Maldives remains in most difficult countries for journalism in Press Freedom Index

Maldives remains in category of the most difficult countries to practice journalism, according to the latest World Press Freedom Index (WPFI).

World Press Freedom Index is an annual ranking of 180 nations – compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) – based on the level of freedom enjoyed by journalists and media personnel in those nations.

Maldives, which ranked 106th in the WPFI last year with a score of 52.63, climbed two ranks this year, coming in 104th with a score of 52.46. However, the archipelago remains in the category of the most difficult countries to practice journalism.

In 2022, the Maldives was ranked 87th and classified as having a satisfactory level of press freedom. However, in 2023, the archipelago dropped 13 places to 100th. The downward trend continued in 2024 with a further drop to 106th.

In 2018, the Maldives was ranked 120th in WPFI. The country saw a notable improvement in 2019, ranking 98th. This upward trend continued in 2020, with the Maldives climbing 19 places to rank 79th, followed by a further climb of six places in 2021 to rank 72nd.

The top five countries in this year’s WFPI are:

• 1^st – Norway (Global score – 92.31)
• 2^nd – Estonia (Global Score – 89.46)
• 3^rd – Netherlands (Global score – 88.46)
• 4^th – Sweden (Global score – 88.13)
• 5^th – Finland (Global score – 87.18)

The bottom five countries in this year’s WFPI are:

• 1^st – Eritrea (Global score – 11.32)
• 2^nd – North Korea (Global score – 12.64)
• 3^rd – China (Global score – 14.84)
• 4^th – Syria (Global score – 15.84)
• 5^th – Iran (Global score – 16.22)