For third year in a row Finland has been measured as the country that most respects media freedom. Norway, which last year shared the title with Finland falls back to be number three on this years index made by Reporters without borders.
Both Denmark and Sweden advanced their positions in the index. Denmark moving from 10th last year to 6th best country this year and Sweden moves from 12th last year to 10th this year.
“The Nordic countries have again demonstrated their ability to maintain an optimal environment for news providers,” Reporters Without Borders writes on their website.
Decline in freedom in Asia
While citizens in Nordic countries can be pleased, citizens in south-east Asia have reason to be worried. All South-east Asian countries except Brunei are among the 45 worst countries in the world when measured on freedom of press.
Looking at the positives Myanmar rise 18 places and becomes 151st on this years list. Indonesia climbs 7 places making it the third best country in the region as 139th.
Best in South-east Asia is Brunei which jumps three places to 122nd. Thailand becomes second as number 135th advancing two places compared to last year.
Worst is Vietnam which keeps in position as 172nd out of 179th countries just in front of China. Vietnam has lately sentenced 12 bloggers and cyber-dissidents to jail terms of up to 13 years, making the country the world’s second biggest prison for netizens, after China.
Cambodia and Malaysia are competing on doing worst. Cambodia falls 26 places to an all time low as 146th in the index, while Malaysia falls 23 places which place it just in front of Cambodia as 145th.
Reporters Without Borders call the situation for media in Cambodia critical.
“Since 2011, news organizations, in particular independent local and foreign radio stations, has been subject to a policy of censorship orchestrated by an increasingly ruthless information ministry,” it says in the report.
| Rank | Country | Note | Differential |
| 1 | Finland | 6,38 | 0 (1) |
| 2 | Netherlands | 6,48 | +1 (3) |
| 3 | Norway | 6,52 | -2 (1) |
| 4 | Luxembourg | 6,68 | +2 (6) |
| 5 | Andorra | 6,82 | – |
| 6 | Denmark | 7,08 | +4 (10) |
| 7 | Liechtenstein | 7,35 | – |
| 8 | New Zealand | 8,38 | +5 (13) |
| 9 | Iceland | 8,49 | -3 (6) |
| 10 | Sweden | 9,23 | +2 (12) |
| 11 | Estonia | 9,26 | -8 (3) |
| 12 | Austria | 9,40 | -7 (5) |
| 13 | Jamaica | 9,88 | +3 (16) |
| 14 | Switzerland | 9,94 | -6 (8) |
| 15 | Ireland | 10,06 | 0 (15) |
| 16 | Czech Republic | 10,17 | -2 (14) |
| 17 | Germany | 10,24 | -1 (16) |
| 18 | Costa Rica | 12,08 | +1 (19) |
| 19 | Namibia | 12,50 | +1 (20) |
| 20 | Canada | 12,69 | -10 (10) |
| 21 | Belgium | 12,94 | -1 (20) |
| 22 | Poland | 13,11 | +2 (24) |
| 23 | Slovakia | 13,25 | +2 (25) |
| 24 | Cyprus | 13,83 | -8 (16) |
| 25 | Cape Verde | 14,33 | -16 (9) |
| 26 | Australia | 15,24 | +4 (30) |
| 27 | Uruguay | 15,92 | +5 (32) |
| 28 | Portugal | 16,75 | +5 (33) |
| 29 | United Kingdom | 16,89 | -1 (28) |
| 30 | Ghana | 17,27 | +11 (41) |
| 31 | Suriname | 18,19 | -9 (22) |
| 32 | United States | 18,22 | +15 (47) |
| 33 | Lithuania | 18,24 | -3 (30) |
| 34 | OECS | 19,72 | -9 (25) |
| 35 | Slovenia | 20,49 | +1 (36) |
| 36 | Spain | 20,50 | +3 (39) |
| 37 | France | 21,60 | +1 (38) |
| 38 | El Salvador | 22,86 | -1 (37) |
| 39 | Latvia | 22,89 | +11 (50) |
| 40 | Botswana | 22,91 | +2 (42) |
| 41 | Papua New Guinea | 22,97 | -6 (35) |
| 42 | Romania | 23,05 | +5 (47) |
| 43 | Niger | 23,08 | -14 (29) |
| 44 | Trinidad and Tobago | 23,12 | +6 (50) |
| 45 | Malta | 23,30 | +13 (58) |
| 46 | Burkina Faso | 23,70 | +22 (68) |
| 47 | Taiwan | 23,82 | -2 (45) |
| 48 | Samoa | 23,84 | +6 (54) |
| 49 | Haiti | 24,09 | +3 (52) |
| 50 | South Korea | 24,48 | -6 (44) |
| 51 | Comoros | 24,52 | -6 (45) |
| 52 | South Africa | 24,56 | -10 (42) |
| 53 | Japan | 25,17 | -31 (22) |
| 54 | Argentina | 25,67 | -7 (47) |
| 55 | Moldova | 26,01 | -2 (53) |
| 56 | Hungary | 26,09 | -16 (40) |
| 57 | Italy | 26,11 | +4 (61) |
| 58 | Hong Kong | 26,16 | -4 (54) |
| 59 | Senegal | 26,19 | +16 (75) |
| 60 | Chile | 26,24 | +20 (80) |
| 61 | Sierra Leone | 26,35 | +2 (63) |
| 62 | Mauritius | 26,47 | -8 (54) |
| 63 | Serbia | 26,59 | +17 (80) |
| 64 | Croatia | 26,61 | +4 (68) |
| 65 | Central African Republic | 26,61 | -3 (62) |
| 66 | Tonga | 26,70 | -3 (63) |
| 67 | Mauritania | 26,76 | 0 (67) |
| 68 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 26,86 | -10 (58) |
| 69 | Guyana | 27,08 | -11 (58) |
| 70 | Tanzania | 27,34 | -36 (34) |
| 71 | Kenya | 27,80 | +13 (84) |
| 72 | Zambia | 27,93 | +14 (86) |
| 73 | Mozambique | 28,01 | -7 (66) |
| 74 | Armenia | 28,04 | +3 (77) |
| 75 | Malawi | 28,18 | +71 (146) |
| 76 | Republic of the Congo | 28,20 | +14 (90) |
| 77 | Kuwait | 28,28 | +1 (78) |
| 78 | Nicaragua | 28,31 | -6 (72) |
| 79 | Benin | 28,33 | +12 (91) |
| 80 | Dominican Republic | 28,34 | +15 (95) |
| 81 | Lesotho | 28,36 | -18 (63) |
| 82 | Bhutan | 28,42 | -12 (70) |
| 83 | Togo | 28,45 | -4 (79) |
| 84 | Greece | 28,46 | -14 (70) |
| 85 | Kosovo | 28,47 | +1 (86) |
| 86 | Guinea | 28,49 | 0 (86) |
| 87 | Bulgaria | 28,58 | -7 (80) |
| 88 | Madagascar | 28,62 | -4 (84) |
| 89 | Gabon | 28,69 | +12 (101) |
| 90 | East Timor | 28,72 | -4 (86) |
| 91 | Paraguay | 28,78 | -11 (80) |
| 92 | Guinea-Bissau | 28,94 | -17 (75) |
| 93 | Seychelles | 29,19 | -20 (73) |
| 94 | Northern Cyprus | 29,34 | +8 (102) |
| 95 | Guatemala | 29,39 | +2 (97) |
| 96 | Ivory Coast | 29,77 | +63 (159) |
| 97 | Liberia | 29,89 | +13 (110) |
| 98 | Mongolia | 29,93 | +2 (100) |
| 99 | Mali | 30,03 | -74 (25) |
| 100 | Georgia | 30,09 | +4 (104) |
| 101 | Lebanon | 30,15 | -8 (93) |
| 102 | Albania | 30,88 | -6 (96) |
| 103 | Maldives | 31,10 | -30 (73) |
| 104 | Uganda | 31,69 | +35 (139) |
| 105 | Peru | 31,87 | +10 (115) |
| 106 | Kyrgyzstan | 32,20 | +2 (108) |
| 107 | Fiji | 32,69 | +10 (117) |
| 108 | Brazil | 32,75 | -9 (99) |
| 109 | Bolivia | 32,80 | -1 (108) |
| 110 | Qatar | 32,86 | +4 (114) |
| 111 | Panama | 32,95 | +2 (113) |
| 112 | Israel | 32,97 | -20 (92) |
| 113 | Montenegro | 32,97 | -6 (107) |
| 114 | United Arab Emirates | 33,49 | -2 (112) |
| 115 | Nigeria | 34,11 | +11 (126) |
| 116 | Republic of Macedonia | 34,27 | -22 (94) |
| 117 | Venezuela | 34,44 | 0 (117) |
| 118 | Nepal | 34,61 | -12 (106) |
| 119 | Ecuador | 34,69 | -15 (104) |
| 120 | Cameroon | 34,78 | -23 (97) |
| 121 | Chad | 34,87 | -18 (103) |
| 122 | Brunei | 35,45 | +3 (125) |
| 123 | Tajikistan | 35,71 | -1 (122) |
| 124 | South Sudan | 36,20 | -13 (111) |
| 125 | Algeria | 36,54 | -3 (122) |
| 126 | Ukraine | 36,79 | -10 (116) |
| 127 | Honduras | 36,92 | +8 (135) |
| 128 | Afghanistan | 37,36 | +22 (150) |
| 129 | Colombia | 37,48 | +14 (143) |
| 130 | Angola | 37,80 | +2 (132) |
| 131 | Libya | 37,86 | +23 (154) |
| 132 | Burundi | 38,02 | -2 (130) |
| 133 | Zimbabwe | 38,12 | -16 (117) |
| 134 | Jordan | 38,47 | -6 (128) |
| 135 | Thailand | 38,60 | +2 (137) |
| 136 | Morocco | 39,04 | +2 (138) |
| 137 | Ethiopia | 39,57 | -10 (127) |
| 138 | Tunisia | 39,93 | -4 (134) |
| 139 | Indonesia | 41,05 | +7 (146) |
| 140 | India | 41,22 | -9 (131) |
| 141 | Oman | 41,51 | -24 (117) |
| 142 | DR Congo | 41,66 | +3 (145) |
| 143 | Cambodia | 41,81 | -26 (117) |
| 144 | Bangladesh | 42,01 | -15 (129) |
| 145 | Malaysia | 42,73 | -23 (122) |
| 146 | Palestine | 43,09 | +7 (153) |
| 147 | Philippines | 43,11 | -7 (140) |
| 148 | Russia | 43,42 | -6 (142) |
| 149 | Singapore | 43,43 | -14 (135) |
| 150 | Iraq | 44,67 | +2 (152) |
| 151 | Burma | 44,71 | +18 (169) |
| 152 | Gambia | 45,09 | -11 (141) |
| 153 | Mexico | 45,30 | -4 (149) |
| 154 | Turkey | 46,56 | -6 (148) |
| 155 | Swaziland | 46,76 | -11 (144) |
| 156 | Azerbaijan | 47,73 | +6 (162) |
| 157 | Belarus | 48,35 | +11 (168) |
| 158 | Egypt | 48,66 | +8 (166) |
| 159 | Pakistan | 51,31 | -8 (151) |
| 160 | Kazakhstan | 55,08 | -6 (154) |
| 161 | Rwanda | 55,46 | -5 (156) |
| 162 | Sri Lanka | 56,59 | +1 (163) |
| 163 | Saudi Arabia | 56,88 | -5 (158) |
| 164 | Uzbekistan | 60,39 | -7 (157) |
| 165 | Bahrain | 62,75 | +8 (173) |
| 166 | Equatorial Guinea | 67,20 | -5 (161) |
| 167 | Djibouti | 67,40 | -8 (159) |
| 168 | Laos | 67,99 | -3 (165) |
| 169 | Yemen | 69,22 | +2 (171) |
| 170 | Sudan | 70,06 | 0 (170) |
| 171 | Cuba | 71,64 | -4 (167) |
| 172 | Vietnam | 71,78 | 0 (172) |
| 173 | China | 73,07 | +1 (174) |
| 174 | Iran | 73,40 | +1 (175) |
| 175 | Somalia | 73,59 | -11 (164) |
| 176 | Syria | 78,53 | 0 (176) |
| 177 | Turkmenistan | 79,14 | 0 (177) |
| 178 | North Korea | 83,90 | 0 (178) |
| 179 | Eritrea | 84,83 | 0 (179) |
