Press Freedom At A 25-Year Low
According to the latest RSF global press freedom index 2026, a number of African countries are above the United States of America.
The African countries include South Africa, Liberia, Seychelles, Gabon, Cape Verde, Mauritius, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, among others. Liberia stands at 58, while the United States ranks 64 in the global index.
Press Freedom At A 25-Year Low
For the first time in the history of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, over half of the world’s countries now fall into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom.
In 25 years, the average score of all 180 countries and territories surveyed in the Index has never been so low. Since 2001, the expansion of increasingly restrictive legal arsenals — particularly those linked to national security policies — has been steadily eroding the right to information, even in democratic countries.
The Index’s legal indicator has declined the most over the past year, a clear sign that journalism is increasingly criminalised worldwide. In the Americas, the situation has evolved significantly, with the United States dropping seven places and several Latin American countries sliding deeper into a spiral of violence and repression.
Five key takeaways from the 2026 RSF World Press Freedom Index:
- The average score for all countries and territories worldwide has never been so low. For the first time in the Index’s 25-year history, more than half the world’s countries now fall into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom.
- Out of the five indicators used to assess press freedom worldwide — which determine the economic, legal, security, political and social environments for journalism — the legal indicator has seen the sharpest decline this year.
- The United States has fallen seven places and other countries in the Americas, such as Ecuador and Peru, have plummeted in the ranking.
- Norway holds the top spot for the tenth consecutive year, while Eritrea comes in last for the third year in a row.
- Post-Assad Syria has seen the biggest improvement in press freedom of all the countries and territories in the 2026 Index, climbing 36 places in the ranking. 2026 RSF Index: press freedom at a 25-year low | RSF
Below are some other countries above the United States:
| South Africa | 77.95 | 74.65 | 59.76 | 83.22 | 83.11 | 89.01 | 6 | |
| 22 | New Zealand | 77.38 | 78.40 | 64.44 | 76.35 | 75.95 | 91.76 | -6 |
| 23 | Namibia | 76.97 | 72.63 | 60.55 | 81.96 | 76.52 | 93.17 | 5 |
| 24 | Fiji | 76.76 | 71.38 | 63.74 | 73.25 | 80.32 | 95.10 | 16 |
| 25 | France | 76.68 | 77.07 | 61.43 | 79.15 | 77.38 | 88.38 | 0 |
| 26 | Jamaica | 75.87 | 64.76 | 67.04 | 72.62 | 81.85 | 93.10 | 0 |
| 27 | Poland | 75.52 | 66.48 | 62.71 | 74.50 | 81.50 | 92.44 | 4 |
| 28 | Taiwan | 75.44 | 72.14 | 58.63 | 75.97 | 77.04 | 93.42 | -4 |
| 29 | Spain | 75.42 | 71.26 | 55.68 | 80.59 | 79.05 | 96.46 | -6 |
| 30 | Timor-Leste | 75.29 | 63.64 | 57.35 | 82.10 | 80.68 | 92.68 | 9 |
| 31 | Moldova | 74.77 | 65.89 | 59.92 | 77.60 | 81.51 | 88.92 | 4 |
| 32 | Trinidad and Tobago | 74.70 | 64.60 | 62.40 | 77.21 | 78.79 | 90.48 | -13 |
| 33 | Australia | 74.58 | 75.63 | 61.43 | 67.10 | 76.74 | 92.00 | -4 |
| 34 | Suriname | 73.20 | 62.33 | 66.71 | 68.06 | 78.98 | 89.93 | -2 |
| 35 | Seychelles | 73.04 | 65.90 | 61.52 | 70.19 | 77.32 | 90.28 | 10 |
| 36 | Slovenia | 72.88 | 68.89 | 52.29 | 80.35 | 72.22 | 90.65 | -3 |
| 37 | Slovakia | 72.71 | 53.50 | 61.06 | 79.69 | 79.47 | 89.84 | 1 |
| 38 | Costa Rica | 72.35 | 50.73 | 58.11 | 83.34 | 77.41 | 92.15 | -2 |
| 39 | Ghana | 72.20 | 69.00 | 51.46 | 80.16 | 73.27 | 87.10 | 13 |
| 40 | Cabo Verde | 71.98 | 65.73 | 49.61 | 77.38 | 74.39 | 92.78 | -10 |
| 41 | Montenegro | 71.80 | 60.25 | 53.35 | 81.53 | 73.97 | 89.91 | -4 |
| 42 | Mauritius | 70.92 | 65.17 | 51.25 | 70.91 | 78.07 | 89.20 | 9 |
| 43 | Gabon | 70.57 | 66.01 | 54.95 | 71.36 | 74.23 | 86.31 | -2 |
| 44 | Dominican Republic |