Mapped: Internet Freedom Around the World in 2026

Mapped: Internet Freedom Around the World in 2026

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How free is the internet where you live?

This map ranks 171 countries based on how freely people can access the internet. The results reveal stark global differences, from highly open systems in parts of Europe and Latin America to tightly controlled networks in countries like North Korea and China.

The data comes from a 2026 internet freedom index by Cloudwards, which evaluates national policies across four areas: torrenting, VPN availability, adult content, and political and civic expression.

Where Does the U.S. Rank?

The United States scores 64 out of 100, placing it in the global middle. It ranks alongside countries like Japan and Australia, and below top performers such as Norway (92) and Canada (84).

The UK scores even lower at 52, reflecting stricter regulations in areas like online content access.

The Freest Internet Access Worldwide

No country achieves a perfect score, but 11 countries across four continents share the top spot at 92.

These countries are Belgium, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Slovakia, Suriname, and Timor-Leste.

The data table below lists countries worldwide alongside their internet freedom scores.

Country	Internet Freedom Score
Belgium	92
Costa Rica	92
Denmark	92
Finland	92
Iceland	92
Liechtenstein	92
New Zealand	92
Norway	92
Slovakia	92
Suriname	92
Timor-Leste	92
Andorra	84
Austria	84
Belize	84
Canada	84
Cape Verde	84
Chile	84
Côte d’Ivoire	84
Croatia	84
Dominican Republic	84
Greece	84
Guyana	84
Haiti	84
Jamaica	84
Kosovo	84
Lithuania	84
Luxembourg	84
Malta	84
Moldova	84
Montenegro	84
North Macedonia	84
Panama	84
Poland	84
Seychelles	84
Slovenia	84
Switzerland	84
Trinidad & Tobago	84
Uruguay	84
Ireland	80
Latvia	80
Portugal	80
Sweden	80
Argentina	76
Benin	76
Bolivia	76
Bosnia & Herzegovina	76
Cyprus	76
Fiji	76
Gambia	76
Hungary	76
Liberia	76
Madagascar	76
Mongolia	76
Namibia	76
Niger	76
Peru	76
Bulgaria	72
Estonia	72
Ghana	72
Guatemala	72
Italy	72
Mexico	72
Netherlands	72
Paraguay	72
Spain	72
Taiwan	72
Angola	68
Democratic Republic of Congo	68
Gabon	68
Malawi	68
Mali	68
Mauritius	68
Mozambique	68
Papua New Guinea	68
Republic of the Congo	68
Senegal	68
Albania	64
Australia	64
Botswana	64
Central African Republic	64
Ecuador	64
France	64
Georgia	64
Germany	64
Guinea-Bissau	64
Honduras	64
Hong Kong SAR China	64
Japan	64
Lesotho	64
Maldives	64
Morocco	64
Nicaragua	64
Nigeria	64
Romania	64
Serbia	64
South Africa	64
United States	64
Mauritania	60
Armenia	56
Burundi	56
Cameroon	56
Chad	56
Eswatini	56
Guinea	56
Lebanon	56
Palestine	56
Philippines	56
Rwanda	56
Tajikistan	56
Tunisia	56
Bhutan	52
Brazil	52
Colombia	52
Kenya	52
Kyrgyzstan	52
United Kingdom	52
Zambia	52
Algeria	48
Burkina Faso	48
Djibouti	48
Nepal	48
Sri Lanka	48
Tongo	48
Zimbabwe	48
Cambodia	44
El Salvador	44
Israel	44
Somalia	44
Ukraine	44
Azerbaijan	36
Cuba	36
Equatorial Guinea	36
Ethiopia	36
Jordan	36
Kazakhstan	36
Kuwait	36
Laos	36
Thailand	36
Venezuela	36
Bahrain	32
Malaysia	32
Singapore	32
South Korea	32
Libya	28
Tanzania	28
Afghanistan	24
Brunei	24
Indonesia	24
Qatar	24
Uganda	24
Uzbekistan	24
Vietnam	24
Bangladesh	20
Belarus	20
Oman	20
Iraq	16
Myanmar (Burma)	16
Turkmenistan	16
Egypt	12
India	12
Saudi Arabia	12
Sudan	12
Syria	12
Türkiye	12
United Arab Emirates	12
Yemen	12
China	4
Iran	4
Pakistan	4
Russia	4
North Korea	0

European countries make up over half of this top echelon and are especially concentrated in the Nordics, where Sweden (80) is the only exception. The Nordic countries are widely known for their liberal, tolerant governments and societies.

Perhaps more surprising is the high placement of countries like Suriname and Timor-Leste, developing nations in South America and Asia that have nonetheless imposed minimal restrictions on social media use and online access.

The Bottom of the Scoreboard

On the other side of the spectrum is North Korea (0), where very few citizens have access to the global internet. Instead, most rely on the national intranet service, Kwangmyong, which filters out outside information.

Right behind North Korea are China and Russia, which tie with Iran and Pakistan for the next-lowest scores worldwide (4).

China’s Great Firewall is perhaps the world’s best-known censorship system, used to suppress criticism of the country’s leaders or content related to politically sensitive topics such as the Tiananmen Square protests. It also blocks access to foreign platforms like Facebook and YouTube.

Internet Access in the West

The United States (64) sits near the middle of the ranking, alongside developed democracies such as Australia, France, Germany, and Japan. The United Kingdom (52) scores slightly lower, with recent adult content legislation playing a role.

Across much of the Western world, scores remain relatively high, including in Canada (84), Ireland and Portugal (both 80), and Spain and Italy (both 72).

One notable outlier is South Korea (32), which ranks below countries like Cuba, Kazakhstan, and Venezuela (36), underscoring how content restrictions—not just political systems—shape internet freedom scores.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

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• Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-internet-freedom-around-the-world/