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.
- Norway
- Finland
- Denmark
- Sweden
- Netherlands
- Jamaica
- Costa Rica
- Switzerland
- New Zealand
- Portugal
Key findings from the World Press Freedom Index
- Norway topped the index for the fourth successive year.
- North Korea has the lowest level of press freedom.
- Malaysia (101st), the Maldives (79th) and Sudan (159th) registered the biggest rises in the 2020 index – improving 22, 19 and 16 places respectively.
- The countries with the biggest declines were Haiti, dropping 21 places to 83rd; Comoros, down 19 places to 75th; and Benin, down 17 places to 113th.
- Europe continues to enjoy the most media freedom of any region, followed by the Americas although the regional heavyweights of the USA and Brazil have become more hostile towards the media.
- The Asia-Pacific region has seen a significant rise in press freedom violations.
- The Middle East and North Africa continue to be the world’s most dangerous region for journalists.
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.
| Rank | Country | Score | 2019 Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 7.84 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Finland | 7.93 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | Denmark | 8.13 | 5 | 2 |
| 4 | Sweden | 9.25 | 3 | -1 |
| 5 | Netherlands | 9.96 | 4 | -1 |
| 6 | Jamaica | 10.51 | 8 | 2 |
| 7 | Costa Rica | 10.53 | 10 | 3 |
| 8 | Switzerland | 10.62 | 6 | -2 |
| 9 | New Zealand | 10.69 | 7 | -2 |
| 10 | Portugal | 11.83 | 12 | 2 |
| 11 | Germany | 12.16 | 13 | 2 |
| 12 | Belgium | 12.57 | 9 | -3 |
| 13 | Ireland | 12.6 | 15 | 2 |
| 14 | Estonia | 12.61 | 11 | -3 |
| 15 | Iceland | 15.12 | 14 | -1 |
| 16 | Canada | 15.29 | 18 | 2 |
| 17 | Luxembourg | 15.46 | 17 | 0 |
| 18 | Austria | 15.78 | 16 | -2 |
| 19 | Uruguay | 15.79 | 19 | 0 |
| 20 | Suriname | 17.5 | 20 | 0 |
| 21 | Samoa | 18.25 | 22 | 1 |
| 22 | Latvia | 18.56 | 24 | 2 |
| 23 | Namibia | 19.25 | 23 | 0 |
| 24 | Liechtenstein | 19.52 | 26 | 2 |
| 25 | Cape Verde | 20.15 | 25 | 0 |
| 26 | Australia | 20.21 | 21 | -5 |
| 27 | Cyprus | 20.45 | 28 | 1 |
| 28 | Lithuania | 21.19 | 30 | 2 |
| 29 | Spain | 22.16 | 29 | 0 |
| 30 | Ghana | 22.26 | 27 | -3 |
| 31 | South Africa | 22.41 | 31 | 0 |
| 32 | Slovenia | 22.64 | 34 | 2 |
| 33 | Slovakia | 22.67 | 35 | 2 |
| 34 | France | 22.92 | 32 | -2 |
| 35 | UK | 22.93 | 33 | -2 |
| 36 | Trinidad & Tobago | 23.22 | 39 | 3 |
| 37 | Andorra | 23.23 | 37 | 0 |
| 38 | Burkina Faso | 23.47 | 36 | -2 |
| 39 | Botswana | 23.56 | 44 | 5 |
| 40 | Czech Rep. | 23.57 | 40 | 0 |
| 41 | Italy | 23.69 | 43 | 2 |
| 42 | South Korea | 23.7 | 41 | -1 |
| 43 | Taiwan | 23.76 | 42 | -1 |
| 44 | OECS | 23.78 | 50 | 6 |
| 45 | USA | 23.85 | 48 | 3 |
| 46 | Papua New Guinea | 23.93 | 38 | -8 |
| 47 | Senegal | 23.99 | 49 | 2 |
| 48 | Romania | 25.91 | 47 | -1 |
| 49 | Guyana | 26.63 | 51 | 2 |
| 50 | Tonga | 27.27 | 45 | -5 |
| 51 | Chile | 27.31 | 46 | -5 |
| 52 | Fiji | 27.41 | 52 | 0 |
| 53 | Belize | 27.5 | 53 | 0 |
| 54 | Madagascar | 27.68 | 54 | 0 |
| 55 | Dominican Rep. | 27.9 | 55 | 0 |
| 56 | Mauritius | 28 | 58 | 2 |
| 57 | Niger | 28.25 | 66 | 9 |
| 58 | Bosnia & Herz. | 28.51 | 63 | 5 |
| 59 | Croatia | 28.51 | 64 | 5 |
| 60 | Georgia | 28.59 | 60 | 0 |
| 61 | Armenia | 28.6 | 61 | 0 |
| 62 | Poland | 28.65 | 59 | -3 |
| 63 | Seychelles | 28.66 | 69 | 6 |
| 64 | Argentina | 28.78 | 57 | -7 |
| 65 | Greece | 28.8 | 65 | 0 |
| 66 | Japan | 28.86 | 67 | 1 |
| 67 | Bhutan | 28.9 | 80 | 13 |
| 68 | Ivory Coast | 28.94 | 71 | 3 |
| 69 | Malawi | 29.32 | 68 | -1 |
| 70 | Kosovo | 29.33 | 75 | 5 |
| 71 | Togo | 29.33 | 76 | 5 |
| 72 | Tunisia | 29.45 | 72 | 0 |
| 73 | Mongolia | 29.61 | 70 | -3 |
| 74 | El Salvador | 29.7 | 81 | 7 |
| 75 | Comoros | 29.77 | 56 | -19 |
| 76 | Panama | 29.78 | 79 | 3 |
| 77 | North Cyprus | 29.79 | 74 | -3 |
| 78 | East Timor | 29.9 | 84 | 6 |
| 79 | Maldives | 29.93 | 98 | 19 |
| 80 | Hong Kong | 30.01 | 73 | -7 |
| 81 | Malta | 30.16 | 77 | -4 |
| 82 | Kyrgyzstan | 30.19 | 83 | 1 |
| 83 | Haiti | 30.2 | 62 | -21 |
| 84 | Albania | 30.25 | 82 | -2 |
| 85 | Sierra Leone | 30.28 | 86 | 1 |
| 86 | Lesotho | 30.45 | 78 | -8 |
| 87 | Gambia | 30.62 | 92 | 5 |
| 88 | Israel | 30.84 | 88 | 0 |
| 89 | Hungary | 30.84 | 87 | -2 |
| 90 | Peru | 30.94 | 85 | -5 |
| 91 | Moldova | 31.16 | 91 | 0 |
| 92 | Macedonia | 31.28 | 95 | 3 |
| 93 | Serbia | 31.62 | 90 | -3 |
| 94 | Guinea-Bissau | 32.06 | 89 | -5 |
| 95 | Liberia | 32.25 | 93 | -2 |
| 96 | Ukraine | 32.52 | 102 | 6 |
| 97 | Mauritania | 32.54 | 94 | -3 |
| 98 | Ecuador | 32.62 | 97 | -1 |
| 99 | Ethiopia | 32.82 | 110 | 11 |
| 100 | Paraguay | 32.97 | 99 | -1 |
| 101 | Malaysia | 33.12 | 123 | 22 |
| 102 | Lebanon | 33.19 | 101 | -1 |
| 103 | Kenya | 33.72 | 100 | -3 |
| 104 | Mozambique | 33.79 | 103 | -1 |
| 105 | Montenegro | 33.83 | 104 | -1 |
| 106 | Angola | 33.92 | 109 | 3 |
| 107 | Brazil | 34.05 | 105 | -2 |
| 108 | Mali | 34.12 | 112 | 4 |
| 109 | Kuwait | 34.3 | 108 | -1 |
| 110 | Guinea | 34.34 | 107 | -3 |
| 111 | Bulgaria | 35.06 | 111 | 0 |
| 112 | Nepal | 35.1 | 106 | -6 |
| 113 | Benin | 35.11 | 96 | -17 |
| 114 | Bolivia | 35.37 | 113 | -1 |
| 115 | Nigeria | 35.63 | 120 | 5 |
| 116 | Guatemala | 35.74 | 116 | 0 |
| 117 | Nicaragua | 35.81 | 114 | -3 |
| 118 | Congo | 36.56 | 117 | -1 |
| 119 | Indonesia | 36.82 | 124 | 5 |
| 120 | Zambia | 37 | 119 | -1 |
| 121 | Gabon | 37.2 | 115 | -6 |
| 122 | Afghanistan | 37.7 | 121 | -1 |
| 123 | Chad | 39.7 | 122 | -1 |
| 124 | Tanzania | 40.25 | 118 | -6 |
| 125 | Uganda | 40.95 | 125 | 0 |
| 126 | Zimbabwe | 40.95 | 127 | 1 |
| 127 | Sri Lanka | 41.94 | 126 | -1 |
| 128 | Jordan | 42.08 | 130 | 2 |
| 129 | Qatar | 42.51 | 128 | -1 |
| 130 | Colombia | 42.66 | 129 | -1 |
| 131 | UAE | 42.69 | 133 | 2 |
| 132 | Central African Rep. | 42.87 | 145 | 13 |
| 133 | Morocco | 42.88 | 135 | 2 |
| 134 | Cameroon | 43.28 | 131 | -3 |
| 135 | Oman | 43.42 | 132 | -3 |
| 136 | Philippines | 43.54 | 134 | -2 |
| 137 | Palestine | 44.09 | 137 | 0 |
| 138 | South Sudan | 44.49 | 139 | 1 |
| 139 | Myanmar | 44.77 | 138 | -1 |
| 140 | Thailand | 44.94 | 136 | -4 |
| 141 | Swaziland | 45.15 | 147 | 6 |
| 142 | India | 45.33 | 140 | -2 |
| 143 | Mexico | 45.45 | 144 | 1 |
| 144 | Cambodia | 45.46 | 143 | -1 |
| 145 | Pakistan | 45.52 | 142 | -3 |
| 146 | Algeria | 45.52 | 141 | -5 |
| 147 | Venezuela | 45.66 | 148 | 1 |
| 148 | Honduras | 48.2 | 146 | -2 |
| 149 | Russia | 48.92 | 149 | 0 |
| 150 | DR Congo | 49.09 | 154 | 4 |
| 151 | Bangladesh | 49.37 | 150 | -1 |
| 152 | Brunei Darussalam | 49.65 | 152 | 0 |
| 153 | Belarus | 49.75 | 153 | 0 |
| 154 | Turkey | 50.02 | 157 | 3 |
| 155 | Rwanda | 50.34 | 155 | 0 |
| 156 | Uzbekistan | 53.07 | 160 | 4 |
| 157 | Kazakhstan | 54.11 | 158 | 1 |
| 158 | Singapore | 55.23 | 151 | -7 |
| 159 | Sudan | 55.33 | 175 | 16 |
| 160 | Burundi | 55.33 | 159 | -1 |
| 161 | Tajikistan | 55.34 | 161 | 0 |
| 162 | Iraq | 55.37 | 156 | -6 |
| 163 | Somalia | 55.45 | 164 | 1 |
| 164 | Libya | 55.77 | 162 | -2 |
| 165 | Equatorial Guinea | 56.38 | 165 | 0 |
| 166 | Egypt | 56.82 | 163 | -3 |
| 167 | Yemen | 58.25 | 168 | 1 |
| 168 | Azerbaijan | 58.48 | 166 | -2 |
| 169 | Bahrain | 60.13 | 167 | -2 |
| 170 | Saudi Arabia | 62.14 | 172 | 2 |
| 171 | Cuba | 63.81 | 169 | -2 |
| 172 | Laos | 64.28 | 171 | -1 |
| 173 | Iran | 64.81 | 170 | -3 |
| 174 | Syria. | 72.57 | 174 | 0 |
| 175 | Vietnam | 74.71 | 176 | 1 |
| 176 | Djibouti | 76.73 | 173 | -3 |
| 177 | China | 78.48 | 177 | 0 |
| 178 | Eritrea | 83.5 | 178 | 0 |
| 179 | Turkmenistan | 85.44 | 180 | 1 |
| 180 | North Korea | 85.82 | 179 | -1 |
Source: Reporters Without Borders
