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List of Countries with Freedom of Information

FOI laws in the worldFreedom of Information - also known as the public's right to know or administrative transparency - gives citizens access to official information hold by government and other public authorities. In 1766 a Freedom of Information Law (Tryckfrihetsförordningen) was introduced in Sweden-Finland, thanks to a Finn named Anders Chydenius, who fought for democracy, equality, and respect for the human rights.

Since then more than 80 countries (2004, 2005, 2008, 2010) adopted such laws. Many countries guarantee FOI in constitutions. The global trends are that FOI is recognized as human right.

Here is a list of countries with access to information laws in effect and eventual constitutional right in addition:

1766 Sweden, constitutional right
1888 Columbia, constitutional right
1919 constitutional right only in Finland (Finnish Constitution 94/1919, 17 July 1919)
1951 Finland, constitutional right
1967 United States of America
1970 Denmark
1970 Norway, constitutional right
1978 France

1980 The Netherlands, constitutional right
1982 Australia
1983 New Zealand
1983 Canada, constitutional right
1986 Greece
1987 Austria

1990 Italy
1992 Hungary, constitutional right
1992 Spain, constitutional right
1992 Ukraine
1993 Portugal, constitutional right
1994 Belgium, constitutional right
1994 Belize

1997 Iceland
1997 Thailand, constitutional right
1997 Uzbekistan

1998 Hong Kong ?
1998 Ireland
1998 Latvia
1998 South Korea

1999 Albania, constitutional right
1999 Aruba
1999 Dutch Antilles
1999 Israel

2000 Georgia
2000 Georgia
2000 Liechtenstein
2000 Bulgaria, constitutional right
2000 Czech Republic, constitutional right
2000 Lithuania, constitutional right
2000 Moldova

2001 Estonia, constitutional right
2001 Slovakia, constitutional right
2001 South Africa, constitutional right
2001 Japan
2001 Estonia, constitutional right
2001 Rumania, constitutional right
2001 Trinidad & Tobago

2002 Bosnia & Herzegovina
2002 Angola
2002 Pakistan
2002 Panama
2002 Poland, constitutional right
2002 Jamaika
2002 Tadzjikistan, constitutional right
2002 Zimbabwe

2003 Armenia
2003 Croatia, constitutional right (for journalists)
2003 Kosovo
2003 Mexico
2003 Peru, constitutional right
2003 Slovenia, constitutional right

2004 Antigua/Barbuda
2004 Dominican Repub
2004 Ecuador
2004 Jamaica
2004 Serbia
2004 Turkey

2005 Azerbaijan
2005 India
2005 Montenegro
2005 Taiwan
2005 United Kingdom
2006 Germany in federation and 10 of 16 local states (lander)
2006 Honduras
2006 Switzerland
2006 Macedonia, constitutional right
2006 Uganda, Constituon Art. 41
2007 Cayman Islands, constitutional right
2007 Jordan 
2007 Kyrgyzstan
2007 Nepal, constitutional right Art. 16
2007 Nicaragua

2008 China
2009 Bangladesh
2009 Chile
2009 Cook Islinds
2009 Guatemala
2009 Uruguay

2010    Ethiopia
2009    Guinea [Conakry]
2010    Indonesia
2010 Liberia
2010    Russia, (Constitution Art. 29)

2011 El Salvador
2011 Niger
2011 Nigeria
2011 Tunisia
2011 Brasil, constitutional Right

Here is a list of countries with access to information in constitution only. In some of these countries citizens have practically no access to public documents. Some others offer access as countries with laws:

1975 Papua New Guinea (Article 51)

1987 Philippines (Art. III, Sec. 7)
1990
Mozambique (Art.74)
1991
Mongolia (Art. 16 (17))
1992 Cape Verde (Art. 256)
1992 Madagascar
1992
Tajikistan (Art. 25)
1992
Turkmenistan (Art.26)
1992 Ghana Article 21(1)(f)
1992 Paraguay, (Art. 28)

1993 Peru (Art. 200(3)) 
1994 Argentina
1994
Belarus (Art. 34)
1994
Argentina (Art. 43)
1994
Malawi (Art. 37)
1994 Panama (Art. 42,43,44)
1995 Kazakhstan (Art. 18(3)9

1997 Fiji (Art. 147)
1998 Tanzania (Art. 18(2))
1999 Venezuela (Art. 28)
2003 
Afghanistan, (Article 50)

2010 Kenya (Art. 35) 
2011 Maroco (Art. 27)

In addition 24 Commonwealth's member states support the Right to information as part of speech and expression.

Warning: I do not accept any liability that the information on these pages is correct, accurate or up to date!

Please feel free to link this site!

Thanks to Roger Vleugels "Overview of FOIA Countries Worldwide – February 1 2006", Overview of all 86 FOIA Countries, September 22 2008 (update 2009: 90 States, update 2010) and others who provided this information. Please do not hesitate to mail me if you have additional information. http://right2info.org/ publishes both laws and constitionional provisions.

 

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