Countries Ranked by Freedom of Press (2026)

Countries ranked by freedom of press, using the latest evaluation of the level of freedom available to journalists around the world.

Since 2002, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has published its annual World Press Freedom Index, which evaluates the level of press freedom in 180 countries and territories.

The index measures the conditions under which journalists are able to work, assessing factors such as media independence, pluralism, legislative protections, transparency, and the safety of journalists.

The index uses five categories to rank the press freedom situation in every country:

• Good
• Satisfactory
• Problematic
• Difficult
• Very serious

The index does not evaluate the quality of journalism itself. Instead, it measures the degree of freedom journalists have to investigate and report without interference, censorship, or threats to their safety.

The rankings are based on an 87-question survey distributed to journalists, researchers, and media experts worldwide, combined with quantitative data on violence and abuses against journalists during the evaluation period.

The rankings below reflect the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, the most recent edition available as of 2026.

10 countries with the freest press

Journalists in these 10 countries enjoy the highest level of freedom.

1. Norway
2. Estonia
3. Netherlands
4. Sweden
5. Finland
6. Denmark
7. Ireland
8. Portugal
9. Switzerland
10. Czechia

Key findings

• Northern Europe dominates the top of the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, with several Western European countries also ranking highly.
• Eritrea has the lowest level of press freedom in the index.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has been cited as a reason in many countries to restrict journalists’ access to information sources and limit their field reporting.
• Data indicates that journalists find it increasingly challenging to investigate and report on sensitive stories, particularly in Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Europe.
• Out of the 180 countries evaluated, only seven countries (3.88%) are considered to have a fully favorable environment for journalism.
• The Middle East and North Africa continue to be the world’s most dangerous region for journalists.
• For the first time since the Index was created, over half of all countries now fall into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for practising journalism, and fewer than one-quarter offer conditions that can still be viewed as satisfactory.

Regional crises and notable developments

Palestine (163rd)

Gaza’s media environment has deteriorated drastically. Press infrastructure has been destroyed, at least 235 journalists and media workers have been killed, and the strip has been under a full blockade since October 2023.

Haiti (112th, down 18 places)

Political turmoil has severely destabilised Haiti’s media sector. Many outlets struggle to operate, and journalists face conditions that make routine reporting almost impossible.

Countries ranked by freedom of press

The table below shows the full ranking of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index. Some countries have been excluded due to insufficient sample size.

Countries receive a score based on expert surveys and data on abuses against journalists, with lower scores indicating greater press freedom.

Rank	Country	Score
1	Norway	92.31
2	Estonia	89.46
3	Netherlands	88.64
4	Sweden	88.13
5	Finland	87.18
6	Denmark	86.93
7	Ireland	86.92
8	Portugal	84.26
9	Switzerland	83.98
10	Czechia	83.96
11	Germany	83.85
12	Liechtenstein	83.42
13	Luxembourg	83.04
14	Lithuania	82.27
15	Latvia	81.82
16	New Zealand	81.37
17	Iceland	81.36
18	Belgium	80.12
19	Trinidad and Tobago	79.71
20	United Kingdom	78.89
21	Canada	78.75
22	Austria	78.12
23	Spain	77.35
24	Taiwan	77.04
25	France	76.62
26	Jamaica	75.83
27	South Africa	75.71
28	Namibia	75.35
29	Australia	75.15
30	Cabo Verde	74.98
31	Poland	74.79
32	Suriname	74.49
33	Slovenia	74.06
34	Armenia	73.96
35	Moldova	73.36
36	Costa Rica	73.09
37	Montenegro	72.83
38	Slovakia	71.93
39	Timor-Leste	71.79
40	Fiji	71.20
41	Gabon	70.65
42	North Macedonia	70.44
43	Dominican Republic	69.87
44	Samoa	69.28
45	Seychelles	68.56
46	Tonga	68.39
47	Belize	68.32
49	Italy	68.01
50	Mauritania	67.52
51	Mauritius	67.31
52	Ghana	67.13
53	Panama	66.75
54	Liberia	66.61
55	Romania	66.42
56	Sierra Leone	66.36
57	United States	65.487
58	Gambia	65.486
59	Uruguay	65.18
60	Croatia	64.20
61	South Korea	64.06
62	Ukraine	63.93
63	Brazil	63.80
64	Ivory Coast	63.69
65	Andorra	63.30
66	Japan	63.14
67	Malta	62.96
68	Hungary	62.82
69	Chile	62.25
70	Bulgaria	60.78
71	Congo-Brazzaville	60.58
72	Central African Republic	60.15
73	Guyana	60.12
74	Senegal	59.43
75	Comoros	59.27
76	Malawi	59.20
77	Cyprus	59.04
78	Papua New Guinea	58.35
79	Qatar	58.25
80	Albania	58.18
81	Botswana	57.64
82	Zambia	57.33
83	Niger	57.05
84	Paraguay	56.84
85	Thailand	56.72
86	Bosnia-Herzegovina	56.33
87	Argentina	56.14
88	Malaysia	56.09
89	Greece	55.37
90	Nepal	55.20
91	Northern Cyprus	54.84
92	Benin	54.60
93	Bolivia	54.09
94	Ecuador	53.76
95	Tanzania	53.68
96	Serbia	53.55
97	Brunei	53.47
98	Eswatini	52.86
99	Kosovo	52.73
100	Angola	52.67
101	Mozambique	52.63
102	Mongolia	52.57
103	Guinea	52.53
104	Maldives	52.46
105	Burkina Faso	52.25
106	Zimbabwe	52.10
107	Lesotho	52.07
108	Chad	51.89
109	South Sudan	51.63
110	Guinea Bissau	51.36
111	Haiti	51.061
112	Israel	51.055
113	Madagascar	50.80
114	Georgia	50.53
115	Colombia	49.80
116	Philippines	49.57
117	Kenya	49.41
118	Equatorial Guinea	48.68
119	Mali	48.23
120	Morocco / Western Sahara	48.04
121	Togo	48.03
122	Nigeria	46.81
123	Singapore	45.78
124	Mexico	45.55
125	Burundi	45.44
126	Algeria	44.64
127	Indonesia	44.13
128	Kuwait	44.06
129	Tunisia	43.48
130	Peru	42.88
131	Cameroon	42.75
132	Lebanon	42.62
133	Democratic Republic of Congo	42.31
134	Oman	42.29
135	El Salvador	41.19
136	Somalia	40.49
137	Libya	40.42
138	Guatemala	40.32
139	Sri Lanka	39.93
140	Hong Kong	39.86
141	Kazakhstan	39.34
142	Honduras	38.51
143	Uganda	37.61
144	Kyrgyzstan	37.46
145	Ethiopia	36.92
146	Rwanda	35.84
147	Jordan	35.25
148	Uzbekistan	35.24
149	Bangladesh	33.71
150	Laos	33.22
151	India	32.96
152	Bhutan	32.62
153	Tajikistan	32.21
154	Yemen	31.45
155	Iraq	30.69
156	Sudan	30.34
157	Bahrain	30.24
158	Pakistan	29.62
159	Türkiye	29.40
160	Venezuela	29.21
161	Cambodia	28.18
162	Saudi Arabia	27.94
163	Palestine	27.41
164	United Arab Emirates	26.91
165	Cuba	26.03
166	Belarus	25.73
167	Azerbaijan	25.47
168	Djibouti	25.36
169	Myanmar	25.32
170	Egypt	24.74
171	Russia	24.57
172	Nicaragua	22.83
173	Vietnam	19.74
174	Turkmenistan	19.14
175	Afghanistan	17.88
176	Iran	16.22
177	Syria	15.82
178	China	14.80
179	North Korea	12.64
180	Eritrea	11.32

Source: Reporters Without Borders (RSF), World Press Freedom Index.