Freedom of expression

What this indicator measures

The V-Dem index combines expert assessments of discussion freedom, academic and cultural expression, media censorship, self-censorship, bias, harassment of journalists and access to critical perspectives. A higher original value indicates more freedom.

How Humain Alert transforms it

The observatory uses pressure = (1 − V-Dem index) × 100. An original value of 0.80 therefore becomes a pressure signal of 20. This inversion aligns the visual direction with the other indicators: higher always means more pressure.

What it cannot prove

The index is expert-coded and contains uncertainty. It does not measure every individual experience, prove intent, or justify a judgment about a population or culture. Country comparisons should be read with political and historical context.

Understand the reversed scale

Worked example — invented values. For an invented underlying index value of 0.80, Humain Alert shows (1 − 0.80) × 100 = 20 pressure points. If a comparable later observation is 0.70, the displayed pressure is 30. The increase is 10 display points, not a claim that 10% more people have lost a right.

The source is an expert-coded index. Reversing and scaling it does not remove the uncertainty attached to its construction. Before describing a trend, inspect the original series, dataset version and uncertainty information. A threshold label on this website is a communication choice, not a legal finding about a country.

Humain Alert explanation · 13 September 2026. Source definitions are linked below; the example is not a new observation.

Source details

Country examples

Further analysis

Our V-Dem reading guide explains expert coding, uncertainty and why an inverted pressure score must not be mistaken for a direct count of censorship incidents. How to read the V-Dem signal →