Mapped: Press Freedom Around the World in 2026
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Key Takeaways
- Less than 1% of the global population lives in a country rated as having “good” press freedom.
- More than half of countries and territories now fall into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories, up from 13.7% in 2002.
- The U.S. ranks 64th globally in 2026, down from 17th when the index began.
The global state of press freedom has reached a 25-year low, according to the latest World Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
The index ranks 180 countries and territories based on five indicators: political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural context, and journalist safety.
This world map shows press freedom scores around the world in 2026, revealing a widening divide between Europe, the only region with countries rated “good,” and much of the rest of the world.
Most Countries Have Constrained Press Freedom
The deterioration in press freedom has been dramatic over the past two decades. In 2002, only 13.7% of countries and territories were classified as having a “difficult” or “very serious” situation. By 2026, that figure had nearly quadrupled to 52.2%, meaning most countries now face substantial obstacles to independent journalism.
This deterioration mirrors broader declines in global freedom, as governments increasingly restrict access to information, criminalize journalism, and place pressure on independent media.
Here’s the full ranking from RSF’s 2026 World Press Freedom Index:
| Rank | Country | Score | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 92.7 | Good |
| 2 | Netherlands | 88.9 | Good |
| 3 | Estonia | 88.5 | Good |
| 4 | Denmark | 88.5 | Good |
| 5 | Sweden | 87.6 | Good |
| 6 | Finland | 86.2 | Good |
| 7 | Ireland | 85.9 | Good |
| 8 | Switzerland | 84.8 | Satisfactory |
| 9 | Luxembourg | 84.1 | Satisfactory |
| 10 | Portugal | 83.7 | Satisfactory |
| 11 | Czechia | 83.0 | Satisfactory |
| 12 | Iceland | 82.8 | Satisfactory |
| 13 | Liechtenstein | 82.6 | Satisfactory |
| 14 | Germany | 82.2 | Satisfactory |
| 15 | Lithuania | 81.3 | Satisfactory |
| 16 | Belgium | 81.2 | Satisfactory |
| 17 | Latvia | 81.0 | Satisfactory |
| 18 | United Kingdom | 79.5 | Satisfactory |
| 19 | Austria | 79.4 | Satisfactory |
| 20 | Canada | 78.8 | Satisfactory |
| 21 | South Africa | 78.0 | Satisfactory |
| 22 | New Zealand | 77.4 | Satisfactory |
| 23 | Namibia | 77.0 | Satisfactory |
| 24 | Fiji | 76.8 | Satisfactory |
| 25 | France | 76.7 | Satisfactory |
| 26 | Jamaica | 75.9 | Satisfactory |
| 27 | Poland | 75.5 | Satisfactory |
| 28 | Taiwan | 75.4 | Satisfactory |
| 29 | Spain | 75.4 | Satisfactory |
| 30 | East Timor | 75.3 | Satisfactory |
| 31 | Moldova | 74.8 | Satisfactory |
| 32 | Trinidad and Tobago | 74.7 | Satisfactory |
| 33 | Australia | 74.6 | Satisfactory |
| 34 | Suriname | 73.2 | Satisfactory |
| 35 | Seychelles | 73.0 | Satisfactory |
| 36 | Slovenia | 72.9 | Satisfactory |
| 37 | Slovakia | 72.7 | Satisfactory |
| 38 | Costa Rica | 72.4 | Satisfactory |
| 39 | Ghana | 72.2 | Satisfactory |
| 40 | Cabo Verde | 72.0 | Satisfactory |
| 41 | Montenegro | 71.8 | Satisfactory |
| 42 | Mauritius | 70.9 | Satisfactory |
| 43 | Gabon | 70.6 | Satisfactory |
| 44 | Dominican Republic | 69.7 | Problematic |
| 45 | North Macedonia | 69.5 | Problematic |
| 46 | Gambia | 69.4 | Problematic |
| 47 | South Korea | 69.1 | Problematic |
| 48 | Uruguay | 68.7 | Problematic |
| 49 | Romania | 67.7 | Problematic |
| 50 | Armenia | 67.0 | Problematic |
| 51 | Brazil | 66.4 | Problematic |
| 52 | Croatia | 66.3 | Problematic |
| 53 | Côte d’Ivoire | 66.3 | Problematic |
| 54 | Ukraine | 66.1 | Problematic |
| 55 | Italy | 65.2 | Problematic |
| 56 | OECS | 64.6 | Problematic |
| 57 | Liberia | 64.5 | Problematic |
| 58 | Samoa | 64.5 | Problematic |
| 59 | Andorra | 63.9 | Problematic |
| 60 | Mauritania | 63.4 | Problematic |
| 61 | Japan | 62.9 | Problematic |
| 62 | Botswana | 62.9 | Problematic |
| 63 | United States | 62.6 | Problematic |
| 64 | Panama | 62.1 | Problematic |
| 65 | Belize | 61.7 | Problematic |
| 66 | Malta | 61.4 | Problematic |
| 67 | Congo-Brazzaville | 61.2 | Problematic |
| 68 | Malawi | 61.0 | Problematic |
| 69 | Chile | 60.8 | Problematic |
| 70 | Bulgaria | 60.3 | Problematic |
| 71 | Comoros | 60.2 | Problematic |
| 72 | Papua New Guinea | 60.1 | Problematic |
| 73 | Hungary | 59.9 | Problematic |
| 74 | Qatar | 59.8 | Problematic |
| 75 | Guyana | 59.6 | Problematic |
| 76 | Zambia | 58.6 | Problematic |
| 77 | Senegal | 58.1 | Problematic |
| 78 | Sierra Leone | 57.1 | Problematic |
| 79 | Cyprus | 56.9 | Problematic |
| 80 | Central African Republic | 56.7 | Problematic |
| 81 | Northern Cyprus (Occupied) | 56.6 | Problematic |
| 82 | Albania | 56.5 | Problematic |
| 83 | Kosovo | 55.9 | Problematic |
| 84 | Mongolia | 55.8 | Problematic |
| 85 | Greece | 55.1 | Problematic |
| 86 | Paraguay | 54.7 | Difficult |
| 87 | Nepal | 54.8 | Difficult |
| 88 | Lesotho | 54.4 | Difficult |
| 89 | Bosnia-Herzegovina | 54.3 | Difficult |
| 90 | Bolivia | 54.3 | Difficult |
| 91 | Thailand | 54.0 | Difficult |
| 92 | Chad | 53.9 | Difficult |
| 93 | Equatorial Guinea | 52.8 | Difficult |
| 94 | Malaysia | 52.7 | Difficult |
| 95 | Brunei | 52.6 | Difficult |
| 96 | Togo | 52.6 | Difficult |
| 97 | Argentina | 52.4 | Difficult |
| 98 | Mozambique | 52.3 | Difficult |
| 99 | Guinea-Bissau | 52.0 | Difficult |
| 100 | Eswatini | 51.9 | Difficult |
| 101 | Colombia | 51.7 | Difficult |
| 102 | Kenya | 50.5 | Difficult |
| 103 | Morocco / Western Sahara | 50.6 | Difficult |
| 104 | Serbia | 50.8 | Difficult |
| 105 | Haiti | 50.3 | Difficult |
| 106 | Madagascar | 51.0 | Difficult |
| 107 | Maldives | 49.2 | Difficult |
| 108 | Angola | 48.8 | Difficult |
| 109 | Burkina Faso | 48.5 | Difficult |
| 110 | Guinea | 48.5 | Difficult |
| 111 | Nigeria | 48.1 | Difficult |
| 112 | Benin | 47.4 | Difficult |
| 113 | Philippines | 46.8 | Difficult |
| 114 | Lebanon | 46.5 | Difficult |
| 115 | Israel | 46.5 | Difficult |
| 116 | Tanzania | 46.2 | Difficult |
| 117 | South Sudan | 46.2 | Difficult |
| 118 | Burundi | 46.1 | Difficult |
| 119 | Niger | 46.0 | Difficult |
| 120 | Mali | 45.6 | Difficult |
| 121 | Mexico | 45.2 | Difficult |
| 122 | Singapore | 44.6 | Difficult |
| 123 | Ecuador | 44.4 | Difficult |
| 124 | Zimbabwe | 44.4 | Difficult |
| 125 | Somalia | 43.8 | Difficult |
| 126 | Oman | 43.7 | Difficult |
| 127 | Guatemala | 43.2 | Difficult |
| 128 | Indonesia | 43.0 | Difficult |
| 129 | DR Congo | 42.2 | Difficult |
| 130 | Uganda | 42.0 | Difficult |
| 131 | Honduras | 41.0 | Difficult |
| 132 | Cameroon | 40.9 | Difficult |
| 133 | Georgia | 40.8 | Difficult |
| 134 | Sri Lanka | 40.8 | Difficult |
| 135 | Kuwait | 40.4 | Difficult |
| 136 | Tunisia | 40.4 | Difficult |
| 137 | Libya | 40.3 | Difficult |
| 138 | Rwanda | 39.6 | Very Serious |
| 139 | Hong Kong | 39.5 | Very Serious |
| 140 | Syria | 39.4 | Very Serious |
| 141 | Jordan | 39.3 | Very Serious |
| 142 | El Salvador | 38.9 | Very Serious |
| 143 | Peru | 37.9 | Very Serious |
| 144 | Algeria | 37.4 | Very Serious |
| 145 | Kyrgyzstan | 35.1 | Very Serious |
| 146 | Uzbekistan | 35.0 | Very Serious |
| 147 | Ethiopia | 34.7 | Very Serious |
| 148 | Kazakhstan | 34.4 | Very Serious |
| 149 | Bhutan | 33.5 | Very Serious |
| 150 | Cambodia | 33.3 | Very Serious |
| 151 | Bangladesh | 33.1 | Very Serious |
| 152 | Pakistan | 32.6 | Very Serious |
| 153 | Laos | 32.5 | Very Serious |
| 154 | Tajikistan | 32.2 | Very Serious |
| 155 | Palestine | 32.1 | Very Serious |
| 156 | India | 32.0 | Very Serious |
| 157 | United Arab Emirates | 30.9 | Very Serious |
| 158 | Venezuela | 30.5 | Very Serious |
| 159 | Sudan | 29.0 | Very Serious |
| 160 | Cuba | 29.2 | Very Serious |
| 161 | Iraq | 28.9 | Very Serious |
| 162 | Yemen | 27.9 | Very Serious |
| 163 | Türkiye | 27.9 | Very Serious |
| 164 | Belarus | 27.7 | Very Serious |
| 165 | Myanmar | 26.4 | Very Serious |
| 166 | Djibouti | 25.0 | Very Serious |
| 167 | Nicaragua | 25.0 | Very Serious |
| 168 | Egypt | 24.9 | Very Serious |
| 169 | Bahrain | 24.8 | Very Serious |
| 170 | Azerbaijan | 24.0 | Very Serious |
| 171 | Russia | 23.2 | Very Serious |
| 172 | Turkmenistan | 23.1 | Very Serious |
| 173 | Vietnam | 21.2 | Very Serious |
| 174 | Afghanistan | 19.5 | Very Serious |
| 175 | Saudi Arabia | 19.1 | Very Serious |
| 176 | Iran | 17.5 | Very Serious |
| 177 | China | 13.9 | Very Serious |
| 178 | North Korea | 12.7 | Very Serious |
| 179 | Eritrea | 10.2 | Very Serious |
Europe is the only region in the world with countries scoring 85 or higher in the index, which corresponds to “good” press freedom. Norway leads the list with a score of 92.7, followed by the Netherlands (88.9), Estonia (88.5), and Denmark (88.5).
While several European countries continue to score highly, they account for only a small share of the global population. As a result, RSF estimates that less than 1% of people worldwide live in a country classified as having “good” press freedom, underscoring how rare robust press freedom has become globally.
At the bottom of the ranking, Eritrea has a score of 10.7, with North Korea (12.7) and China (13.9) rounding out the bottom three. Iran (17.5) and Saudi Arabia (19.1) are the next two countries at the bottom of the list, and Russia is ninth from the bottom with a score of 23.2.
The Legal Environment for Press Is Getting Worse
RSF says the legal indicator saw the sharpest decline in 2026, worsening in 110 of 180 countries. Notable declines were recorded in India, Egypt, Israel, and Georgia.
This reflects the growing use of national security laws, emergency legislation, lawsuits, and other legal tools to restrict reporting. In many countries, journalism is being squeezed less by outright censorship and more by legal risk.
U.S. Among Big Movers in Press Freedom in 2026
Niger saw the steepest fall in the 2026 index, dropping 37 places to 120th. RSF links this to worsening conditions in the Sahel, where armed groups and military juntas have undermined access to balanced information.
The U.S. fell seven places to 64th in 2026, extending a decline that has seen it drop 47 positions since the index began in 2002. The country now ranks below many Western European nations as well as several smaller democracies, underscoring how perceptions of media freedom have shifted over the past two decades.
Meanwhile, Syria posted the largest improvement, rising 36 spots following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship in late 2024.
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