Norway retains its long‑standing No. 1 spot on the 2026 Reporters Sans Frontières World Press Freedom Index, with Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Estonia also landing in the top ten.

The 2026 index marks a historic low, as more than half of 180 surveyed countries now sit in the ‘difficult’ or ‘very serious’ categories. RSF notes the average score has never been this low in 25 years.

Despite the global slide, the Nordic region remains the sole green‑marked area on RSF’s world map, underscoring its continued commitment to journalistic liberty. The stark contrast highlights a growing trend of tightening media control worldwide.

This shift signals a troubling erosion of free‑speech protections and signals that even the most resilient democracies may face increasing pressure from authoritarian tendencies.