Press freedom index, 2013 to 2021
The index combines expert estimates with data on violence against journalists. It ranges from 0-100 (no freedom).
Press Freedom Score
Country/area | 2013 | 2021 | Absolute Change | Relative Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 37.4 | 40.2 | +2.8 | +8% |
| Albania | 30.9 | 30.6 | -0.3 | -1% |
| Algeria | 36.5 | 47.3 | +10.7 | +29% |
| Andorra | 6.8 | 23.3 | +16.5 | +242% |
| Angola | 37.8 | 34.1 | -3.7 | -10% |
| Argentina | 25.7 | 29.0 | +3.3 | +13% |
| Armenia | 28.0 | 28.8 | +0.8 | +3% |
| Australia | 15.2 | 19.8 | +4.5 | +30% |
| Austria | 9.4 | 16.3 | +6.9 | +74% |
| Azerbaijan | 47.7 | 58.8 | +11.0 | +23% |
| Bahrain | 62.8 | 61.1 | -1.6 | -3% |
| Bangladesh | 42.0 | 49.7 | +7.7 | +18% |
| Belarus | 48.4 | 50.8 | +2.5 | +5% |
| Belgium | 12.9 | 11.7 | -1.3 | -10% |
| Belize | 27.6 | |||
| Benin | 28.3 | 38.2 | +9.9 | +35% |
| Bhutan | 28.4 | 28.9 | +0.4 | +2% |
| Bolivia | 32.8 | 35.5 | +2.7 | +8% |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 26.9 | 28.3 | +1.5 | +6% |
| Botswana | 22.9 | 23.3 | +0.3 | +1% |
| Brazil | 32.8 | 36.3 | +3.5 | +11% |
| Brunei | 35.5 | 49.9 | +14.5 | +41% |
| Bulgaria | 28.6 | 37.3 | +8.7 | +30% |
| Burkina Faso | 23.7 | 23.2 | -0.5 | -2% |
| Burundi | 38.0 | 47.6 | +9.5 | +25% |
| Cambodia | 41.8 | 46.8 | +5.0 | +12% |
| Cameroon | 34.8 | 43.8 | +9.0 | +26% |
| Canada | 12.7 | 15.3 | +2.6 | +20% |
| Cape Verde | 14.3 | 20.1 | +5.8 | +40% |
| Central African Republic | 26.6 | 41.9 | +15.3 | +58% |
| Chad | 34.9 | 40.2 | +5.3 | +15% |
| Chile | 26.2 | 27.9 | +1.7 | +6% |
| China | 73.1 | 78.7 | +5.7 | +8% |
| Colombia | 37.5 | 43.7 | +6.3 | +17% |
| Comoros | 24.5 | 30.6 | +6.1 | +25% |
| Congo | 28.2 | 38.8 | +10.6 | +38% |
| Costa Rica | 12.1 | 8.8 | -3.3 | -27% |
| Cote d'Ivoire | 29.8 | 28.9 | -0.9 | -3% |
| Croatia | 26.6 | 27.9 | +1.3 | +5% |
| Cuba | 71.6 | 63.9 | -7.7 | -11% |
| Cyprus | 13.8 | 19.9 | +6.0 | +44% |
| Czechia | 10.2 | 23.4 | +13.2 | +130% |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | 41.7 | 48.6 | +6.9 | +17% |
| Denmark | 7.1 | 8.6 | +1.5 | +21% |
| Djibouti | 67.4 | 78.6 | +11.2 | +17% |
| Dominican Republic | 28.3 | 25.6 | -2.7 | -10% |
| East Timor | 28.7 | 29.1 | +0.4 | +1% |
| Ecuador | 34.7 | 32.8 | -1.9 | -5% |
| Egypt | 48.7 | 56.2 | +7.5 | +15% |
| El Salvador | 22.9 | 30.5 | +7.6 | +33% |
| Equatorial Guinea | 67.2 | 55.7 | -11.5 | -17% |
| Eritrea | 84.8 | 81.5 | -3.4 | -4% |
| Estonia | 9.3 | 15.3 | +6.0 | +65% |
| Eswatini | 46.3 | |||
| Ethiopia | 39.6 | 33.6 | -5.9 | -15% |
| Fiji | 32.7 | 27.9 | -4.8 | -15% |
| Finland | 6.4 | 7.0 | +0.6 | +10% |
| France | 21.6 | 22.6 | +1.0 | +5% |
| Gabon | 28.7 | 38.6 | +9.9 | +35% |
| Gambia | 45.1 | 30.8 | -14.3 | -32% |
| Georgia | 30.1 | 28.6 | -1.4 | -5% |
| Germany | 10.2 | 15.2 | +5.0 | +49% |
| Ghana | 17.3 | 21.3 | +4.1 | +24% |
| Greece | 28.5 | 29.0 | +0.6 | +2% |
| Guatemala | 29.4 | 38.5 | +9.1 | +31% |
| Guinea | 28.5 | 35.4 | +6.9 | +24% |
| Guinea-Bissau | 28.9 | 32.7 | +3.7 | +13% |
| Guyana | 27.1 | 25.6 | -1.5 | -5% |
| Haiti | 24.1 | 31.1 | +7.0 | +29% |
| Honduras | 36.9 | 49.4 | +12.4 | +34% |
| Hong Kong | 26.2 | 30.4 | +4.3 | +16% |
| Hungary | 26.1 | 31.8 | +5.7 | +22% |
| Iceland | 8.5 | 15.4 | +6.9 | +81% |
| India | 41.2 | 46.6 | +5.3 | +13% |
| Indonesia | 41.0 | 37.4 | -3.6 | -9% |
| Iran | 73.4 | 72.7 | -0.7 | -1% |
| Iraq | 44.7 | 55.6 | +10.9 | +24% |
| Ireland | 10.1 | 11.9 | +1.8 | +18% |
| Israel | 33.0 | 30.9 | -2.1 | -6% |
| Italy | 26.1 | 23.4 | -2.7 | -10% |
| Jamaica | 9.9 | 10.0 | +0.1 | +1% |
| Japan | 25.2 | 28.9 | +3.7 | +15% |
| Jordan | 38.5 | 42.9 | +4.4 | +11% |
| Kazakhstan | 55.1 | 50.3 | -4.8 | -9% |
| Kenya | 27.8 | 33.6 | +5.8 | +21% |
| Kosovo | 28.5 | 30.3 | +1.9 | +6% |
| Kuwait | 28.3 | 34.4 | +6.1 | +21% |
| Kyrgyzstan | 32.2 | 30.4 | -1.8 | -6% |
| Laos | 68.0 | 70.6 | +2.6 | +4% |
| Latvia | 22.9 | 19.3 | -3.6 | -16% |
| Lebanon | 30.1 | 34.9 | +4.8 | +16% |
| Lesotho | 28.4 | 31.6 | +3.3 | +11% |
| Liberia | 29.9 | 33.4 | +3.5 | +12% |
| Libya | 37.9 | 55.7 | +17.9 | +47% |
| Liechtenstein | 7.3 | 19.5 | +12.1 | +165% |
| Lithuania | 18.2 | 20.1 | +1.9 | +10% |
| Luxembourg | 6.7 | 17.6 | +10.9 | +163% |
| Madagascar | 28.6 | 28.2 | -0.4 | -1% |
| Malawi | 28.2 | 28.8 | +0.6 | +2% |
| Malaysia | 42.7 | 39.5 | -3.3 | -8% |
| Maldives | 31.1 | 29.1 | -2.0 | -6% |
| Mali | 30.0 | 33.5 | +3.5 | +12% |
| Malta | 23.3 | 30.5 | +7.2 | +31% |
| Mauritania | 26.8 | 32.3 | +5.5 | +21% |
| Mauritius | 26.5 | 28.7 | +2.3 | +9% |
| Mexico | 45.3 | 46.7 | +1.4 | +3% |
| Moldova | 26.0 | 31.6 | +5.6 | +22% |
| Mongolia | 29.9 | 29.0 | -1.0 | -3% |
| Montenegro | 33.0 | 34.3 | +1.4 | +4% |
| Morocco | 39.0 | 43.9 | +4.9 | +13% |
| Mozambique | 28.0 | 35.4 | +7.4 | +26% |
| Myanmar | 44.7 | 46.1 | +1.4 | +3% |
| Namibia | 12.5 | 19.7 | +7.2 | +58% |
| Nepal | 34.6 | 34.6 | +0.0 | +0% |
| Netherlands | 6.5 | 9.7 | +3.2 | +49% |
| New Zealand | 8.4 | 10.0 | +1.7 | +20% |
| Nicaragua | 28.3 | 40.0 | +11.7 | +41% |
| Niger | 23.1 | 28.4 | +5.4 | +23% |
| Nigeria | 34.1 | 39.7 | +5.6 | +16% |
| North Korea | 83.9 | 81.3 | -2.6 | -3% |
| North Macedonia | 34.3 | 31.7 | -2.6 | -8% |
| Norway | 6.5 | 6.7 | +0.2 | +3% |
| Oman | 41.5 | 43.4 | +1.9 | +4% |
| Pakistan | 51.3 | 46.9 | -4.5 | -9% |
| Palestine | 43.1 | 43.2 | +0.1 | +0% |
| Panama | 33.0 | 29.9 | -3.0 | -9% |
| Papua New Guinea | 23.0 | 24.9 | +1.9 | +8% |
| Paraguay | 28.8 | 33.5 | +4.7 | +16% |
| Peru | 31.9 | 31.7 | -0.2 | -1% |
| Philippines | 43.1 | 45.6 | +2.5 | +6% |
| Poland | 13.1 | 28.8 | +15.7 | +120% |
| Portugal | 16.8 | 10.1 | -6.6 | -40% |
| Qatar | 32.9 | 42.6 | +9.7 | +30% |
| Romania | 23.1 | 24.9 | +1.9 | +8% |
| Russia | 43.4 | 48.7 | +5.3 | +12% |
| Rwanda | 55.5 | 50.7 | -4.8 | -9% |
| Samoa | 23.8 | 19.2 | -4.6 | -19% |
| Saudi Arabia | 56.9 | 62.7 | +5.8 | +10% |
| Senegal | 26.2 | 25.2 | -1.0 | -4% |
| Serbia | 26.6 | 32.0 | +5.4 | +20% |
| Seychelles | 29.2 | 25.7 | -3.5 | -12% |
| Sierra Leone | 26.4 | 29.6 | +3.3 | +12% |
| Singapore | 43.4 | 55.2 | +11.8 | +27% |
| Slovakia | 13.3 | 23.0 | +9.8 | +74% |
| Slovenia | 20.5 | 23.1 | +2.6 | +13% |
| Somalia | 73.6 | 55.5 | -18.1 | -25% |
| South Africa | 24.6 | 21.6 | -3.0 | -12% |
| South Korea | 24.5 | 23.4 | -1.1 | -4% |
| South Sudan | 36.2 | 45.8 | +9.6 | +26% |
| Spain | 20.5 | 20.4 | -0.1 | -0% |
| Sri Lanka | 56.6 | 42.2 | -14.4 | -25% |
| Sudan | 70.1 | 52.9 | -17.1 | -24% |
| Suriname | 18.2 | 16.9 | -1.2 | -7% |
| Sweden | 9.2 | 7.2 | -2.0 | -22% |
| Switzerland | 9.9 | 10.6 | +0.6 | +6% |
| Syria | 78.5 | 70.6 | -7.9 | -10% |
| Taiwan | 23.8 | 23.9 | +0.0 | +0% |
| Tajikistan | 35.7 | 55.5 | +19.8 | +55% |
| Tanzania | 27.3 | 40.7 | +13.3 | +49% |
| Thailand | 38.6 | 45.2 | +6.6 | +17% |
| Togo | 28.4 | 29.6 | +1.1 | +4% |
| Tonga | 26.7 | 24.6 | -2.1 | -8% |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 23.1 | 21.6 | -1.6 | -7% |
| Tunisia | 39.9 | 29.5 | -10.4 | -26% |
| Turkey | 46.6 | 49.8 | +3.2 | +7% |
| Turkmenistan | 79.1 | 80.0 | +0.9 | +1% |
| Uganda | 31.7 | 41.2 | +9.5 | +30% |
| Ukraine | 36.8 | 33.0 | -3.8 | -10% |
| United Arab Emirates | 33.5 | 43.1 | +9.6 | +29% |
| United Kingdom | 16.9 | 21.6 | +4.7 | +28% |
| United States | 18.2 | 23.9 | +5.7 | +31% |
| Uruguay | 15.9 | 16.4 | +0.5 | +3% |
| Uzbekistan | 60.4 | 50.7 | -9.6 | -16% |
| Venezuela | 34.4 | 47.6 | +13.2 | +38% |
| Vietnam | 71.8 | 78.5 | +6.7 | +9% |
| Yemen | 69.2 | 62.4 | -6.9 | -10% |
| Zambia | 27.9 | 38.2 | +10.3 | +37% |
| Zimbabwe | 38.1 | 43.1 | +5.0 | +13% |
| Other | ||||
| Eastern Caribbean States | 19.7 | 24.0 | +4.3 | +22% |
| Northern Cyprus | 29.3 | 29.8 | +0.5 | +2% |
| Swaziland | 46.8 |
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