In this article, we will take a look at the 20 most censored countries in the world. If you would like to skip our detailed analysis of the economic impact of censorship, you can directly go to the 5 Most Censored Countries in the World.
Economic Impact of Censorship
Media censorship is a problem in almost every nation around the globe; very few have managed to evade it entirely. While the subjects of censorship, as well as its intensity, can differ, most countries have come across the question of free expression at least once. Even the most advanced countries in journalism can have their fair share of issues. Extending media censorship regarding any topic at any level can warrant questions regarding the social rights of a population, but it is also pertinent to examine the economic impacts of such a policy. Top10VPN publishes a report regarding media censorship every year. According to its latest report, authorities in 25 countries collectively imposed around 196 major internet shutdowns throughout 2023. This equated to 79,238 hours of internet disruptions, which together inflicted a cost of $9.01 billion on the global economy.
The highest of these costs were borne by Russia, which had to face a loss of $4.02 billion. The second-highest loss occurred in Ethiopia ($1.59 billion), followed by Iran ($920.3 million). Almost 747 million people were affected by these outages, which the report repeatedly emphasized as being deliberate. The report further entailed that nearly 50% of these outages could be linked with additional human rights abuses, most concerned with obstructing the freedom of assembly. Another pertinent finding was regarding the duration of these shutdowns, which was 18% higher than in 2022 and 71.5% higher than in 2021. The most costly reasons for the blockage of the internet were conflict, protests, exams, military coups, information control, and election interference. Instagram was the platform with the highest number of shutdowns (17), whereas the most hours of shutdown (10,683) were faced by X, formerly known as Twitter.
Overall, 182.95 million across Europe were affected by 1,365 hours of internet shutdown in 2023, whereas the highest duration of shutdown occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa, where internet services remained suspended for 30,785 hours. The economic impact of this censorship becomes even more evident when considering examples like North America, where internet services were down for only 2 hours but caused a loss of $1.7 million. This exemplifies the intricate linkage between the economy and the internet, where even a menial bump in the latter can cause drastic damage to the former.
Costs Borne by Local Businesses
Restricting the internet during elections and periods of political unrest is not unheard of, but as technologies get stronger, governments find it harder to levy complete restrictions on the internet. Low-level social media blockages can most often be circumvented by using a VPN, so a higher cost goes into blocking internet access entirely. This is one of the many reasons this censorship can be so costly. The other end of the suffering has to be faced by businesses that rely on the internet to provide their services and customer support.
On May 11, 2023, Al Jazeera reported an instance of a local food delivery driver who started losing money due to not having access to WhatsApp, a social media app he used to track his orders. Another local logistics company, Trax, faced a 36% drop in their sales volume since 9th May 2023, the day the internet censorship started. Another report by P@SHA, an association representative of Pakistan’s IT industry, reported that the industry was losing $3-4 million daily due to the blockage. The Al Jazeera May 11 report on Pakistan also noted a 1,329% increase in VPN demand during this period, as told to them by Top10VPN. However, the economic costs of censorship are not just limited to social media and the internet; another sector of society that suffers tremendously from this issue is the press media. This can include everything from censoring journalists’ words to imprisonments and using libel laws against them.
Censorship on Journalism
The Global Investigative Journalism Network published a report in 2021 that noted that countries that experienced restrictions on press freedom faced a 1-2% drop in their GDP values. In addition, most economies did not fully recover from this drop even when the restrictions were lifted, producing long-term irreversible impacts. The report noted that even countries like Australia, which scored the highest on GIJN’s scale of press freedom, had instances of journalists’ homes being raided and restrictive national laws being implemented. This further corroborates the point that censorship can affect any country around the globe. Most people equate the idea of censorship with dictatorships, and the two have their ties, but even countries with democratic governments can establish limitations on press and internet freedom.
Industry Impact of Censorship
In addition to local businesses, even industry giants can suffer due to large-scale and widespread censorship. According to a recent report by Citizen Lab, search engines like Baidu Inc (HKG:9888) face up to 66,000 rules that control their content in China. Baidu Inc (HKG:9888) is one of the biggest local search engines in China. According to analytics by Statcounter Global Stats, Baidu Inc (HKG:9888) has a market share of 60.1% in the Chinese market, as of February 2024. According to Citizen Lab, Baidu Inc (HKG:9888) blocked search results related to Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, providing limited information access to local citizens.
When local search engines have to function within such stringent rules, international providers such as Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) struggle even more. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has had to face several difficulties within the country, with its Bing service even being temporarily blocked in 2019, as reported by the New York Times. As for LinkedIn, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) itself decided to shut down its Chinese operations in 2021, claiming that there were several regulatory obstacles and environmental difficulties within the country, as reported by the New York Times. Instances like these provide evidence that in countries with a general air of censorship, business finds it challenging to thrive, whether national or international.
Keeping this backdrop in view, we have gathered data regarding the 20 most censored countries in the world, as per the latest data, in terms of both digital and press freedom. Please note that not all of these have textbook-definition authoritarian governments. You can also take a look at the 8 Countries Ruled by Military Dictatorship in 2023.
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Our Methodology
In order to compile this list of the 20 most censored countries in the world, we consulted the 2023 Free Expression Index by Index on Censorship (IC). The index utilized machine learning techniques to map freedom across academic, digital, and press domains, covering three key areas where censorship can be levied. Data from Top10VPN was also used to provide further information regarding hours of censorship, its cost, and the causes behind the internet blockages. The Reporters Without Borders Index (RSF) was used to supply additional information regarding press censorship. Based on this methodology, here are the 20 countries with the highest levels of censorship.
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20 Most Censored Countries in the World
20. Tajikistan
IC Ranking: 155th
Independent media outlets like the Ozodagon newspaper and the Akhbor site have shut down due to immense government pressure, whereas several journalists have been forced into exile. According to RSF, only one-third of the population has access to the internet. Many Tajik media outlets have established their operations outside the country due to the repeated censorship inside the country.
19. Uzbekistan
IC Ranking: 156th
There are no privately owned television networks in Uzbekistan, whereas private radio channels refrain from airing extensive critiques because they fear being shut down. The young population is increasingly turning to social media networks to share information, which currently aren’t as censored as other news outlets.
18. Vietnam
IC Ranking: 157th
Vietnam is one of the world’s worst countries for media and digital freedom. According to RSF, it is the world’s third largest jailer of journalists, which contributes to an environment quite unfavorable towards independent journalism. The army has a particular unit called Force 47, which defends the party lines online by attacking any dissidents. According to the 2019 Cybercrime Law, social media platforms will turn user data over to the authorities whenever required.
17. Bahrain
IC Ranking: 158th
Al Wasat was the last independent media outlet in Bahrain and was shut down in 2017. The dissolution of all independent media and opposition groups has made the situation of human rights in the country quite dire, as also pointed out in a report by Human Rights Watch. Even journalists who have criticized the government from abroad have been accused of engaging in ‘cybercrimes’, as reported by RSF. Bahrain is ranked 17th on our list of the most censored countries in the world.
16. Belarus
IC Ranking: 159th
Belarus is the only European country on our list of the most censored nations around the world. The country had a controversial election in 2020, since which the state of free media has only deteriorated. Tut.by, one of the country’s most popular news websites, was raided, searched, blocked, and had its status withdrawn. It also faced a de facto ban after being labeled as ‘extremist’. The Association of Belarusian Journalists was also disbanded in 2021.
15. Myanmar
IC Ranking: 160th
Myanmar faced 10,008 hours of internet blackouts in 2023, along with 8,760 hours of social media blockages. The country faced an economic loss of $859.4 million and, because of this censorship, caused human rights abuses through election interference, restricting free press, and infringing on people’s right to peaceful assembly. Entire states were disconnected from the internet for weeks at a time. Myanmar is placed 15th among the most censored countries in the world.
14. China
IC Ranking: 161st
According to reports by the US International Trade Association, censorship in China causes significant economic losses for several US industries due to their interlinked trade endeavors. 40% of the companies surveyed mentioned that they either lost revenue in China or faced an increased cost of doing business in the country. 40% also said that they had to self-censor their own products or services in order to make them compatible with the country.
13. Cuba
IC Ranking: 162nd
Cuba faced just 2 hours of a complete internet blackout in 2023, but even that caused a loss of $1.7 million to the economy. The block took place so the government could prevent the spread of news regarding demonstrations that were taking place in the town of Caimanera. The outright blockages might have been minor, but the country has several laws suppressing free journalism, which makes Cuba one of the worst countries in Latin America for press freedom.
12. Equatorial Guinea
IC Ranking: 163rd
Equatorial Guinea has been under the leadership of the same man for the past 40 years, which contributes to it being one of the world’s most heavily censored nations. The country only has one privately owned TV channel, whose ownership belongs to the president’s son, who is also the current vice president. Against the backdrop of these circumstances, even this ‘private’ channel serves only as a mouthpiece for the government.
11. Eritrea
IC Ranking: 164th
Eritrea can be classified as a totalitarian dictatorship, the head of which has been called out for repeated human rights abuses by the Human Rights Watch. The country houses no independent forms of media, which makes it one of the most censored countries in the world. According to RSF, a group of exiled Eritrean journalists in Paris runs Radio Erena, one of the only sources of hope for the local population, but its broadcasts are often jammed. Eritrea is one of the most censored countries in the world.
10. Eswatini
IC Ranking: 165th
Eswatini is another of the most censored countries which have an authoritarian regime. All news outlets in the country are controlled by the royal family and its autocratic head, Mswati III. The King’s own daughter is the Minister of Information, which further strengthens a regime of dictatorial censorship. Journalists have been repeatedly arrested, tortured, and forced to flee the country.
09. Laos
IC Ranking: 166th
Laos is one of the most censored countries in the world, due to which RSF even referred to it as an ‘information black hole’. All newspapers, television networks, and radio channels are required to follow the guidelines set out by the governmental authorities. Foreign media was allowed only in 2016, that too, under the condition that they would also submit their content to the prior censorship of the Lao Popular Revolutionary Party.
08. Nicaragua
IC Ranking: 167th
Voice of America named 2022 as the worst year for journalism in Nicaragua because around 120 journalists fled from the country, and more than a dozen media licenses were revoked. La Prensa, one of the most established newspapers in the country, moved its entire operations abroad due to what it stated as ‘persecution’ from the official regime of Daniel Ortega.
07. North Korea
IC Ranking: 168th
North Korea is one of the world’s most authoritarian regimes, so it’s no surprise that it ranks poorly in terms of both press and digital freedom. The Korean Central News Agency is controlled by the government and is the only permitted source of news in the country. Very few foreign press agencies like Agence-France Presse are present, but they also function under extreme limitations and government scrutiny.
06. Saudi Arabia
IC Ranking: 169th
According to RSF, the number of journalist and blogger imprisonments has tripled in Saudia Arabia since 2017, with most media channels facing a high level of scrutiny as independent media is almost non-existent. The legal framework permits the imprisonment or suspension of journalists on the grounds of elements such as ‘inciting chaos’, ‘blasphemy’, or ‘jeopardizing national unity’. These are reasons why Saudi Arabia ranks sixth on our list of the world’s most censored countries.
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Disclaimer: None. 20 Most Censored Countries in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey.