
86	FijiFJIMelanesia	0.387
87	KuwaitKWTWestern Asia	0.267
88	MexicoMEXCentral America	0.257
89	RomaniaROUEastern Europe	0.209
90	AlgeriaDZANorthern Africa	0.187
91	UgandaUGAEastern Africa	0.152
92	TaiwanTWNEastern Asia	0.083
93	SenegalSENWestern Africa	0.071
94	GuatemalaGTMCentral America	0.064
95	ComorosCOMEastern Africa	0.028
96	SingaporeSGPSouth-eastern Asia	0.004
97	GabonGABMiddle Africa	-0.085
98	HaitiHTICaribbean	-0.111
99	RussiaRUSEastern Europe	-0.149
=100	GeorgiaGEOWestern Asia	-0.247
=100	LesothoLSOSouthern Africa	-0.247
102	LebanonLBNWestern Asia	-0.251
103	LiberiaLBRWestern Africa	-0.261
=104	MozambiqueMOZEastern Africa	-0.274
=104	SeychellesSYCEastern Africa	-0.274
106	NigeriaNGAWestern Africa	-0.276
107	CameroonCMRMiddle Africa	-0.366
108	BhutanBTNSouthern Asia	-0.383
109	Côte d’IvoireCIVWestern Africa	-0.385
110	DR CongoCODMiddle Africa	-0.401
111	South AfricaZAFSouthern Africa	-0.446
112	ZimbabweZWEEastern Africa	-0.479
113	Sierra LeoneSLEWestern Africa	-0.496
114	TanzaniaTZAEastern Africa	-0.500
115	GuyanaGUYSouth America	-0.530
116	PeruPERSouth America	-0.546
117	Burkina FasoBFAWestern Africa	-0.587
118	KenyaKENEastern Africa	-0.615
119	ChadTCDMiddle Africa	-0.665
120	EgyptEGYNorthern Africa	-0.689
121	JordanJORWestern Asia	-0.708
122	EthiopiaETHEastern Africa	-0.810
123	Equatorial GuineaGNQMiddle Africa	-0.841
124	CroatiaHRVSouthern Europe	-0.878
125	Guinea-BissauGNBWestern Africa	-0.930
=126	MauritaniaMRTWestern Africa	-0.933
=126	YemenYEMWestern Asia	-0.933
128	EritreaERIEastern Africa	-0.964
129	EswatiniSWZSouthern Africa	-0.973
130	ZambiaZMBEastern Africa	-0.985
131	VietnamVNMSouth-eastern Asia	-1.027
132	TogoTGOWestern Africa	-1.038
133	SerbiaSRBSouthern Europe	-1.049
134	Sri LankaLKASouthern Asia	-1.068
135	El SalvadorSLVCentral America	-1.087
136	TunisiaTUNNorthern Africa	-1.166
137	AzerbaijanAZEWestern Asia	-1.202
138	Central African RepublicCAFMiddle Africa	-1.203
139	BurundiBDIEastern Africa	-1.231
140	ThailandTHASouth-eastern Asia	-1.266
141	ChinaCHNEastern Asia	-1.283
142	RwandaRWAEastern Africa	-1.373
143	TurkmenistanTKMCentral Asia	-1.380
144	DjiboutiDJIEastern Africa	-1.449
145	QatarQATWestern Asia	-1.464
146	IranIRNSouthern Asia	-1.586
147	MoroccoMARNorthern Africa	-1.597
148	MadagascarMDGEastern Africa	-1.619
149	IndonesiaIDNSouth-eastern Asia	-1.674
150	GhanaGHAWestern Africa	-1.708
151	SudanSDNNorthern Africa	-1.715
152	MaldivesMDVSouthern Asia	-1.781
153	SomaliaSOMEastern Africa	-1.936
154	OmanOMNWestern Asia	-1.949
155	MalaysiaMYSSouth-eastern Asia	-2.003
156	MyanmarMMRSouth-eastern Asia	-2.081
157	BahrainBHRWestern Asia	-2.093
158	Timor-LesteTLSSouth-eastern Asia	-2.227
159	IraqIRQWestern Asia	-2.232
160	LaosLAOSouth-eastern Asia	-2.254
161	CubaCUBCaribbean	-2.256
162	UzbekistanUZBCentral Asia	-2.326
163	Saudi ArabiaSAUWestern Asia	-2.362
164	CambodiaKHMSouth-eastern Asia	-2.474
165	AfghanistanAFGSouthern Asia	-2.489
166	LibyaLBYNorthern Africa	-2.521
167	United Arab EmiratesAREWestern Asia	-2.560
168	AngolaAGOMiddle Africa	-2.571
169	MalawiMWIEastern Africa	-2.730
170	North KoreaPRKEastern Asia	-2.775
171	SyriaSYRWestern Asia	-3.045

02In 1991

At either end

The 5 countries at each end of the headline.

Highest

1Belgium3.489
2Germany3.380
3Sweden3.378
4Australia3.355
5Denmark3.258

Lowest

171Syria-3.045
170North Korea-2.775
169Malawi-2.730
168Angola-2.571
167United Arab Emirates-2.560

A higher value is the better result. The middle country reads 0.387. “Shared” marks a value another country also holds.

031990 → 1991

Since 1990

What changed between 1990 and this one: who joined or left, and how far the headline moved.

+3 / −0countries joined / left
50values changed, of 168 in both
38 · 12rose · fell
118unchanged

Rose most

Albania-2.799 → 0.431+3.230
Ethiopia-2.403 → -0.810+1.593
Liberia-1.592 → -0.261+1.331
Republic of the Congo-0.348 → 0.937+1.285
Mongolia0.889 → 2.089+1.200

Fell most

United States2.574 → 1.577−0.997
Maldives-0.948 → -1.781−0.833
Lebanon0.241 → -0.251−0.492
Turkmenistan-0.918 → -1.380−0.462
Iraq-1.788 → -2.232−0.444

+ Croatia

+ North Macedonia+ Somaliland

Both years come from the same release, so a difference here is a change in the data, not a revision of it. Every country’s full history is charted on the statistic page.

04Caveats

Read before you use

What this edition’s numbers are and are not, worked out from the file itself.

The site’s method

One year of the 2026 release
Every year in this series comes from V-Dem Institute’s 2026 release, recalculated on one method. It can differ from what was first published for 1991.
167 distinct values among 171
Values are stored exactly as published, to 3 decimals. 2 countries share 0.740. Countries sharing a value share a position too.
The position is ours
V-Dem Institute publishes values only. The order here sorts the published values, and the page says so wherever it prints one.
Which end is better
A higher value is the better result.
Nothing missing
Every one of the 171 countries has every column.

05The files

Download and cite

The table as a file, digit for digit, what this site changed, and a citation for this edition.

Licence in full

.csv
For a spreadsheet or code
171 rows · 4.7 KB · UTF-8, opens in Excel
Opens with 11 lines of source notes; the table starts on row 13.
Download media-censorship-1991-nations-inquiry.csv
↗
The publisher’s original
V-Dem Institute’s own file, on its own site.
V-Dem-CY-Core-v16_csv.zip

What this site changed: Reshaped into one row per country: regional and income-group totals are left out, only the columns listed are kept, each row gets its ISO 3166 code, and some country names are brought to one spelling. No value is recalculated, rescaled or rounded.

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0. Share, adapt and use commercially with credit — and anything you publish that adapts it must carry the same licence.

Cite this edition

V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg (1991). Government Censorship of the Media, 1991 [data set], describing 1991. As held by Nations Inquiry, https://nationsinquiry.com/datasets/media-censorship/1991

0636 held

Other years

‹ The year before
Government Censorship of the Media, 1990
168 countries
The year after ›
Government Censorship of the Media, 1992
172 countries
All of them
Government Censorship of the Media: every year
36 held, with the data dictionary, coverage and licence.
How it has moved, charted by country

07Questions