Worldwide press freedom index

Yearly worldwide press freedom ranking of countries
published by Reporters Without Borders
Rank Country Index

Learn more about this here.




2006 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002
1 Finland 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50
1 Iceland 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50
1 Ireland 0.50 0.50 0.50 2.83 1.00
1 Netherlands 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50
5 Czech Republic 0.75 1.00 3.50 2.50 11.25
6 Estonia 2.00 1.50 2.00 2.50
6 Norway 2.00 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50
8 Slovakia 2.50 0.75 0.50 2.50
8 Switzerland 2.50 0.50 0.50 2.50 4.25
10 Hungary 3.00 2.00 6.00 3.33 6.50
10 Latvia 3.00 2.50 1.00 2.25
10 Portugal 3.00 4.83 4.50 5.17 1.50
10 Slovenia 3.00 1.00 2.25 3.00 4.00
14 Belgium 4.00 4.00 4.00 1.17 3.50
14 Sweden 4.00 2.00 2.00 1.50 1.50
16 Austria 4.50 2.50 3.25 2.75 7.50
16 Bolivia 4.50 9.67 20.00 9.67 14.50
16 Canada 4.50 4.50 3.33 1.83 0.75
19 Bosnia-Herzegovina 5.00 7.00 3.67 6.83 12.50
19 Denmark 5.00 0.50 0.50 1.00 3.00
19 New Zealand 5.00 2.00 0.67 2.83
19 Trinidad and Tobago 5.00 2.00 2.00 1.00
23 Benin 5.50 5.50 5.50 5.25 6.00
23 Germany 5.50 4.00 2.00 1.33 1.50
23 Jamaica 5.50 7.50 4.17 3.33
26 Namibia 6.00 5.50 10.00 11.00 8.00
27 Lithuania 6.50 4.50 3.00 2.83
27 United Kingdom 6.50 5.17 6.00 4.25 6.00
29 Costa Rica 6.67 8.50 7.63 3.83 4.25
30 Cyprus (Republic of Cyprus) 7.50 5.50 22.00 20.83
31 South Korea 7.75 7.50 11.13 9.17 10.50
32 Greece 8.00 4.00 7.00 6.00 5.00
32 Mauritius 8.00 7.50 10.50 7.25 9.50
34 Ghana 8.50 15.00 13.50 8.75 23.00
35 Australia 9.00 6.50 9.50 9.25 3.50
35 Bulgaria 9.00 10.25 8.00 6.50 9.75
35 France 9.00 6.25 3.50 4.17 3.25
35 Mali 9.00 8.00 12.83 11.00 12.50
39 Panama 9.50 15.00 14.50 9.75 15.50
40 Italy 9.90 8.67 9.00 9.75 11.00
41 El Salvador 10.00 5.75 6.00 6.83 8.75
41 Spain 10.00 8.33 9.00 7.67 7.75
43 Republic of China (Taiwan) 10.50 12.25 14.25 12.00 9.00
44 South Africa 11.25 6.50 5.00 3.33 7.50
45 Cape Verde 11.50 6.00 8.75 8.25 13.75
45 Republic of Macedonia 11.50 8.75 11.25 9.67
45 Mozambique 11.50 10.50 16.25 14.00 23.50
45 Serbia and Montenegro 11.50 14.83 20.13 21.33 20.75
49 Chile 11.63 11.75 10.00 6.83 6.50
50 Israel 12.00 10.00 8.00 8.00 30.00
Grenada 12.00
51 Japan 12.50 8.00 10.00 8.00 7.50
52 Dominican Republic 12.75 12.25 6.75 17.00
53 Botswana 13.00 14.00 11.50 13.00
53 Croatia 13.00 12.83 11.83 16.50 8.75
53 Tonga 13.00 14.50 38.17
53 United States (American territory) 13.00 9.50 4.00 6.00 4.75
57 Uruguay 13.75 9.75 10.00 4.00 6.00
58 Fiji 14.00 14.00 16.00 11.50
58 Hong Kong 14.00 8.25 7.50 11.00 4.83
58 Poland 14.00 12.50 6.83 6.17 7.75
58 Romania 14.00 16.17 17.83 11.50 13.25
62 Central African Republic 14.50 19.75 32.50 32.75 21.50
62 Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus 14.50 12.50
62 Guinea-Bissau 14.50 17.00 23.50 35.25 30.25
62 Honduras 14.50 18.00 11.75 14.17
66 Madagascar 15.00 24.50 18.50 8.17 22.75
66 Togo 15.00 23.75 19.50 27.50 31.50
68 Ecuador 15.25 21.75 16.50 7.67 5.50
69 Nicaragua 15.50 15.25 11.67 6.50
70 Burkina Faso 16.00 19.00 16.25 18.00 27.75
70 Kosovo 16.00 25.75
70 Lesotho 16.00 19.50 29.50 17.75
73 Republic of the Congo 17.00 17.00 17.50 14.00 23.17
73 Kuwait 17.00 21.25 31.67 31.33 25.50
75 Brazil 17.17 14.50 16.50 16.75 18.75
76 Argentina 17.30 13.67 21.33 15.17 12.00
77 Mauritania 17.50 40.00 51.00 36.67 41.33
77 Senegal 17.50 19.00 21.50 14.50 14.00
77 United Arab Emirates 17.50 25.75 50.25 37.00
80 Albania 18.00 14.17 11.50 6.50
80 Qatar 18.00 23.00 32.50 35.00
82 Paraguay 18.25 15.50 10.50 7.17 8.50
83 Timor-Leste 18.50 13.50 13.50 5.50
84 Liberia 19.00 20.50 40.00 40.00 37.75
85 Moldova 19.17 17.50 20.50 27.00
86 Mongolia 19.25 12.50 19.00 18.25 24.50
87 Haiti 19.50 33.50 42.13 31.00 36.50
88 Tanzania 19.82 17.50 14.50 16.50 21.25
89 Georgia 21.00 25.17 27.50 17.33
90 Guatemala 21.25 21.50 16.50 30.83 27.25
91 Angola 21.50 18.00 26.50 28.00 30.17
92 Malaysia 22.25 33.00 39.83 32.00 37.83
93 Comoros 22.50 22.00 26.50 18.50 20.50
93 Zambia 22.50 23.00 29.75 23.25 26.75
95 Niger 24.50 13.00 18.33 15.75 18.50
95 Seychelles 24.50 17.00 23.50 26.75 20.75
97 Morocco 24.83 36.17 43.00 39.67 29.00
98 Bhutan 25.00 51.50 55.83 77.33 90.75
98 Côte d'Ivoire 25.00 52.25 60.38 42.17 19.00
98 Turkey 25.00 25.00 37.25 35.00 33.50
101 Armenia 25.50 26.00 23.50 25.17
101 Malawi 25.50 22.75 31.00 21.00 27.67
103 Indonesia 26.00 26.00 37.75 34.25 20.00
103 Sierra Leone 26.00 39.50 24.50 23.50 24.50
105 India 26.50 27.00 38.50 39.00 26.50
105 Ukraine 26.50 32.50 51.00 40.00 40.00
107 Lebanon 27.00 28.25 24.38 32.50 19.67
108 Cambodia 27.25 23.00 36.50 19.50 24.25
109 Guinea 27.50 26.00 24.50 33.17 26.00
109 Jordan 27.50 24.00 39.13 37.00 33.50
111 Bahrain 28.00 38.75 52.50 35.17 23.00
112 Cameroon 28.25 20.50 27.00 30.50 28.83
112 Peru 28.25 33.33 40.00 10.25 9.50
114 Gabon 28.50 26.00 37.50 31.25 20.50
115 Venezuela 29.00 23.00 24.63 27.83 25.00
116 Uganda 29.83 19.25 24.00 25.75 17.00
117 Tajikistan 30.00 33.00 27.75 34.50 28.25
118 Kenya 30.25 30.00 22.25 18.50 24.75
119 United States (extra-territorial) 31.50 48.50 36.00 41.00
120 Nigeria 32.23 38.75 37.75 31.50 15.50
121 Djibouti 33.00 37.00 55.00 35.50 31.25
122 Thailand 33.50 28.00 14.00 19.67 22.75
123 Kyrgyzstan 34.00 32.00 35.25 32.00 31.75
124 Chad 35.50 30.00 33.25 24.00 28.75
Brunei 38.00
125 Burundi 39.83
126 Algeria 40.00 40.33 43.50 33.00 31.00
127 Swaziland 40.50 35.00 31.00 37.50 29.00
128 Kazakhstan 41.00 36.17 44.17 42.50 42.00
128 Rwanda 41.00 38.00 37.25 34.25 37.50
130 Afghanistan 44.25 39.17 28.25 40.17 35.50
131 Colombia 44.75 40.17 47.38 49.17 40.83
132 Mexico 45.83 45.50 27.83 17.67 24.75
133 Egypt 46.25 52.00 43.50 34.25 34.50
134 Palestinian Authority 46.75 42.50 43.17 39.25 27.00
135 Azerbaijan 47.00 51.00 49.67 34.50 34.50
135 Israel (extra-territorial) 47.00 37.50 49.00
137 Bangladesh 48.00 61.25 62.50 46.50 43.75
137 Equatorial Guinea 48.00 44.00 46.25 44.75 42.75
139 Sudan 48.13 44.00 44.25 45.75 36.00
140 Zimbabwe 50.00 64.25 67.50 45.50 48.25
141 Sri Lanka 50.75 33.25 36.50 24.83 15.75
142 Democratic Republic of the Congo 51.00 57.33 51.50 38.50 40.75
142 Philippines 51.00 50.00 36.63 35.25 29.00
144 Maldives 51.25 58.50 69.17 47.50
144 Somalia 51.25 59.00 43.50 45.00
146 Singapore 51.50 50.67 57.00 47.33
147 Russia 52.50 48.67 51.38 49.50 48.00
148 Tunisia 53.75 57.50 62.67 50.83 67.75
149 Gambia 54.00 41.00 29.50 18.25 22.50
149 Yemen 54.00 46.25 48.00 41.83 34.75
151 Belarus 57.00 61.33 54.10 52.00 52.17
Oman 57.75
152 Libya 62.50 88.75 65.00 60.00 72.50
153 Syria 63.00 55.00 67.50 67.50 62.83
154 Iraq 66.83 67.00 58.50 37.50 79.00
155 Vietnam 67.25 73.25 86.88 89.17 81.25
156 Laos 67.50 66.50 64.33 94.83 89.00
157 Pakistan 70.33 60.75 61.75 39.00 44.67
158 Uzbekistan 71.00 66.50 52.13 61.50 45.00
159 Nepal 73.50 86.75 84.00 51.50 63.00
160 Ethiopia 75.00 42.00 37.00 37.50 37.50
161 Saudi Arabia 76.00 66.00 79.17 71.50 62.50
162 Iran 90.88 89.17 78.30 89.33 48.25
163 People's Republic of China (mainland only) 94.00 83.00 92.33 91.25 97.00
164 Myanmar 94.75 88.83 103.63 95.50 96.83
165 Cuba 95.00 87.00 106.83 97.83 90.25
166 Eritrea 97.50 99.75 93.25 91.50 83.67
167 Turkmenistan 98.50 93.50 99.83 82.83 91.50
168 North Korea 109.00 109.00 107.50 99.50 97.50

The moral of the story as you see the USA ranks 53rd, don't trust the national media for your news. Be diligent, try and seek multiple sources for your information.