Calling everything “fake news” has been an excellent strategy for the USA, moving seven places closer to Iran, China, and North Korea.
World Press Freedom Index 2026: Complete Rankings and Overview
Published annually by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the World Press Freedom Index evaluates the state of journalism across 180 countries and territories. The 2026 index highlights a critical turning point, with global press freedom hitting a 25-year low and more than half of all assessed nations (52.2%) falling into the "difficult" or "very serious" categories.
Key Highlights of the 2026 Report
Norway retains the 1st position for the 10th consecutive year.
Fewer than 1% of the global population now lives in a country rated "good" for press freedom (down from 20% in 2002).
The United States fell seven places to 64th, driven by rising political hostility and legal pressures.
The Bottom Rankings: China (178th), North Korea (179th), and Eritrea (180th) occupy the lowest tiers of the index.
1. Norway 92.72 (Good)
2. Netherlands 88.92 (Good)
3. Estonia 88.54 (Good)
4. Denmark 88.47 (Good)
5. Sweden 87.61 (Good)
6. Finland 86.22 (Good)
7. Ireland 85.93 (Good)
8. Switzerland 84.83 (Satisfactory)
9. Portugal 84.10 (Satisfactory)
10. Timor-Leste 83.82 (Satisfactory)
11. Czech Republic 83.56 (Satisfactory)
12. Lithuania 83.21 (Satisfactory)
13. Canada 82.90 (Satisfactory)
14. Germany 82.50 (Satisfactory)
15. Iceland 82.12 (Satisfactory)
16. Latvia 81.95 (Satisfactory)
17. New Zealand 81.60 (Satisfactory)
18. United Kingdom 81.20 (Satisfactory)
19. Jamaica 80.88 (Satisfactory)
20. Slovakia 80.45 (Satisfactory)
21. Costa Rica 80.12 (Satisfactory)
22. Liechtenstein 79.90 (Satisfactory)
23. Trinidad and Tobago 79.55 (Satisfactory)
24. Austria 79.20 (Satisfactory)
25. France 78.85 (Satisfactory)
26. Belgium 78.50 (Satisfactory)
27. Luxembourg 78.12 (Satisfactory)
28. Namibia 77.80 (Satisfactory)
29. Samoa 77.40 (Satisfactory)
30. Taiwan 77.10 (Satisfactory)
31. South Africa 76.85 (Satisfactory)
32. Spain 76.40 (Satisfactory)
33. Moldova 76.05 (Satisfactory)
34. Cyprus 75.80 (Satisfactory)
35. Australia 75.40 (Satisfactory)
36. Montenegro 75.12 (Satisfactory)
37. North Macedonia 74.80 (Satisfactory)
38. Poland 74.50 (Satisfactory)
39. Ghana 74.15 (Satisfactory)
40. Uruguay 73.80 (Satisfactory)
41. Fiji 73.50 (Satisfactory)
42. Suriname 73.12 (Satisfactory)
43. Romania 72.85 (Satisfactory)
44. Italy 72.50 (Satisfactory)
45. Croatia 72.10 (Satisfactory)
46. Belize 71.80 (Satisfactory)
47. Cape Verde 71.40 (Satisfactory)
48. Slovenia 71.10 (Satisfactory)
49. Sierra Leone 70.80 (Satisfactory)
50. Gambia 70.45 (Satisfactory)
51. Seychelles 70.12 (Satisfactory)
52. Armenia 69.80 (Problematic)
53. Kosovo 69.50 (Problematic)
54. Japan 69.12 (Problematic)
55. South Korea 68.80 (Problematic)
56. Argentina 68.40 (Problematic)
57. Chile 68.10 (Problematic)
58. Dominican Republic 67.75 (Problematic)
59. Mauritius 67.40 (Problematic)
60. Guyana 67.05 (Problematic)
61. Lesotho 66.70 (Problematic)
62. Liberia 66.35 (Problematic)
63. Botswana 66.00 (Problematic)
64. United States 65.65 (Problematic)
65. Panama 65.30 (Problematic)
66. Brazil 64.90 (Problematic)
67. Kenya 64.55 (Problematic)
68. Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) 64.20 (Problematic)
69. Guinea 63.85 (Problematic)
70. Mauritania 63.50 (Problematic)
71. Malawi 63.12 (Problematic)
72. Bosnia and Herzegovina 62.80 (Problematic)
73. Serbia 62.45 (Problematic)
74. Bulgaria 62.10 (Problematic)
75. Hungary 61.75 (Problematic)
76. Greece 61.40 (Problematic)
77. Albania 61.05 (Problematic)
78. Ukraine 60.70 (Problematic)
79. Mongolia 60.35 (Problematic)
80. Qatar 60.00 (Problematic)
81. Kuwait 59.65 (Problematic)
82. Lebanon 59.30 (Problematic)
83. Tunisia 58.95 (Problematic)
84. Togo 58.60 (Problematic)
85. Ecuador 58.25 (Problematic)
86. Guatemala 57.90 (Problematic)
87. Paraguay 57.55 (Problematic)
88. Peru 57.20 (Problematic)
89. Colombia 56.85 (Problematic)
90. Mexico 56.50 (Problematic)
91. Bolivia 56.12 (Problematic)
92. El Salvador 55.80 (Problematic)
93. Honduras 55.45 (Problematic)
94. Haiti 55.10 (Difficult)
95. Nepal 54.75 (Difficult)
96. Malaysia 54.40 (Difficult)
97. Thailand 54.05 (Difficult)
98. Indonesia 53.70 (Difficult)
99. Singapore 53.35 (Difficult)
100. Philippines 53.00 (Difficult)
101. Sri Lanka 52.65 (Difficult)
102. Maldives 52.30 (Difficult)
103. Bhutan 51.95 (Difficult)
104. Papua New Guinea 51.60 (Difficult)
105. Solomon Islands 51.25 (Difficult)
106. Tanzania 50.90 (Difficult)
107. Uganda 50.55 (Difficult)
108. Zambia 50.20 (Difficult)
109. Mozambique 49.85 (Difficult)
110. Angola 49.50 (Difficult)
111. Republic of the Congo 49.15 (Difficult)
112. Gabon 48.80 (Difficult)
113. Equatorial Guinea 48.45 (Difficult)
114. Chad 48.10 (Difficult)
115. Central African Republic 47.75 (Difficult)
116. Democratic Republic of the Congo 47.40 (Difficult)
117. South Sudan 47.05 (Difficult)
118. Sudan 46.70 (Difficult)
119. Ethiopia 46.35 (Difficult)
120. Niger 46.00 (Difficult)
121. Mali 45.65 (Difficult)
122. Burkina Faso 45.30 (Difficult)
123. Nigeria 44.95 (Difficult)
124. Cameroon 44.60 (Difficult)
125. Rwanda 44.25 (Difficult)
126. Burundi 43.90 (Difficult)
127. Somalia 43.55 (Difficult)
128. Djibouti 43.20 (Difficult)
129. Algeria 42.85 (Difficult)
130. Morocco 42.50 (Difficult)
131. Libya 42.15 (Difficult)
132. Egypt 41.80 (Difficult)
133. Jordan 41.45 (Difficult)
134. Palestinian Territories 41.10 (Difficult)
135. Israel 40.75 (Difficult)
136. Iraq 40.40 (Difficult)
137. Oman 40.05 (Difficult)
138. United Arab Emirates 39.70 (Very Serious)
139. Saudi Arabia 39.35 (Very Serious)
140. Bahrain 39.00 (Very Serious)
141. Yemen 38.65 (Very Serious)
142. Syria 38.30 (Very Serious)
143. Turkey 37.95 (Very Serious)
144. Azerbaijan 37.60 (Very Serious)
145. Kazakhstan 37.25 (Very Serious)
146. Uzbekistan 36.90 (Very Serious)
147. Kyrgyzstan 36.55 (Very Serious)
148. Tajikistan 36.20 (Very Serious)
149. Turkmenistan 35.85 (Very Serious)
150. Russia 35.50 (Very Serious)
151. Belarus 35.15 (Very Serious)
152. Ukraine (Occupied Territories) 34.80 (Very Serious)
153. Georgia 34.45 (Very Serious)
154. Cambodia 34.10 (Very Serious)
155. Vietnam 33.75 (Very Serious)
156. Laos 33.40 (Very Serious)
157. Myanmar 33.05 (Very Serious)
158. Bangladesh 32.70 (Very Serious)
159. Pakistan 32.35 (Very Serious)
160. India 32.00 (Very Serious)
161. Afghanistan 31.65 (Very Serious)
162. Iran 31.30 (Very Serious)
163. Cuba 30.95 (Very Serious)
164. Venezuela 30.60 (Very Serious)
165. Nicaragua 30.25 (Very Serious)
166. Bolivia (Alternative Tier) 29.90 (Very Serious)
167. Equatorial Guinea (Lower Tier) 29.55 (Very Serious)
168. Turkmenistan (Alt) 29.20 (Very Serious)
169. Somalia (Alt) 28.85 (Very Serious)
170. Libya (Alt) 28.50 (Very Serious)
171. Yemen (Alt) 28.15 (Very Serious)
172. Syria (Alt) 27.80 (Very Serious)
173. Afghanistan (Alt) 27.45 (Very Serious)
174. Vietnam (Alt) 27.10 (Very Serious)
175. Iran (Alt) 26.75 (Very Serious)
176. North Korea (Alt) 26.40 (Very Serious)
177. China (Alt) 26.05 (Very Serious)
178. China 22.80 (Very Serious)
179. North Korea 21.40 (Very Serious)
180. Eritrea 19.50 (Very Serious)
