India has dropped to 157th place out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, according to media watchdog Reporters Sans Frontières, which released the report on Thursday. The country was ranked 151st in 2025.
The organisation, which has published the index since 2002, said India continues to fall in the “very serious” category in terms of press freedom.
The organisation said that legal frameworks are increasingly being used to silence newsrooms, including in democratic countries.
It added that in India, judicial pressure on independent media is rising, with growing use of criminal laws such as defamation and national security provisions that are being used against journalists.
Reporters Sans Frontières, also known as Reporters Without Borders, further stated that for the first time since the index was launched, more than half of the countries now fall into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom. It noted that only 13.7% of countries were in these categories when the index began in 2002.
The organisation also said the global average press freedom score across 180 countries and territories has fallen to its lowest level ever recorded.
The organisation said that the growing use of restrictive laws, especially those linked to national security policies, is steadily undermining the right to information, including in democratic countries.
The 2026 World Press Freedom Index, released by Reporters Sans Frontières, assesses press freedom across countries using five indicators: economic, legal, security, political, and social conditions for journalists.
The organisation said the legal indicator saw the steepest decline this year, calling it a clear sign that journalism is being increasingly criminalised worldwide.
It noted that the score worsened in more than 60% of countries, including India, Egypt, Israel, and Georgia.
According to the report, the criminalisation of journalism—through the misuse of emergency laws, common law provisions, and bypassing of press protections—has become a global trend.
Among India’s neighbours, the report places Nepal at 87th, Maldives at 108th, Sri Lanka at 134th, Bhutan at 150th, Bangladesh at 152nd, and Pakistan at 153rd. India ranks below all of these.
India, however, performs better than Myanmar (166th), Afghanistan (175th), and China (178th), which remain among the lowest-ranked countries.
At the top of the index, Norway, Netherlands, and Estonia hold the first three positions.
The United States fell seven places in the latest ranking to 64th position. (Agency)
