China Has the World's Lowest Level of Internet Freedom

A Freedom House report reveals that internet freedom in China is the worst in the world. The country's internet freedom index score was only 10 out of 100 in 2021.

China is considered the worst place for internet freedom because the government readily imposes harsh prison sentences for dissenting opinions expressed on social media.

China also boasts one of the world's most sophisticated internet surveillance systems. In 2003, the Chinese government launched the Great Firewall of China, a closed network that blocks access to foreign websites and filters keywords such as "human rights" from search engines.

The following are the 10 countries with the worst internet freedom in the world:

1. China – 10 points
2. Iran – 16 points
3. Myanmar – 17 points
4. Cuba – 21 points
5. Vietnam – 22 points
6. Saudi Arabia – 24 points
7. Pakistan – 25 points
8. Egypt – 26 points
9. Ethiopia – 27 points
10. United Arab Emirates – 27 points

Freedom House calculated the internet freedom index from 70 countries worldwide. Iceland ranked highest globally with a score of 96.