Internet Freedom Around the World in 2026

The 2026 Cloudwards Internet Freedom Index has revealed significant disparities in how citizens across the globe access the web, evaluating nations based on VPN availability, torrenting, political expression, and content restrictions.

While eleven countries across four continents—including Norway, Belgium, and New Zealand—tied for the highest score of 92, the United States found itself in the middle of the pack with a score of 64, ranking alongside Japan and Australia.

The report highlights surprising leaders like Suriname and Timor-Leste, which maintain highly open networks despite being developing nations.

Conversely, North Korea remains the least free with a score of zero, followed by China, Russia, and Iran, which all tied at a score of 4.

These rankings underscore that internet freedom is often shaped more by specific national legislation and censorship tools than by a country’s overall economic status or political alignment.