World Press Freedom Index 2026: A Deepening Crisis in Azerbaijan and Beyond

The 2026 World Press Freedom Index, released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on World Press Freedom Day shows a picture of the media world. For the first time in 25 years more than half of the 180 countries checked have a press freedom situation that is either "difficult" or "very serious." This is a change from 2002, when only 13.7% of countries had such bad conditions. It means that journalistic freedom is getting worse over the world.

The decline is very clear in the South Caucasus with Azerbaijan leading the way. The country has dropped 24 points in its score from 160th to 171st place. The situation on the ground is getting more and more unstable with at least 30 journalists in jail. The Azerbaijani government says they are charged with smuggling or tax evasion. Human rights groups say these charges are made up to silence critics and punish journalists who report the truth.

This decline is not just happening in Azerbaijan. Its neighbors are also seeing a decline. Georgia has dropped 21 places to 135th and Armenia has fallen 16 spots to 50th. In the region Turkey (160th) Russia (172nd) and Iran (177th) still have poor press freedom. On the other hand Norway, the Netherlands and Estonia are still leading the way for press freedom while the United States ranks 60th.

Syria is an exception to the global trend. It moved up 36 places to 141st. This improvement came after the 2024 overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime, which ended decades of oppression and gave media a new chance to operate. However the overall trend for journalism worldwide is still one of increasing political pressure. Azerbaijan’s falling rank shows that things are getting worse not better.