See how academic freedom is changing around the world

Some countries have seen a stark decline in academic freedom over the past decade

By Jen Christiansen edited by Jen Christiansen & Clara Moskowitz

Detail of a chart with dots and error range bars. A U.S. label is associated with a pair of dots that show a drop in value. — Jen Christiansen

This article is part of “The Young American Scientists,” which includes stories of 28 extraordinary scientists poised to change the world, as well as a deep look at the past, present and future of science and innovation in the U.S.

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The ability to research and teach without interference from politics, wealthy donors or religious institutions produces more and better science and innovation, studies have found. Yet academic freedom around the world has been declining. According to the Academic Freedom Index, 50 of 179 countries or territories experienced a significant drop between 2015 and 2025. Only nine improved. The analysis is a collaboration between the Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany and the V-Dem Project in Sweden, with input from more than 2,300 experts providing information from both inside and outside each country.

The report, published this year, found that the autonomy of a region’s academic institutions—one of the five variables that influence the overall index score—has a particularly strong impact on the freedom of individual researchers there.

“When institutional autonomy is undermined, higher education institutions and individual scholars become more exposed to external pressures, ranging from economic constraints to political and ideological restrictions,” the authors write. Institutional autonomy in the U.S., for instance, fell from a score of 3.3 in 2019 to 1.7 in 2025. “The decline in institutional autonomy in the United States stands out as a case of fast and steep deterioration,” the report notes. Many countries with previously high scores—including Hungary, India and Türkiye—have been declining as “political attacks, legal reforms, and administrative interventions have gradually undermined the autonomy of higher education institutions.”

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First in a series of three panels: Charts include a 2025 dot and error range bar representing the Academic Freedom Index value for each of 179 regions. Czechia has the highest value (more freedom). Nicaragua has the lowest (less freedom). Regions with a statistically different score between 2015 and 2025 also have a dot for the 2015 value. 50 dropped during that decade. Only 9 improved.

Second in a series of three panels showing Academic Freedom Index values for each of 179 regions.

Final in a series of three panels showing Academic Freedom Index values for each of 179 regions. — Jen Christiansen; Source: Academic Freedom Index–2026 Update, by Katrin Kinzelbach et al., Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) and V-Dem Institute. doi: 10.25593/open-fau-2865 (*data*)

FEELING THE PRESSURE

Sometimes the priorities of an institution unduly influence the researchers’ work. Who is most at risk? An unrelated survey conducted by Nature Research Intelligence, with more than 6,000 respondents (all authors of scientific papers published in high-impact journals), indicates that early-career researchers feel most at the mercy of their institution’s inclinations. Scientists with a robust publishing record, in contrast, are more resilient to institutional pressure.

Chart includes response rates for this question “To what extent, if at all, is your research direction influenced by your institution?” Responses were grouped into categories based on number of published papers authored by the respondent (as a proxy for experience level). Authors with 51+ publications were most likely to respond “Not at all (I have complete autonomy over my research).” Authors with 1-10 publications were most likely to respond “Moderately (My research is influenced by my institution’s priorities.” — Jen Christiansen; Source: NRI Nature Index Research Leaders Survey (*data*)

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