Global press freedom at lowest point in 25 years

Press freedom has reached its lowest point in 25 years, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in its 2026 World Press Freedom Classification published Thursday. The average score for the 180 countries analyzed has never been so poor since the ranking began in 2001, with more than half of the world's nations in a "difficult" or "very serious" situation. The organization warns that increasingly restrictive legislative packages are eroding the right to information, even in democratic systems, and that the criminalization of journalism is accelerating worldwide. Norway remains at the top of the ranking with a score of 92.72 out of 100, followed by the Netherlands, Estonia, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. At the opposite end, the worst performers are Eritrea (180), North Korea (179), China (178), Iran (177), and Saudi Arabia (176), while Russia (172) is identified as using anti-terrorism laws to restrict press freedom. The most dramatic decline was recorded by Niger, which fell 37 positions to 120, reflecting the deteriorating press freedom situation across the Sahel region. In contrast, Syria jumped from 177 to 144 following the fall of the Assad regime. Latin America showed widespread regression, with Ecuador dropping 31 positions to 125 after the murders of journalists Darwin Baque and Patricio Aguilar, and Peru falling 14 spots to 144 following the killing of four journalists. Argentina fell 11 positions to 98 and El Salvador dropped 8 to 143, with RSF pointing to the hostile rhetoric of leaders Javier Milei and Nayib Bukele toward the press. The United States also fell seven positions to 64, particularly due to its poor political context score of 53.59. Spain slipped six places to 29, weighed down by weak economic conditions for journalists (scoring 55.68, ranking 40th), despite good scores in safety (90.55). Less than 1% of the global population now enjoys "good" press freedom conditions, compared to 20% in 2002.