Cloudwards analysts have updated the global internet freedom ranking. According to the research, among the Central Asian countries, Tajikistan received the highest score. The worst result in the region was demonstrated by Turkmenistan.
Experts evaluated the countries based on four key parameters: the availability of torrent services, the ability to visit adult content websites, freedom of expression on social media and other internet platforms, as well as the presence or absence of VPN blocks, reports Fergana.
Each country was assigned a final score on a scale from 0 to 100: the higher the score, the freer users feel on the internet.
Tajikistan emerged as the leader among Central Asian countries, scoring 56 points. The Republic is positioned roughly in the middle of the overall ranking — for comparison: the United States received 64 points.
Kyrgyzstan lagged slightly behind: the level of internet freedom here is rated at 52 points. The United Kingdom achieved the same result.
The other countries in the region ranked significantly lower. Kazakhstan received 36 points, while Uzbekistan scored 24. The same score was assigned to Afghanistan by the experts.
The lowest score among Central Asian countries is held by Turkmenistan — 16 points. The ranking authors note that countries with scores below 20 are typically characterized by significant internet censorship and restrictions on access to certain social networks and websites.
The absolute outsider of the global list is North Korea, which received 0 points.
Just above are Russia, Iran, China, and Pakistan — each of these countries scored 4 points. According to the study, there is no full access to any of the criteria here, and blocks on platforms such as X, Facebook, and YouTube are widespread.
At the same time, no country in the world received the maximum of 100 points. The leaders of the ranking are 11 countries with a score of 92. Most of them are European countries: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Slovakia. Also at the top of the list are New Zealand, Costa Rica, Suriname, and East Timor.
The authors of the research emphasize that reasonable internet regulation can be beneficial — for example, to combat hate speech, protect vulnerable groups, and counter the spread of misinformation or dangerous content. However, they argue that in a number of countries, such measures turn into excessive censorship.
In countries with strict restrictions, users are effectively deprived of freedom online, which seriously affects their rights and freedom of expression.
In some cases, citizens even risk facing penalties from the authorities — up to arrests and imprisonment — merely for publications or statements made online.
