Africans broadly express support for their right to join any organisation and for the media’s  freedom from censorship and its responsibility to report on government mistakes, the latest Afrobarometer Pan-Africa Profile shows. 

Yet their experience of these freedoms is highly uneven and, in many contexts, eroding,  increasingly constrained by the very governments that are formally committed to protecting  them. The new report, based on 50,961 interviews across 38 African countries in 2024/2025, shows that while many citizens say they can associate freely and vote without pressure, only  13 of the countries have majorities who feel “completely” free to say what they think.  

Perceived freedom of speech has declined over the past decade, and only a slim majority  of Africans consider their media free. Read more