Estonia climbs to 6th place in 2024 World Press Freedom Index

Estonia climbs to 6th place in 2024 World Press Freedom Index. Photo: Tairo Lutter

Estonia rose by two places to sixth place after Finland in the 2024 edition of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index.

Norway continues to top the World Press Freedom Index, while Eritrea is in last place, replacing North Korea, which held the position the year before. Russia is ranked 162nd.

In second place is Denmark, in third Sweden and in fourth the Netherlands. Latvia is ranked 12th and Lithuania 13th this year.

The biggest falls in rankings were recorded for Afghanistan, which dropped 26 places to 178th position, Togo, which plummeted 43 places to 113th place, and Ecuador, which fell 30 places to 110th position.

Another country that experienced a significant decline is Argentina, which moved down 26 places and is now in 66th. This can be explained primarily by President Javier Milei's decision to close the Telam press agency, which he accused of «propaganda», in March.

According to RSF, three-quarters of countries are in a poor situation with regard to press freedom. Among the bottom ten are countries such as China, Iran, North Korea, Syria and Eritrea.

«The last two countries have become lawless zones for the media, with a record number of journalists detained, missing or held hostage,» RSF said.

RSF produced the report for the 22nd time, highlighting in particular the political pressure on journalists, as support for the press and respect for its autonomy have deteriorated alarmingly.