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Asia and the Pacific

In crisis
0-19
Highly restricted
20-39
Restricted
40-59
Less restricted
60-79
Open
80-100
Countries per expression category
9
5
6
5
4
People per expression category
1,899m
1,681m
457m
The Human Score for Asia and the Pacific has dropped 18 points in the last decade and is now just half of its Regional Expression Score – a bigger divide than in any other region.

This gap is evidence of the dire situation in the region; countries with huge populations, like India and China, are facing declines for freedom of expression that affect the human rights of billions of people.
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4 billion people in Asia and the Pacific are living with less freedom of expression than they had a decade ago. 

More than half the countries in this region have seen a decline in score over the last decade (52%), ranging from declines of 54 points in Hong Kong (China) to 3 points in Australia. This large range shows us the unusually broad range of experiences in this region.

The region’s combined 62-point gain over the last decade has largely taken place in less-populated countries, meaning that the human impact of those advances doesn’t compare to the massive losses that have taken place in countries as populous as China and India. Even these small advances stagnated in the last year: There were no advances in the region between 2021 and 2022.
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Regions

An overview of the regional data, including scores, rankings, advances and declines – plus data download.
Data for 2023
Sub-Saharan Africa
A map of Sub-Saharan Africa with different colour indicating freedom of expression scores.
Americas
A map of the Americas with different colour indicating freedom of expression scores.
Asia and the Pacific
A map of the Asia and the Pacific with different colour indicating freedom of expression scores.
Europe and Central Asia
A map of Europe and Central Asia with different colour indicating freedom of expression scores.
Middle East and North Africa
A map of the Middle East and North Africa with different colour indicating freedom of expression scores.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Americas
A map of the Americas with different colour indicating freedom of expression scores.
Asia and the Pacific
A map of the Asia and the Pacific with different colour indicating freedom of expression scores.
Europe and Central Asia
A map of Europe and Central Asia with different colour indicating freedom of expression scores.
Middle East and North Africa
A map of the Middle East and North Africa with different colour indicating freedom of expression scores.

Regions (2023)

An overview of the regional data, including scores, rankings, advances and declines – plus data download.
Data for 2024
Sub-Saharan Africa
A map of Sub-Saharan Africa with different colour indicating freedom of expression scores.
Americas
A map of the Americas with different colour indicating freedom of expression scores.
Asia and the Pacific
A map of the Asia and the Pacific with different colour indicating freedom of expression scores.
Europe and Central Asia
A map of Europe and Central Asia with different colour indicating freedom of expression scores.
Middle East and North Africa
A map of the Middle East and North Africa with different colour indicating freedom of expression scores.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Americas
A map of the Americas with different colour indicating freedom of expression scores.
Asia and the Pacific
A map of the Asia and the Pacific with different colour indicating freedom of expression scores.
Europe and Central Asia
A map of Europe and Central Asia with different colour indicating freedom of expression scores.
Middle East and North Africa
A map of the Middle East and North Africa with different colour indicating freedom of expression scores.