According to the updated annual press freedom rating, made public by the organization “Reporters without Borders” (RSF), the situation with media freedom in Ukraine has worsened. Ukraine has lost one position compared to the previous year and is currently ranked 62 out of 180, between South Korea and Brazil.
The rating is based on five key criteria: political context, legal environment, economic situation in the media, socio-cultural conditions and the level of security for journalists. The study notes that the current level of press freedom in the world has reached a historic low and is classified as “difficult” for the first time since the Index began.
In 2025, the average of all countries covered by the assessment fell below 55 points, corresponding to the “difficult situation” category. In total, 112 out of 180 countries recorded a decline in the overall rating in the Press Freedom Index.
Norway, Estonia and the Netherlands have the best press freedom scores, while Eritrea, North Korea and China have the worst. Russia took 171st place, falling into the top ten countries with the lowest indicators. In RSF, among the key reasons for the general deterioration of the media situation, economic pressure on the media is singled out.
“Without economic independence, there can be a free press. When news media experience financial difficulties, they become involved in a race to attract audiences at the expense of quality reporting and can fall prey to oligarchs and government agencies that seek to exploit them. When journalists are impoverished, they no longer have the means to stand up to the press’s enemies—those who promote misinformation and propaganda.”RSF said in a statement.
