Countries Ranked by Freedom of Press

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 has released its annual World Press Freedom Index. The index assesses and ranks 180 countries and regions according to the degree of freedom available to journalists.

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

• Good
• Satisfactory
• Problematic
• Difficult
• Very serious

The index is not an evaluation of the quality of journalism. The index is an assessment of pluralism, independence of the media, quality of legislative framework and safety of journalists in each country and region.

The index draws on data gathered from an 87-question survey sent out to journalists in 180 countries. The analysis of the questionnaires is combined with quantitative data available on abuses and acts of violence towards journalists throughout the evaluation period. 

10 Countries With The Freest Press

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

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

Key Findings From the World Press Freedom Index

• Nordic countries top the Press Freedom Index, with Norway ranking highest in media freedom.
• Eritrea has the lowest level of press freedom.
• The Coronavirus pandemic has been cited as a reason to restrict journalists’ access to information sources and hinder 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 Europe.
• Out of the 180 countries in the Index, only 8 (4.44%) can genuinely boast a favorable environment for journalism.
• The Middle East and North Africa continue to be the world’s most dangerous region for journalists.
• Reporters Without Borders has disclosed that journalism is significantly hindered in 73 countries and restricted in 59 others, collectively accounting for 73% of the evaluated nations.

Countries Ranked by Freedom of Press

The table below is a complete index of 180 countries ranked by freedom of press in 2024. Some countries have been excluded due to insufficient sample size.

Rank	Country	Score
1	Norway	91.89
2	Denmark	89.6
3	Sweden	88.32
4	Netherlands	87.73
5	Finland	86.55
6	Estonia	86.44
7	Portugal	85.9
8	Ireland	85.59
9	Switzerland	84.01
10	Germany	83.84
11	Luxembourg	83.8
12	Latvia	82.9
13	Lithuania	81.73
14	Canada	81.7
15	Liechtenstein	81.52
16	Belgium	81.49
17	Czechia	80.14
18	Iceland	80.13
19	New Zealand	79.72
20	Timor-Leste	78.92
21	France	78.65
22	Samoa	78.41
23	United Kingdom	77.51
24	Jamaica	77.3
25	Trinidad and Tobago	76.69
26	Costa Rica	76.13
27	Taiwan	76.13
28	Suriname	76.11
29	Slovakia	76.03
30	Spain	76.01
31	Moldova	74.86
32	Austria	74.69
33	Mauritania	74.2
34	Namibia	74.16
35	Dominican Republic	73.89
36	North Macedonia	73.78
37	Seychelles	73.75
38	South Africa	73.73
39	Australia	73.42
40	Montenegro	73.21
41	Cabo Verde	72.77
42	Slovenia	72.6
43	Armenia	71.6
44	Fiji	71.23
45	Tongo	70.11
46	Italy	69.8
47	Poland	69.17
48	Croatia	68.79
49	Romania	68.45
50	Ghana	67.71
51	Uruguay	67.7
52	Chile	67.32
53	Ivory Coast	66.89
54	Belize	66.85
55	United States	66.59
56	Gabon	65.83
57	Mauritius	65.55
58	Gambia	65.53
59	Bulgaria	65.32
60	Liberia	65.13
61	Ukraine	65
62	South Korea	64.87
63	Malawi	64.46
64	Sierra Leone	64.27
65	Cyprus	63.14
66	Argentina	63.13
67	Hungary	62.98
68	OECS	62.83
69	Congo-Brazzaville	62.57
70	Japan	62.12
71	Comoros	61.47
72	Andorra	61.44
73	Malta	60.96
74	Nepal	60.52
75	Kosovo	60.19
76	Central African Republic	60.12
77	Guyana	60.1
78	Guinea	59.97
79	Botswana	59.78
80	Niger	59.71
81	Bosnia-Herzegovina	58.85
82	Brazil	58.59
83	Panama	58.55
84	Qatar	58.48
85	Eswatini	58.31
86	Burkina Faso	58.24
87	Thailand	58.12
88	Greece	57.15
89	Benin	56.73
90	Northern Cyprus	56.72
91	Papua New Guinea	56.02
92	Guinea Bissau	55.95
93	Haiti	55.92
94	Senegal	55.44
95	Zambia	55.38
96	Chad	54.81
97	Tanzania	54.8
98	Serbia	54.48
99	Albania	54.1
100	Madagascar	54.07
101	Israel	53.23
102	Kenya	53.22
103	Georgia	53.05
104	Angola	52.44
105	Mozambique	52.42
106	Maldives	52.36
107	Malaysia	52.07
108	Burundi	51.78
109	Mongolia	51.34
110	Ecuador	51.3
111	Indonesia	51.15
112	Nigeria	51.03
113	Togo	50.89
114	Mali	50.56
115	Paraguay	50.48
116	Zimbabwe	50.31
117	Brunei	50.09
118	Tunisia	49.97
119	Colombia	49.63
120	Kyrgyzstan	49.11
121	Mexico	49.01
122	Lesotho	48.92
123	Democratic Republic of Congo	48.91
124	Bolivia	48.88
125	Peru	47.76
126	Singapore	47.19
127	Equatorial Guinea	46.49
128	Uganda	46
129	Morocco/Western Sahara	45.97
130	Cameroon	44.95
131	Kuwait	44.66
132	Jordan	44.3
133	El Salvador	44.01
134	Philippines	43.36
135	Hong Kong	43.06
136	South Sudan	42.57
137	Oman	42.52
138	Guatemala	42.28
139	Algeria	41.98
140	Lebanon	41.91
141	Ethiopia	41.37
142	Kazakhstan	41.11
143	Libya	40.59
144	Rwanda	40.54
145	Somalia	39.4
146	Honduras	38.18
147	Bhutan	37.29
148	Uzbekistan	37.27
149	Sudan	35.73
150	Sri Lanka	35.21
151	Cambodia	34.28
152	Pakistan	33.9
153	Laos	33.76
154	Yemen	33.67
155	Tajikistan	33.31
156	Venezuela	33.06
157	Palestine	31.92
158	Türkiye	31.6
159	India	31.28
160	United Arab Emirates	30.62
161	Djibouti	30.14
162	Russia	29.86
163	Nicaragua	29.2
164	Azerbaijan	27.99
165	Bangladesh	27.64
166	Saudi Arabia	27.14
167	Belarus	26.8
168	Cuba	25.63
169	Iraq	25.48
170	Egypt	25.1
171	Myanmar	24.41
172	China	23.36
173	Bahrain	23.21
174	Vietnam	22.31
175	Turkmenistan	22.01
176	Iran	21.3
177	North Korea	20.66
178	Afghanistan	19.09
179	Syria	17.41
180	Eritrea	16.64

Source: Reporters Without Borders