Academic Freedom Index - 2026 Update

Over the last decade, academic freedom has declined in 50 countries, and only 9 countries have registered improvements (Figure 1). 1 While all dimensions of academic freedom are now declining in more countries than those in which they are improving, the most widespread declines are occurring in individual-level dimensions and campus integrity.By contrast, fewer countries are experiencing declines in institutional autonomy.This year's report nevertheless focuses on institutional autonomy, which is widely recognized as fundamental to protecting individual-level dimensions of academic freedom.Our data confirm that higher levels of institutional autonomy are associated with stronger protection for the freedom of individual academics.In addition, our data show that declines in institutional autonomy are widespread among (former) democracies, and the decline in institutional autonomy in the United States stands out as a case of fast and steep deterioration that warrants comparative analysis.