Media Freedom

The scores are by V-Dem and based on expert estimates of the extent to which media outlets operate free from government censorship. 

Scale: Higher scores indicate more freedom. 

Direction of Change

UPLIFTING INITIAL PROGRESS, FOLLOWED BY A PROTRACTED DECLINE IN MEDIA FREEDOMS

The data indicate that media freedoms in Bosnia and Herzegovina strengthened sharply from the mid-1990s through the early 2000s. From a very low starting point in 1995, the index rises quickly, reaching its strongest and most stable phase between the early and mid-2000s. This period marks the high point of media protection from government censorship. After 2010, however, the trend shifts: values gradually weaken between 2011 and 2015, signalling a five-year dynamic that has repositioned the government's approach to media through increased censorship. Although there are brief rebounds from 2016, the overall direction is downward, and by 2024, media freedoms sit noticeably below their mid-2000s peak. The long-term pattern reflects early gains followed by steady erosion rather than sustained consolidation.

Global Rank

Compared with all geographic entities listed in the Index

Note: Population-weighted averages for Europe and the world.

Regional Rank

Compared with six former Yugoslav countries and Albania

Note: In 1995, Montenegro, Serbia, and Kosovo were part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

1995 (highest → lowest): Slovenia, North Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia.

2024 (highest → lowest): Montenegro, North Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Slovenia, Albania, Serbia.

Conclusion

Media freedoms in Bosnia and Herzegovina improved rapidly after 1995. Still, they never managed to contain government interference, with early gains giving way to steady erosion that leaves 2024 levels well below the mid-2000s peak.

Source: V-Dem (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.