Statizoid

Press Freedom Index by country

The index combines expert estimates with data on violence against journalists. It ranges from 0-100 (no freedom).

Countries reporting
173
Highest
81.45
Eritrea
Lowest
6.72
Norway
Median
32.25
Years covered
9
2013–2021
Data points
1,591

What the numbers show

Press Freedom Index is currently reported for 173 countries. The highest value is 81.45 in Eritrea; the lowest is 6.72 in Norway.

The median across all reporting countries is 32.25, and the mean is 35.56.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 12.

Over the past decade 119 countries rose and 54 fell. The largest increase was in Andorra (up 241.9%), and the largest decrease in Portugal (down 39.6%).

Press Freedom Index: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Eritrea 81.45 2021 down 4.0% flat
2 North Korea 81.28 2021 down 3.1% flat
3 Turkmenistan 80.03 2021 up 1.1% flat
4 China 78.72 2021 up 7.7% rising
5 Djibouti 78.62 2021 up 16.6% rising
6 Vietnam 78.46 2021 up 9.3% rising
7 Iran 72.7 2021 down 1.0% falling
8 Syria 70.63 2021 down 10.1% falling
9 Laos 70.56 2021 up 3.8% falling
10 Cuba 63.94 2021 down 10.7% falling
11 Saudi Arabia 62.73 2021 up 10.3% rising
12 Yemen 62.35 2021 down 9.9% falling
13 Bahrain 61.1 2021 down 2.6% flat
14 Azerbaijan 58.77 2021 up 23.1% rising
15 Egypt 56.17 2021 up 15.4% rising
16 Libya 55.73 2021 up 47.2% rising
17 Equatorial Guinea 55.67 2021 down 17.2% falling
18 Iraq 55.57 2021 up 24.4% rising
19 Tajikistan 55.52 2021 up 55.5% rising
20 Somalia 55.47 2021 down 24.6% falling
21 Singapore 55.2 2021 up 27.1% rising
22 Sudan 52.93 2021 down 24.5% falling
23 Belarus 50.82 2021 up 5.1% rising
24 Uzbekistan 50.74 2021 down 16.0% falling
25 Rwanda 50.66 2021 down 8.7% falling
26 Kazakhstan 50.28 2021 down 8.7% falling
27 Brunei 49.91 2021 up 40.8% rising
28 Turkey 49.79 2021 up 6.9% rising
29 Bangladesh 49.71 2021 up 18.3% rising
30 Honduras 49.35 2021 up 33.7% rising
31 Russia 48.71 2021 up 12.2% rising
32 Democratic Republic of Congo 48.59 2021 up 16.6% rising
33 Venezuela 47.6 2021 up 38.2% rising
34 Burundi 47.57 2021 up 25.1% rising
35 Algeria 47.26 2021 up 29.3% rising
36 Pakistan 46.86 2021 down 8.7% falling
37 Cambodia 46.84 2021 up 12.0% rising
38 Mexico 46.71 2021 up 3.1% flat
39 India 46.56 2021 up 13.0% rising
40 Eswatini 46.34 2021 down 0.9% flat
41 Myanmar 46.14 2021 up 3.2% rising
42 South Sudan 45.78 2021 up 26.5% rising
43 Philippines 45.64 2021 up 5.9% flat
44 Thailand 45.22 2021 up 17.2% rising
45 Morocco 43.94 2021 up 12.6% rising
46 Cameroon 43.78 2021 up 25.9% rising
47 Colombia 43.74 2021 up 16.7% rising
48 Oman 43.37 2021 up 4.5% rising
49 Palestine 43.18 2021 up 0.2% rising
50 United Arab Emirates 43.13 2021 up 28.8% rising
51 Zimbabwe 43.12 2021 up 13.1% rising
52 Jordan 42.89 2021 up 11.5% rising
53 Qatar 42.6 2021 up 29.6% rising
54 Sri Lanka 42.2 2021 down 25.4% falling
55 Central African Republic 41.92 2021 up 57.5% rising
56 Uganda 41.19 2021 up 30.0% rising
57 Tanzania 40.69 2021 up 48.8% rising
58 Chad 40.2 2021 up 15.3% flat
59 Afghanistan 40.19 2021 up 7.6% flat
60 Nicaragua 39.98 2021 up 41.2% rising
61 Nigeria 39.69 2021 up 16.4% rising
62 Malaysia 39.47 2021 down 7.6% falling
63 Congo 38.83 2021 up 37.7% rising
64 Gabon 38.6 2021 up 34.5% rising
65 Guatemala 38.45 2021 up 30.8% rising
66 Zambia 38.21 2021 up 36.8% rising
67 Benin 38.18 2021 up 34.8% rising
68 Indonesia 37.4 2021 down 8.9% falling
69 Bulgaria 37.29 2021 up 30.5% rising
70 Brazil 36.25 2021 up 10.7% rising
71 Bolivia 35.47 2021 up 8.1% rising
72 Guinea 35.42 2021 up 24.3% rising
73 Mozambique 35.39 2021 up 26.3% rising
74 Lebanon 34.93 2021 up 15.9% rising
75 Nepal 34.62 2021 up 0.0% flat
76 Kuwait 34.36 2021 up 21.5% rising
77 Montenegro 34.33 2021 up 4.1% flat
78 Angola 34.06 2021 down 9.9% falling
79 Kenya 33.65 2021 up 21.0% rising
80 Ethiopia 33.63 2021 down 15.0% falling
81 Paraguay 33.52 2021 up 16.5% rising
82 Mali 33.5 2021 up 11.6% flat
83 Liberia 33.36 2021 up 11.6% rising
84 Ukraine 32.96 2021 down 10.4% falling
85 Ecuador 32.83 2021 down 5.4% flat
86 Guinea-Bissau 32.68 2021 up 12.9% rising
87 Mauritania 32.25 2021 up 20.5% rising
88 Serbia 32.03 2021 up 20.5% rising
89 Hungary 31.76 2021 up 21.7% rising
90 Peru 31.71 2021 down 0.5% flat
91 North Macedonia 31.67 2021 down 7.6% falling
92 Lesotho 31.61 2021 up 11.5% rising
92 Moldova 31.61 2021 up 21.5% rising
94 Haiti 31.12 2021 up 29.2% rising
95 Israel 30.9 2021 down 6.3% falling
96 Gambia 30.76 2021 down 31.8% falling
97 Comoros 30.65 2021 up 25.0% rising
98 Albania 30.59 2021 down 0.9% flat
99 El Salvador 30.49 2021 up 33.4% rising
101 Hong Kong 30.44 2021 up 16.4% rising
102 Kyrgyzstan 30.37 2021 down 5.7% flat
103 Panama 29.94 2021 down 9.1% falling
104 Sierra Leone 29.61 2021 up 12.4% rising
105 Togo 29.59 2021 up 4.0% flat
106 Tunisia 29.53 2021 down 26.0% falling
107 Maldives 29.13 2021 down 6.3% falling
108 East Timor 29.11 2021 up 1.4% flat
109 Greece 29.01 2021 up 1.9% flat
110 Argentina 28.99 2021 up 12.9% rising
111 Mongolia 28.97 2021 down 3.2% flat
112 Japan 28.88 2021 up 14.7% rising
113 Cote d'Ivoire 28.87 2021 down 3.0% falling
114 Bhutan 28.86 2021 up 1.5% flat
115 Poland 28.84 2021 up 120.0% rising
116 Armenia 28.83 2021 up 2.8% flat
117 Malawi 28.8 2021 up 2.2% rising
118 Mauritius 28.74 2021 up 8.6% flat
119 Georgia 28.64 2021 down 4.8% flat
120 Niger 28.44 2021 up 23.2% rising
121 Bosnia and Herzegovina 28.34 2021 up 5.5% rising
122 Madagascar 28.24 2021 down 1.3% flat
123 Croatia 27.95 2021 up 5.0% rising
124 Fiji 27.92 2021 down 14.6% falling
125 Chile 27.89 2021 up 6.3% rising
126 Belize 27.61 2021 up 61.9% rising
127 Seychelles 25.66 2021 down 12.1% falling
128 Guyana 25.61 2021 down 5.4% flat
129 Dominican Republic 25.6 2021 down 9.7% flat
130 Senegal 25.22 2021 down 3.7% falling
131 Romania 24.91 2021 up 8.1% rising
132 Papua New Guinea 24.88 2021 up 8.3% flat
133 Tonga 24.59 2021 down 7.9% flat
134 United States 23.93 2021 up 31.3% rising
135 Taiwan 23.86 2021 up 0.2% flat
136 South Korea 23.43 2021 down 4.3% falling
137 Italy 23.39 2021 down 10.4% falling
138 Czechia 23.38 2021 up 129.9% rising
139 Andorra 23.32 2021 up 241.9% rising
140 Botswana 23.25 2021 up 1.5% rising
141 Burkina Faso 23.17 2021 down 2.2% flat
142 Slovenia 23.1 2021 up 12.7% rising
143 Slovakia 23.02 2021 up 73.7% rising
144 France 22.6 2021 up 4.6% flat
145 United Kingdom 21.59 2021 up 27.8% rising
145 South Africa 21.59 2021 down 12.1% falling
147 Trinidad and Tobago 21.55 2021 down 6.8% flat
148 Ghana 21.33 2021 up 23.5% rising
149 Spain 20.44 2021 down 0.3% rising
150 Lithuania 20.15 2021 up 10.5% rising
151 Cape Verde 20.09 2021 up 40.2% rising
152 Cyprus 19.85 2021 up 43.5% rising
153 Australia 19.79 2021 up 29.9% rising
154 Namibia 19.72 2021 up 57.8% rising
156 Latvia 19.26 2021 down 15.9% falling
157 Samoa 19.24 2021 down 19.3% falling
159 Suriname 16.95 2021 down 6.8% falling
160 Uruguay 16.38 2021 up 2.9% flat
161 Austria 16.34 2021 up 73.8% rising
162 Iceland 15.37 2021 up 81.0% rising
163 Canada 15.25 2021 up 20.2% rising
163 Estonia 15.25 2021 up 64.7% rising
165 Germany 15.24 2021 up 48.8% rising
167 Belgium 11.69 2021 down 9.7% falling
168 Switzerland 10.55 2021 up 6.1% falling
169 Portugal 10.11 2021 down 39.6% falling
170 New Zealand 10.04 2021 up 19.8% rising
171 Jamaica 9.96 2021 up 0.8% flat
172 Netherlands 9.67 2021 up 49.2% rising
173 Costa Rica 8.76 2021 down 27.5% falling
174 Denmark 8.57 2021 up 21.0% rising
175 Sweden 7.24 2021 down 21.6% falling
176 Finland 6.99 2021 up 9.6% rising
177 Norway 6.72 2021 up 3.1% rising

About this data

Indicator
Press Freedom Index
Source
Reporters sans Frontieres (2022) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
177 places, 1,591 data points, 2013–2021
Last refreshed

The index combines expert estimates with data on violence against journalists. It ranges from 0-100 (no freedom).