2026 RSF Index by region: press freedom in decline in 100 out of 180 countries

Key Points:

• Despite the European Media Freedom Act coming into force, several EU member states continue to violate the law, with Estonia slipping from 2nd to 3rd place due to political pressure on the press.
• Eastern Europe and Central Asia remain dominated by highly restrictive regimes such as Belarus, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Turkmenistan, which rank among the lowest globally for legal press freedom, while Ukraine shows slight improvement despite ongoing conflict.
• In the Americas, press freedom is increasingly under threat with rising criminalization and violence against journalists, exemplified by the US slipping in rankings and El Salvador intensifying crackdowns via new foreign agents laws.
• The Asia-Pacific region faces severe media repression under authoritarian regimes, with China holding the highest number of detained journalists worldwide and the Philippines using terrorism charges to silence critical reporters.
• The Middle East and North Africa have the most catastrophic press freedom situation globally, worsened by the killing of over 220 Palestinian journalists in the Gaza conflict, with nearly all countries in the region classified as facing very serious or difficult press freedom conditions.