India’s score in the World Press Freedom Index fell over the last year, from 36.62 to 31.28, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF for Reporters sans Frontières), which puts together an annual index of freedom enjoyed by journalists in 180 jurisdictions. India’s rank improved from 161 in 2023 to 159 in 2024, but this was because other countries had slipped in their rankings. The government has in the past dismissed international rankings of freedoms in India as propaganda.
Norway and Denmark topped the RSF table while Eritrea was at the bottom, with Syria just ahead of it. The government has in the past dismissed international rankings of freedoms in India as misinformed and propaganda driven.
“Press freedom around the world is being threatened by the very people who should be its guarantors — political authorities,” RSF said, noting that press freedoms fell by an average 7.6 points globally.
