GLOBALLY, freedom of expression is enshrined in international agreements, like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression.” Yet, in practice, the situation is more complex.
In some countries, citizens enjoy broad freedoms to express themselves openly and without fear. In others, this right is curtailed, often harshly.
In the last year, 451 million people across 10 countries experienced a deterioration of their freedom of expression; only 335 million people across 5 countries saw improvement.
The largest decline over the last year took place in Burkina Faso (-24 points), followed by Mongolia (-10 points) and Senegal (-9 points).
According to the Global Expression Report 2024, freedom of expression in Sub-Saharan Africa remains stagnant. Every other region has seen a significant drop in expression over the last 10 years, but there has been no substantial change in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In the last year, 216 million people across 4 countries experienced a deterioration of their freedom of expression; no countries saw improvement. The largest decline in the region took place in Burkina Faso (-24 points).
This was also the largest decline globally.
In the last 5 years, 329 million people across 14 countries experienced a deterioration of their freedom of expression, while only 119 million people across 4 countries saw improvement.
Below are the top 10 African countries with the lowest freedom of expression in 2024:
Country Global Ranking
1 Eritrea 160th
2 Equatorial Guinea 147th
3 South Sudan 145th
4 Egypt 142nd
5 Eswatini 141st
6 Sudan 134th
7 Burundi 133th
8 Rwanda 130th
9 Algeria 129th
10 Republic of the Congo 127th
