World Press Freedom Index 2022: India has plummeted to the 150th position on the World Press Freedom Index 2022, according to an index by Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The index published on World Press Freedom Day 2022 assesses the level of freedom available to the media in 180 countries and territories.
India slipped eight positions in this year's index and is termed as one of the most dangerous countries for media, with an average of 3-4 journalists being killed each year. In the inaugural edition of the report, India ranked at 80th position and has since then failed to improve its ranking.
One of the primary reasons behind India not ranking high on the list is the abundance of media outlets in the country, which conceals tendencies toward the concentration of ownership, according to the index by RSF. There are a total of 36,000 weeklies and 380 TV news channels in India, which has essentially led to the lack of freedom of the press in the country.
“On the World Press Freedom Day, Reporters Without Borders and nine other human rights organisations ask Indian authorities to stop targeting journalists and online critics for their work," reads the website.
World Press Freedom Index 2022: Highlights
1- Norway tops the World Press Freedom Index 2022 with a score of 92.65, and is followed by Denmark and Sweden with global scores of 90.27 and 88.84 respectively.
2- North Korea is the worst-ranked country in the world with a score of 13.92. Other countries in the bottom five are Myanmar, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Eritrea.
3- Bhutan is ranked at 33rd position, the best among India's neighbouring countries.
4- Both China and Pakistan, India's prominent neighbours, are way below on the index with total scores of 25.17 and 37.99.
World Press Freedom Index 2022 List
| Ranking | Country | Score |
| 1 | Norway | 92.65 |
| 2 | Denmark | 90.27 |
| 3 | Sweden | 88.84 |
| 4 | Estonia | 88.83 |
| 5 | Finland | 88.42 |
| 6 | Ireland | 88.30 |
| 7 | Portugal | 87.07 |
| 8 | Costa Rica | 85.92 |
| 9 | Lithuania | 84.14 |
| 10 | Liechtenstein | 84.03 |
| 11 | New Zealand | 83.54 |
| 12 | Jamaica | 83.35 |
| 13 | Seychelles | 83.33 |
| 14 | Switzerland | 82.72 |
| 15 | Iceland | 82.69 |
| 16 | Germany | 82.04 |
| 17 | Timor-Leste | 81.89 |
| 18 | Namibia | 81.84 |
| 19 | Canada | 81.74 |
| 20 | Czech Republic | 80.54 |
| 21 | Luxembourg | 79.81 |
| 22 | Latvia | 79.17 |
| 23 | Belgium | 78.86 |
| 24 | UK | 78.71 |
| 25 | Trinidad and Tobago | 78.68 |
| 26 | France | 78.53 |
| 27 | Slovakia | 78.37 |
| 28 | Netherlands | 77.93 |
| 29 | Argentina | 77.28 |
| 30 | Dominican Republic | 76.90 |
| 31 | Austria | 76.74 |
| 32 | Spain | 76.71 |
| 33 | Bhutan | 76.46 |
| 34 | Guyana | 76.41 |
| 35 | South Africa | 75.56 |
| 36 | Cabo Verde | 75.37 |
| 37 | Ivory Coast | 74.46 |
| 38 | Taiwan | 74.08 |
| 39 | Australia | 73.77 |
| 40 | Moldova | 73.47 |
| 41 | Burkina Faso | 73.12 |
| 42 | United States | 72.74 |
| 43 | South Korea | 72.11 |
| 44 | Uruguay | 72.03 |
| 45 | Samoa | 71.39 |
| 46 | Sierra Leone | 71.03 |
| 47 | Belize | 70.67 |
| 48 | Croatia | 70.42 |
| 49 | Tonga | 69.74 |
| 50 | The Gambia | 69.25 |
| 51 | Armenia | 68.97 |
| 52 | Suriname | 68.95 |
| 53 | Andorra | 68.79 |
| 54 | Slovenia | 68.54 |
| 55 | OECS | 68.49 |
| 56 | Romania | 68.46 |
| 57 | North Macedonia | 68.44 |
| 58 | Italy | 68.16 |
| 59 | Niger | 67.80 |
| 60 | Ghana | 67.43 |
| 61 | Kosovo | 67.00 |
| 62 | Papua New Guinea | 66.66 |
| 63 | Montenegro | 66.54 |
| 64 | Mauritius | 66.07 |
| 65 | Cyprus | 65.97 |
| 66 | Poland | 65.64 |
| 67 | Bosnia-Herzegovina | 65.64 |
| 68 | Ecuador | 64.61 |
| 69 | Kenya | 64.59 |
| 70 | Haiti | 64.55 |
| 71 | Japan | 64.37 |
| 72 | Kyrgyzstan | 64.25 |
| 73 | Senegal | 63.07 |
| 74 | Panama | 62.78 |
| 75 | Liberia | 62.77 |
| 76 | Nepal | 62.67 |
| 77 | Peru | 61.75 |
| 78 | Malta | 61.55 |
| 79 | Serbia | 61.51 |
| 80 | Malawi | 61.40 |
| 81 | North Cyprus | 61.08 |
| 82 | Chile | 60.61 |
| 83 | Comoros | 60.16 |
| 84 | Guinea | 59.82 |
| 85 | Hungary | 59.80 |
| 86 | Israel | 59.62 |
| 87 | Maldives | 59.55 |
| 88 | Lesotho | 59.39 |
| 89 | Georgia | 59.30 |
| 90 | Mongolia | 59.17 |
| 91 | Bulgaria | 59.12 |
| 92 | Guinea Bissau | 58.79 |
| 93 | Congo- Brazzaville | 58.64 |
| 94 | Tunisia | 58.49 |
| 95 | Botswana | 58.49 |
| 96 | Paraguay | 58.36 |
| 97 | Mauritania | 58.10 |
| 98 | Madagascar | 58.02 |
| 99 | Angola | 57.17 |
| 100 | Togo | 57.17 |
| 101 | The central African Republic | 56.96 |
| 102 | Fiji | 56.91 |
| 103 | Albania | 56.41 |
| 104 | Chad | 56.18 |
| 105 | Gabon | 56.00 |
| 106 | Ukraine | 55.76 |
| 107 | Burundi | 55.74 |
| 108 | Greece | 55.52 |
| 109 | Zambia | 55.40 |
| 110 | Brazil | 55.36 |
| 111 | Mali | 54.48 |
| 112 | El Salvador | 54.09 |
| 113 | Malaysia | 51.55 |
| 114 | Ethiopia | 50.53 |
| 115 | Thailand | 5015 |
| 116 | Mozambique | 49.89 |
| 117 | Indonesia | 49.27 |
| 118 | Cameroon | 49.10 |
| 119 | Qatar | 49.03 |
| 120 | Jordan | 48.66 |
| 121 | Benin | 48.39 |
| 122 | Kazakhstan | 48.28 |
| 123 | Tanzania | 48.28 |
| 124 | Guatemala | 47.94 |
| 125 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 47.66 |
| 126 | Bolivia | 47.58 |
| 127 | Mexico | 47.57 |
| 128 | South Sudan | 47.06 |
| 129 | Nigeria | 46.79 |
| 130 | Lebanon | 46.58 |
| 131 | Eswatini | 46.42 |
| 132 | Uganda | 46.35 |
| 133 | Uzbekistan | 44.74 |
| 134 | Algeria | 45.53 |
| 135 | Morocco/Western Sahara | 45.42 |
| 136 | Rwanda | 45.18 |
| 137 | Zimbabwe | 44.94 |
| 138 | UAE | 44.46 |
| 139 | Singapore | 44.23 |
| 140 | Somalia | 44.01 |
| 141 | Equatorial Guinea | 43.96 |
| 142 | Cambodia | 43.48 |
| 143 | Libya | 43.16 |
| 144 | Brunei | 42.53 |
| 145 | Colombia | 42.43 |
| 146 | Sri Lanka | 42.13 |
| 147 | Philippines | 41.84 |
| 148 | Hong Kong | 41.64 |
| 149 | Turkey | 41.25 |
| 150 | India | 41.00 |
| 151 | Sudan | 40.96 |
| 152 | Tajikistan | 40.26 |
| 153 | Belarus | 39.62 |
| 154 | Azerbaijan | 39.40 |
| 155 | Russia | 38.82 |
| 156 | Afghanistan | 38.27 |
| 157 | Pakistan | 37.99 |
| 158 | Kuwait | 37.87 |
| 159 | Venezuela | 37.78 |
| 160 | Nicaragua | 37.09 |
| 161 | Laos | 36.64 |
| 162 | Bangladesh | 36.63 |
| 163 | Oman | 35.99 |
| 164 | Djibouti | 35.75 |
| 165 | Honduras | 34.61 |
| 166 | Saudi Arabia | 33.71 |
| 167 | Bahrain | 30.97 |
| 168 | Egypt | 30.23 |
| 169 | Yemen | 29.14 |
| 170 | Palestine | 28.98 |
| 171 | Syria | 28.94 |
| 172 | Iraq | 28.59 |
| 173 | Cuba | 27.32 |
| 174 | Vietnam | 26.11 |
| 175 | China | 25.17 |
| 176 | Myanmar | 25.03 |
| 177 | Turkmenistan | 25.01 |
| 178 | Iran | 23.22 |
| 179 | Eritrea | 19.62 |
| 180 | North Korea | 13.92 |
To evaluate the countries this year, a new methodology has been incorporated this year. It defines press freedom as the effective possibility for journalists, as individuals and as groups, to select, produce and disseminate news and information in the public interest, independently from political, economic, legal and social interference, and without threats to their physical and mental safety. Five new indicators are now used to compile the World Press Freedom Index. These are the political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural context, and security.
READ | World Press Freedom Index 2021: India’s rank, parameters, and facts
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