2026 World Press Freedom Index

Global distribution

A 25-year low for press freedom

More than half of the 180 countries assessed are now in “difficult” or “very serious” conditions.

South Korea

South Korea improved — but stopped short of the line

South Korea rose +14 and gained +5.06 points in the 2026 index. But its 69.12 score remains 0.88 points below the threshold for “satisfactory,” keeping the country in the “problematic” category.

Indicator profile

Where Korea is strongest — and where pressure remains

Safety is Korea’s strongest score. Political and economic conditions remain the weakest pressure points.

Regional context

Korea in the Asia-Pacific context

South Korea ranks below Taiwan but above Japan, China, and North Korea. Its position is stronger than several regional peers, but still below the “satisfactory” threshold.

Global extremes

Global extremes

The top of the index remains concentrated in Northern and Western Europe, while the lowest-ranked countries are overwhelmingly classified as “very serious.”

Major economies

The G20 press freedom gap

Economic power does not guarantee strong press freedom protections.

Year-on-year movement

Largest year-on-year movements

Rank movement is a directional signal. It can reflect score changes, methodology, and relative movement among countries.

Methodology

Methodology and source

Source: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, 2026 World Press Freedom Index. Breeze in Busan visualized RSF’s published rankings, scores, and methodology. Official source

RSF scores each country from 0 to 100 using five indicators: political context, economic context, legal framework, sociocultural context, and safety. Breeze in Busan applies RSF’s published score thresholds to label each country’s press freedom environment.