Press freedom around the world has fallen to its lowest level in a quarter of a century. Only 1% of the world's population lives in conditions of real freedom of speech - RSF rating

The most dangerous regions for journalists remain Eastern Europe and the Middle East, as they were 25 years ago. An example is Russia, which dropped one position in the ranking over the course of the year, to 172nd place:

“Vladimir Putin's Russia has become an expert at using counter-terrorism, separatism and extremism laws to restrict press freedom. In April 2026, 48 journalists were in custody, those who wanted to continue working in the profession were forced to emigrate, which, however, did not completely protect them, since prosecutions do not stop when a journalist crosses the border of the Russian Federation.”

Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army has killed more than 220 journalists since October 2023, at least 70 of them “as part of their work,” RSF claims.

In many countries, freedom of speech is limited by "dictatorial regimes", including China (178th), North Korea (179th) and Eritrea (180th). In a number of other states, the situation remains unfavorable due to regularly breaking out armed conflicts. We are talking about, among others, Iraq (162nd place), Sudan (161st), Yemen (164th) and South Sudan (118th). Niger lost a record 37 positions over the year. The country is ruled by a military junta, and armed groups pose security threats.

The “right” index decreased most significantly over the year. The parameter worsened in more than 60% of countries, including India (157th), Egypt (169th), Israel (116th) and Georgia (135th). Legislative pressure is also becoming stronger in democratic countries. In particular, the United States (64th place) has “severely deteriorated” since Donald Trump returned to the White House.

“US President Donald Trump has made regular attacks on the press and journalists part of his systematic practice, as a result of which the country has moved down 7 places in the current rankings to 64th place. The arrest and subsequent expulsion of El Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara is one example of a deteriorating security environment for journalists already heavily affected by routine police violence. In addition, massive cutbacks in the overseas broadcasting system (USAGM) have had repercussions outside the country, with closures, suspensions, or staff reductions at outlets such as Voice of America (VOA), Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), or Radio Free Asia, which in some countries remained the last source of reliable information.”

The report also says that Donald Trump's "ardent supporters" in Latin America, Argentine Presidents Javier Milley and Salvadoran Nayib Bukele, are following the US leader's recipes, which is affecting their position in the rankings.