Global Expression Report

The Global Expression Report (GxR) by Article 19 is an annual, data-based report that looks at freedom of expression and press freedom around the world. The 2021 report covers data from 161

countries. The Global Expression Report (GxR) is based on the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) dataset by the Varieties of Democracy Institute, an independent research institute headquartered

at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. GxR is carried out by international NGO Article19. According to Article 19, GxR reflects a broad and holistic concept of freedom of expression and

press freedom, assessing not only the rights of journalists and civil society but looking how free every person actually is to post online, to march, to research, or to access information.

Article 19 selects 25 indicators from the V-Dem dataset that match this broad and holistic view of freedom of expression. These indicators are combined into an overall score for every

country on a scale from 1 to 100:  Based on the score, countries are placed into one of five categories:  * Category 1 0-19 In Crisis  * Category 2 20-39 Highly Restricted  * Category 3

40-59 Restricted  * Category 4 60-79 Less Restricted  * Category 5 80-100 Open   Article 19 is a human rights organization that works to defend and promote freedom of expression and freedom

of information worldwide. It was founded in 1987 by a group of U.S. American philanthropists and human rights activists. Its headquarters are in London, UK. Article 19 receives funding from

government agencies like the Swedish International Development Agenda, the UK Foreign, Development and Commonwealth Office and from international foundations.   The V-Dem dataset is drawn

from official documents and expert interviews. For every country V-Dem asks five experts to provide a rating. The Global Expression Report also contains longitudinal data which help to

identify advances and declines in freedom of expression and press freedom in each country and region.