India Drops to 157th Place in World Press Freedom Index
NEW YORK: India has fallen to the 157th position out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, as reported by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). This marks a decline from last year’s ranking of 151, with Palestine at 156, just ahead of India.
In this year’s index, India is positioned lower than several countries, including Tajikistan (155), Laos (154), Pakistan (153), Bangladesh (152), and Cambodia (151). India now ranks above only 23 other countries, with Eritrea at the bottom.
The drop is evident across all five key measures that RSF analyzes: economic, legal, security, political, and social conditions for journalism. The legal environment for journalists, in particular, has faced significant deterioration, especially in India, where over 60% of the countries assessed showed a decline in this area.
This year’s RSF index has been described as the most troubling in its 25-year history. More than half of global nations are categorized as facing “difficult” or “very serious” challenges regarding press freedom.
Norway remains the leader in press freedom for the tenth straight year, while Eritrea maintains its last place for the third consecutive year. The United States, under former President Donald Trump, has fallen seven places to 64th due to policies that harmed media freedom, including attacks on the press and detentions of journalists.
In a notable development, Syria has improved its position by 36 spots to 141st, following significant changes in its political landscape. However, Niger saw the sharpest decline overall.
Overall, RSF highlights a worrying trend of increasing legal restrictions on journalism globally, with countries such as India, Egypt, Israel, and Georgia noted for their deteriorating legal environments. The report points out that many governments misuse national security laws and emergency powers to silence journalists, with Russia currently holding 48 journalists in prison as of April.
This ongoing crisis in press freedom raises serious concerns for democratic values and human rights globally.
