V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · Government Dissemination of False Information (Domestic)
Government disinformation by country
How often does the government spread false information to its own people online?
Latvia placed first of the 176 countries compared in 2025, at 2.930, and South Sudan last, at -3.392. In the middle country the figure was -0.114. Among the 175 countries measured in every edition since 2000, the middle one moved from 0.463 to -0.107.
Government disinformation · 2025
Context statistic
Highest of 176Latvia
2.930012025 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 176 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: Marcin Szala · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2Photo: User:Aconcagua · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3Photo: Ximonic , Simo Räsänen · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Lowest in 2025
- 176
South Sudan-3.392 - 175
Belarus-3.299 - 174
Venezuela-3.189
Positions out of 176. Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
02Every measured country
Government disinformation on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- -3.392–-1.513
- -1.494–-0.526
- -0.514–0.281
- 0.360–1.252
- 1.256–2.930
- No reading in 2025
- Oceania
1.695
the middle country, of 6 measured · 21 members
Australia2.393
Fiji-0.158Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Europe
1.116
the middle country, of 40 measured · 49 members
Latvia2.930Belarus-3.299Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Americas
0.055
the middle country, of 27 measured · 48 members
Jamaica2.092Venezuela-3.189Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Africa
-0.514
the middle country, of 55 measured · 55 members
Seychelles2.319South Sudan-3.392Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Asia
-0.824
the middle country, of 48 measured · 52 members
Singapore1.407
Azerbaijan-3.033Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Every region
20 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Northern Europe
2.138
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Latvia2.930
United Kingdom0.848Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Western Europe
1.541
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Switzerland2.534
Austria1.077Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Caribbean
1.121
the middle country, of 6 measured · 24 members
Jamaica2.092
Cuba-2.122Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Southern Africa
0.590
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Botswana1.953
Eswatini-0.162Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Southern Europe
0.439
the middle country, of 13 measured · 17 members
Portugal2.001
Serbia-2.331Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Eastern Europe
0.141
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Poland1.949Belarus-3.299Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- South America
-0.026
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Uruguay2.003Venezuela-3.189Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- South-eastern Asia
-0.164
the middle country, of 10 measured · 11 members
Singapore1.407
Myanmar-2.721Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Western Africa
-0.218
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Gambia1.859
Guinea-2.493Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Southern Asia
-0.234
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Bhutan0.987
Afghanistan-2.297Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Eastern Africa
-0.613
the middle country, of 19 measured · 19 members
Seychelles2.319South Sudan-3.392Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Central America
-0.728
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
Panama1.587
Nicaragua-2.786Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Eastern Asia
-0.835
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
South Korea1.132
North Korea-2.618Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Middle Africa
-0.922
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
São Tomé and Príncipe1.256
Central African Republic-2.098Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Northern Africa
-0.927
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Tunisia0.000
Sudan-2.164Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Western Asia
-1.021
the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members
Cyprus0.776Azerbaijan-3.033Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Central Asia
-1.400
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Kyrgyzstan-1.283
Turkmenistan-2.521Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia2.393
New Zealand0.980Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Melanesia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Vanuatu2.307Fiji-0.158Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
Canada1.554
United States-0.664Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
03The whole field at once
The spread
176 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above -0.114; a quarter are above 0.993, and a quarter below -1.238. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 176 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. ⚠ Higher is better, though the name reads the other way: the top of the table is where governments rarely or never spread false information at home. It covers the government's own campaigns aimed at its own people — not those of parties or foreign governments, and not campaigns aimed abroad.
Showing 25 of 176 countries
Values for 2025. The change column compares 2025 with 2024 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
052000–2025 · 26 reference years
Over time
Each point is one year from 2000, when V-Dem's questions on digital society begin, all of them re-estimated together in the v16 release. The scale has no fixed ends, so read the movement and the gap to other countries rather than the number on its own.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 175 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 176 | -0.114 | -1.238 – 0.993 | -0.107 |
| 2024 | 176 | -0.079 | -1.210 – 1.020 | -0.064 |
| 2023 | 176 | -0.101 | -1.206 – 1.048 | -0.095 |
| 2022 | 176 | -0.211 | -1.223 – 1.178 | -0.204 |
| 2021 | 176 | -0.245 | -1.268 – 1.222 | -0.243 |
| 2020 | 176 | -0.150 | -1.095 – 1.200 | -0.133 |
| 2019 | 176 | -0.058 | -1.107 – 1.138 | 0.001 |
| 2018 | 176 | 0.011 | -0.995 – 1.092 | 0.014 |
| 2017 | 176 | 0.005 | -0.966 – 1.092 | 0.008 |
| 2016 | 176 | -0.003 | -0.951 – 1.107 | 0.001 |
| 2015 | 176 | 0.055 | -0.960 – 1.127 | 0.079 |
| 2014 | 176 | 0.095 | -0.899 – 1.157 | 0.101 |
| 2013 | 176 | 0.209 | -0.872 – 1.225 | 0.221 |
| 2012 | 176 | 0.233 | -0.822 – 1.303 | 0.238 |
| 2011 | 176 | 0.347 | -0.738 – 1.340 | 0.348 |
| 2010 | 175 | 0.348 | -0.687 – 1.392 | 0.348 |
| 2009 | 175 | 0.495 | -0.606 – 1.394 | 0.495 |
| 2008 | 175 | 0.557 | -0.522 – 1.408 | 0.557 |
| 2007 | 175 | 0.557 | -0.522 – 1.414 | 0.557 |
| 2006 | 175 | 0.557 | -0.487 – 1.420 | 0.557 |
| 2005 | 175 | 0.587 | -0.509 – 1.425 | 0.587 |
| 2004 | 175 | 0.587 | -0.481 – 1.425 | 0.587 |
| 2003 | 175 | 0.557 | -0.398 – 1.434 | 0.557 |
| 2002 | 175 | 0.587 | -0.398 – 1.434 | 0.587 |
| 2001 | 175 | 0.587 | -0.438 – 1.425 | 0.587 |
| 2000 | 175 | 0.463 | -0.410 – 1.420 | 0.463 |
062024 → 2025
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after
Syria-2.456 → -0.764 · 165th → 117th+1.692
Mauritius-1.105 → 0.554 · 130th → 64th+1.659
Bangladesh-1.401 → -0.234 · 139th → 95th+1.167
Brazil0.925 → 1.882 · 53rd → 20th+0.957- South Korea0.235 → 1.132 · 73rd → 38th+0.897
Declined most
before → after- United States1.173 → -0.664 · 38th → 112th−1.837
Lithuania2.630 → 0.947 · 4th → 53rd−1.683- New Zealand2.555 → 0.980 · 6th → 48th−1.575
- Guinea-0.985 → -2.493 · 121st → 165th−1.508
Czechia2.790 → 1.873 · 2nd → 21st−0.917
176 countries were measured in both 2024 and 2025.
07Across every edition
Government disinformation in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
3.206
Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.2); higher = less disinformation
Lowest reading on record
-3.640
Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.2); higher = less disinformation
Biggest improvement between editions
+4.668
-3.023 → 1.645
Biggest decline between editions
−3.528
1.844 → -1.684
Most improved since first measured
+3.136
-1.277 → 1.859
At the top most often
14 of 26
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About government disinformation
V-Dem's measure of government disinformation asks how often a government and its agents use social media to spread misleading views or false information to their own population, from never to on every key political issue. It is an expert-coded estimate on an open-ended scale centred near zero, and a higher figure means less disinformation.
What the number is: Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.2); higher = less disinformation.
What it does not measure
It covers the government's own social-media campaigns aimed at its own population, not disinformation spread by parties, foreign governments or anyone else, and not campaigns aimed abroad.
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Democracy & Civil Liberties and Digital & Technology, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Democracy & Civil LibertiesDigital & TechnologyWhich statistics vote, and why
Moves with
Where government disinformation is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Liberal Democracy IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ 0.83
- Deliberative Democracy IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ 0.82
- Voice and AccountabilityWorld Bank Group · 175 countries in commonρ 0.81
Moves against
Where government disinformation is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Neopatrimonial Rule IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ −0.83
- Political Corruption IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ −0.72
- Refugees by Country of OriginUNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency · 173 countries in commonρ −0.64
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 309 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
More from V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
11Questions
Government disinformation: questions and answers
Which country has the highest government disinformation?
Latvia, at 2.930, among the 176 countries compared in 2025.
Which country has the lowest government disinformation?
South Sudan, at -3.392, among the 176 countries compared in 2025.
How many countries does the Government Dissemination of False Information (Domestic) cover?
176 in 2025. The number measured varies from 175 to 176 between editions.
What is the world average government disinformation?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 176 compared in 2025, the figure was -0.114.
Is this V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg’s own ranking?
No. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Government Dissemination of False Information (Domestic) published?
This site holds 26 reference years, 2000–2025, all recalculated in V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg’s 2026 report on one method — not 26 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, under CC BY-SA 4.0. From the V-Dem Institute's Country-Year Full+Others dataset (v16), University of Gothenburg — this indicator is a Digital Society Project question not in the smaller Core file — published under CC BY-SA 4.0. The series starts in 2000, when V-Dem's questions on digital society begin. Stored as the measurement model's original estimate, not V-Dem's 0–4 rescaling. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Government Dissemination of False Information (Domestic) — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
From the V-Dem Institute's Country-Year Full+Others dataset (v16), University of Gothenburg — this indicator is a Digital Society Project question not in the smaller Core file — published under CC BY-SA 4.0. The series starts in 2000, when V-Dem's questions on digital society begin. Stored as the measurement model's original estimate, not V-Dem's 0–4 rescaling.
Newest edition
Report year 2025Data year 2025
Cite the source as: Coppedge, M. et al. V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v16. Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project, University of Gothenburg.
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0, checked 2026-09-29.
How this page reads the numbers
- V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Latvia — Marcin Szala, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Denmark — User:Aconcagua, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Norway — Ximonic , Simo Räsänen, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Government disinformation by country: Government Dissemination of False Information (Domestic), data from V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/government-disinformation