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. Finland
3. Sweden
4. Denmark
5. Costa Rica
6. Netherlands
7. Jamaica
8. New Zealand
9. Portugal
10. Switzerland

Key findings from the World Press Freedom Index

• Norway topped the index for the fifth successive year.
• Eritrea has the lowest level of press freedom.
• The coronavirus pandemic has been used as grounds to block journalists’ access to information sources and reporting in the field.
• Data shows that journalists are finding it increasingly hard to investigate and report sensitive stories, especially in Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
• Only 12 of the Index’s 180 countries (7%) can claim to offer a favourable environment for journalism, as opposed to 13 countries (8%) last year.
• Germany was stripped of its “good” classification (down 2 at 13th) because dozens of its journalists were attacked by supporters of extremist and conspiracy theory believers during protests against pandemic restrictions.
• The country that fell the furthest in 2021 was Malaysia, down 18 at 119th.
• Big descents were also registered by Comoros (down 9 at 84th) and El Salvador (down 8 at 82nd).
• The Middle East and North Africa continue to be the world’s most dangerous region for journalists.
• Reporters Without Borders itself was completely blocked in 73 countries and seriously impeded in 59 others, which reflects 73% of the 180 countries.

Countries ranked by freedom of press

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

Source: Reporters Without Borders