India ranked 24th out of 33 countries in free speech index

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A new global survey by The Future of Free Speech, an independent U.S.-based think tank, has ranked India 25th out of the 33 countries surveyed on the question of support for free speech. Its report, titled ‘Who in the World Supports Free Speech?’ states that “while abstract support for free speech remains strong, commitment to protecting controversial speech is eroding in many parts of the world.”

The survey, conducted in October 2024, also revealed that “more countries have seen declines rather than improvements in free speech support since 2021, with some of the biggest drops occurring in democratic nations like the United States, Israel, and Japan.”

Scandinavia dominated the top rankings, with Norway and Denmark finishing at the apex of the Future of the Free Speech Index with scores of 87.9 and 87.0. Indonesia (56.8), Malaysia (55.4), and Pakistan (57.0) showed the biggest improvements, though they remained at the lower end of the ranking. India, with a score of 62.6, was placed 24th, between South Africa (66.9) and Lebanon (61.8). At the same time, some authoritarian-leaning nations — such as Hungary (85.5) and Venezuela (81.8) —scored high, “suggesting a disconnect between government restrictions and public attitudes.”

As regards its findings concerning India, the survey found that while a majority of Indians consider it very important to speak freely without government censorship, support for criticism of government policies was below the global average. For instance, 37% of Indian respondents supported the statement that “governments should be able to prevent people” from criticising government policies – the highest percentage among all the countries surveyed. In contrast, 5% of the respondents supported this statement in the UK, while only 3% endorsed this sentiment in Denmark.

In general, nations that are more supportive of free speech tend to enjoy more freedom of expression in practice and vice versa. But India was an exception to this pattern. “The most substantial disconnects from the general pattern are represented by India, Hungary, and Venezuela where the actual protection of free speech is very low compared to the popular support. These are all cases of democratic backsliding in countries that previously demonstrated high levels of respect for political liberties, including freedom of expression,” the report stated.

When asked whether their ability to speak freely about political matters has improved or worsened over the past year, “Indians and South Africans believe that they have undergone the most significant progress, although observers and rankings tend to agree that the situation in India has become worse, if anything,” the report noted.

Nothing that “free speech is more than a legal right, it depends on a culture of open debate and tolerance for dissent,” Jacob Mchangama, Executive Director of The Future of Free Speech observed, “our findings show that while many nations still claim to champion free expression, in practice, the willingness to defend controversial speech is slipping. Without public commitment to free speech, even the strongest legal protections may become mere paper guarantees.”