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Europe and Central Asia

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In crisis
0-19
Highly restricted
20-39
Restricted
40-59
Less restricted
60-79
Open
80-100
Countries per expression category
8
2
3
14
22
People per expression category
301m
66m
16m
95m
440m

Freedom of expression in Europe and Central Asia continues to polarise.

• While nearly half of the regional population lives in ‘Open’ countries, more than a third now lives in countries ranked as ‘In Crisis’.

• All countries in the global Top 10 are in Europe and Central Asia, but numerous countries in the region are experiencing severe downturns.  

• Over the last decade, 26 countries in the region experienced declines in freedom of expression, but only 3 of these were significant (score drops of at least 20 points): Georgia (27 points), Kyrgyzstan (23), and Belarus (21). Just 3 countries advanced over the same period – but none of these were significant.

• In the last year, 6 countries experienced declines, 3 of which were significant (score drops of 5 points or more). The biggest declines took place in Georgia (16 points), Moldova (11), and Slovakia (7). Just 1 country in the region advanced during the same period: Poland’s score increased by 19 points, shifting it into the ‘Open’ category.
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More than half (26) of the countries in Europe and Central Asia have suffered a deterioration in freedom of expression over the last decade, affecting 661 million people, while only 41 million people live in countries that have improved.

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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.
Middle East and North Africa
A map of the Middle East and North Africa 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.
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.