Press freedom by country
Based on the classification and data by Freedom House. It captures the legal, political, and economic environment of the press.
Countries reporting
190
Highest
2
Andorra
Lowest
0
Zimbabwe
Median
1
Years covered
38
1979–2016
Data points
6,417
What the numbers show
Press freedom is currently reported for 190 countries. The highest value is 2 in Andorra; the lowest is 0 in Zimbabwe.
The median across all reporting countries is 1, and the mean is 0.9579.
Over the past decade 1 countries rose and 23 fell. The largest increase was in Tonga (up 100.0%), and the largest decrease in Central African Republic (down 100.0%).
Press freedom: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andorra | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Australia | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Austria | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Belgium | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Bahamas | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | Belize | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | Barbados | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | Canada | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Switzerland | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Chile | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | Cape Verde | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Costa Rica | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Cyprus | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | Czechia | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Germany | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Dominica | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Denmark | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Spain | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Estonia | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | Finland | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | France | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | United Kingdom | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Grenada | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | Iceland | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Jamaica | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | Japan | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Kiribati | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Saint Lucia | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Lithuania | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | Latvia | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | Monaco | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Marshall Islands | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Mauritius | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | Netherlands | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Norway | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | New Zealand | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Palau | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Papua New Guinea | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Portugal | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Solomon Islands | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | San Marino | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Sao Tome and Principe | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Suriname | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Slovakia | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | Slovenia | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | Sweden | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Tonga | 2 | 2016 | up 100.0% | rising |
| 1 | Trinidad and Tobago | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Tuvalu | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Uruguay | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | United States | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | Vanuatu | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | Samoa | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | Taiwan | 2 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 61 | Afghanistan | 1 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 61 | Albania | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Argentina | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | falling |
| 61 | Antigua and Barbuda | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | falling |
| 61 | Benin | 1 | 2016 | down 50.0% | volatile |
| 61 | Burkina Faso | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 61 | Bulgaria | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 61 | Bolivia | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | falling |
| 61 | Brazil | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | falling |
| 61 | Bhutan | 1 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 61 | Botswana | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | falling |
| 61 | Cote d'Ivoire | 1 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 61 | Congo | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Colombia | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Comoros | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 61 | Dominican Republic | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | falling |
| 61 | Fiji | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | falling |
| 61 | Georgia | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 61 | Ghana | 1 | 2016 | down 50.0% | volatile |
| 61 | Guinea-Bissau | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Greece | 1 | 2016 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 61 | Guatemala | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 61 | Guyana | 1 | 2016 | down 50.0% | volatile |
| 61 | Hong Kong | 1 | 2016 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 61 | Croatia | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 61 | Haiti | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Hungary | 1 | 2016 | down 50.0% | volatile |
| 61 | Indonesia | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | India | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | falling |
| 61 | Israel | 1 | 2016 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 61 | Italy | 1 | 2016 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 61 | Kenya | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | South Korea | 1 | 2016 | down 50.0% | volatile |
| 61 | Kuwait | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Lebanon | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Liberia | 1 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 61 | Lesotho | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 61 | Moldova | 1 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 61 | Madagascar | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Mali | 1 | 2016 | down 50.0% | volatile |
| 61 | Montenegro | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 61 | Mongolia | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Mozambique | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Mauritania | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Malawi | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Namibia | 1 | 2016 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 61 | Niger | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Nigeria | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 61 | Nicaragua | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 61 | Nepal | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Nauru | 1 | 2016 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 61 | Panama | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | falling |
| 61 | Peru | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | falling |
| 61 | Philippines | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Poland | 1 | 2016 | down 50.0% | volatile |
| 61 | Paraguay | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 61 | Romania | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Senegal | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 61 | Sierra Leone | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | El Salvador | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | flat |
| 61 | Serbia | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Seychelles | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Togo | 1 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 61 | East Timor | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | falling |
| 61 | Tunisia | 1 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 61 | Tanzania | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Uganda | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 61 | Ukraine | 1 | 2016 | unchanged | falling |
| 61 | South Africa | 1 | 2016 | down 50.0% | volatile |
| 131 | Angola | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | United Arab Emirates | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Armenia | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Azerbaijan | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Burundi | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Bangladesh | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Bahrain | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Belarus | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Brunei | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Central African Republic | 0 | 2016 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 131 | China | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Cameroon | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Cuba | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Djibouti | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Algeria | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Ecuador | 0 | 2016 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 131 | Egypt | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Eritrea | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Ethiopia | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Gabon | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Guinea | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Gambia | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Equatorial Guinea | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Honduras | 0 | 2016 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 131 | Iran | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Iraq | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Jordan | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Kazakhstan | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Kyrgyzstan | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Cambodia | 0 | 2016 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 131 | Laos | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Libya | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Sri Lanka | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Morocco | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Maldives | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Mexico | 0 | 2016 | down 100.0% | falling |
| 131 | North Macedonia | 0 | 2016 | down 100.0% | falling |
| 131 | Myanmar | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Malaysia | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Oman | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Pakistan | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | North Korea | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Qatar | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Russia | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Rwanda | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Saudi Arabia | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Sudan | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Singapore | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Somalia | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | South Sudan | 0 | 2016 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 131 | Eswatini | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Syria | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Chad | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Thailand | 0 | 2016 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 131 | Tajikistan | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Turkmenistan | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Turkey | 0 | 2016 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 131 | Uzbekistan | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Venezuela | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Vietnam | 0 | 2016 | — | flat |
| 131 | Yemen | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Zambia | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 131 | Zimbabwe | 0 | 2016 | — | volatile |
About this data
Based on the classification and data by Freedom House. It captures the legal, political, and economic environment of the press.