PARIS, 21 May. - (ANA) - For the first time in the history of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, over half of the world’s countries now fall into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom. 

 

In 25 years, the average score of all 180 countries and territories surveyed in the Index has never been so low. 

 

Since 2001, the expansion of increasingly restrictive legal arsenals — particularly those linked to national security policies — has been steadily eroding the right to information, even in democratic countries. 

 

The Index’s legal indicator has declined the most over the past year, a clear sign that journalism is increasingly criminalised worldwide. 

 

In the Americas, the situation has evolved significantly, with the United States dropping seven places and several Latin American countries sliding deeper into a spiral of violence and repression.

 

 

 

 

- The average score for all countries and territories worldwide has never been so low. For the first time in the Index’s 25-year history, more than half the world’s countries now fall into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom.

 

- Out of the five indicators used to assess press freedom worldwide — which determine the economic, legal, security, political and social environments for journalism — the legal indicator has seen the sharpest decline this year.

 

- The United States has fallen seven places and other countries in the Americas, such as Ecuador and Peru, have plummeted in the ranking.

 

- Norway holds the top spot for the tenth consecutive year, while Eritrea comes in last for the third year in a row. 

 

- Post-Assad Syria has seen the biggest improvement in press freedom of all the countries and territories in the 2026 Index, climbing 36 places in the ranking. 

 

 

 

Since RSF began publishing the World Press Freedom Index 25 years ago, press freedom has been gradually deteriorating. This decline is visible on the Index’s map, which turns redder every year. Journalists are still being killed and imprisoned for their work, but the tactics undermining press freedom are evolving. Journalism is being asphyxiated by hostile political discourse towards reporters, weakened by a faltering media economy, and squeezed by laws being used as weapons against the press.

 

 

 

 

- The overall average score of all the countries assessed has never been so low.

 

- In over half of the world’s countries and territories (52.2%), the state of press freedom is categorised as “difficult” or “very serious.” This category was a small minority (13.7%) in 2002.

 

- In 2002, 20% of the global population lived in a country where the state of press freedom was categorised as “good.” Twenty-five years later, less than 1% of the world’s population lives in a country that falls under this category.   - (ANA) -

 

To download the index, visit:https://rsf.org/en/2026-rsf-index-press-freedom-25-year-low

 

AB/ANA/21 May 2026 - - -