Top 10 best and worst countries for press freedom in 2025: India's rank revealed
World Press Freedom Index: In 2025, global press freedom is being threatened by growing economic pressures on journalists and newsrooms, adding to the already precarious nature of the profession subjected to socio-political and legal challenges.
Witnessing a troubling downward trend, its global landscape is being described as a 'difficult situation' for the first time in history, according to new findings of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index 2025.
'Today's news media are caught between preserving their editorial independence and ensuring their economic survival,' RSF highlights. (Source: World Press Freedom Index 2025, RSF)
RSF World Press Freedom Index 2025: What are the key challenges to press freedom globally?
Out of 180 countries assessed, 160 face significant challenges regarding the financial stability of media outlets, notably affected in the United States (ranked 57th, a decline of 2 places from the previous year), Tunisia (129th, down 11 places), and Argentina (87th, down 21 places).
Political instability further exacerbates the media economy, with particular difficulties in Palestine (163rd) and a notable decline in Israel (112th, down 11 places).
The concentration of media ownership also threatens media diversity and encourages self-censorship, affecting 46 countries, including well-placed nations like Australia (29th), Canada (21st), the Czechia (10th), and France (25th, down 4 places).
In some instances, such control is entirely state-owned, as seen in Russia (171st, down 9 places).
Laws restricting 'foreign influence' also stifle independent journalism, particularly in Georgia (114th, down 11 places).
Repressive legislation against the press poses additional challenges, notably in Central Asia and the Middle East, such as in Jordan (147th, which fell 15 places).
Editorial interference is a widespread issue, reported in over half of the countries evaluated (92 out of 180). In 21 countries—including Rwanda (146th), the United Arab Emirates (164th), and Vietnam (173rd) —media owners routinely interfere with editorial decisions, according to RSF.
Where does India rank?
India ranked 151st with a total score of 32.96 in the World Press Freedom Index in 2025, moving up 8 places from 159th last year.
World Press Freedom Index 2025: A comparative analysis on India's rank and score – 2025 vs. 2024.
Norway led the list in 2025, as it did last year, followed by Scandinavian and European countries that have consistently ranked high on press freedom surveys, supported by strong legal protections and a diverse media economy.
Eritrea is at the bottom-most this year, followed by countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia, which experience a worrying deterioration of 80% of the economic score alongside persistent polarisation and repression.
Top 10 Countries with the Best Press Freedom in 2025
Rank Country Global Score Political Economic Legislative Social Security
1 Norway 92.31 96.22 87.32 91.96 90.03 96.03
2 Estonia 89.46 90.87 79.4 90 91.61 95.41
3 Netherlands 88.64 89.95 83.85 89.69 88.05 91.64
4 Sweden 88.13 90.07 82.71 90.02 84.99 92.86
5 Finland 87.18 89.93 80.54 87.93 83.87 93.65
6 Denmark 86.93 91.13 78.46 86.78 83.85 94.43
7 Ireland 86.92 91.3 78.77 81.49 87.25 95.8
8 Portugal 84.26 88.77 65.83 86.16 86.74 93.81
9 Switzerland 83.98 85.7 73.21 83.73 83.4 93.86
10 Czechia 83.96 84.64 65.41 88.22 87.66 93.87
Bottom 10 Countries with the Worst Press Freedom in 2025
Rank Country Global Score Political Economic Legislative Social Security
180 Eritrea 11.32 10.81 15.46 8.35 11.69 10.29
179 North Korea 12.64 12.18 11.05 16.67 9.46 13.86
178 China 14.8 9.78 20.53 11.23 15.73 16.74
177 Syria 15.82 14 14.39 16.01 19.64 15.08
176 Iran 16.22 12.86 19.26 16.78 14.55 17.66
175 Afghanistan 17.88 17.78 25.1 11.43 18.92 16.16
174 Turkmenistan 19.14 7.63 15.9 31.94 13 27.24
173 Vietnam 19.74 13.81 19.15 19.16 20.97 25.62
172 Nicaragua 22.83 14.76 24.84 19.88 30.08 24.6
171 Russia 24.57 12.05 32.96 23.41 30.83 23.57
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