Uzbekistan ranks 147th in RSF press freedom index 2026

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has published its annual World Press Freedom Index for 2026, in which Uzbekistan ranked 147th out of 180 countries. The country moved up one position compared to the previous year, although its overall score declined from 35.24 to 34.95.

Declines were recorded across three of the five key assessment indicators, including the political environment, legal framework, and socio-cultural conditions. At the same time, marginal improvements were observed in the economic conditions of the media sector and journalist safety indicators.

RSF describes the state of press freedom in Uzbekistan as “very difficult.” The organization notes that progress in media freedom since 2016, when former President Islam Karimov died, has remained limited. According to RSF, criticism of authorities remains constrained, while the media environment continues to be under strong state influence. A significant share of bloggers, the report states, are linked to government structures.

In a regional context, Eastern Europe and Central Asia remain the second worst-performing region globally. RSF characterizes the region as one where legal frameworks are systematically shaped in favor of authorities rather than the protection of the right to information.

Mixed trends are observed across the region. Georgia fell by 21 positions to 135th place, while Armenia dropped 16 places to 50th. Kazakhstan ranks 149th, where RSF notes increasing legal pressure, growing online persecution, and weakening protections for journalists. Kyrgyzstan holds 146th place, also reflecting tightening media regulation.

At the lower end of the index are Belarus (165th), Azerbaijan (171st), Russia (172nd), and Turkmenistan (173rd). Ukraine, despite ongoing conflict, improved its ranking to 55th, which RSF attributes to active independent media and investigative journalism.

Norway once again topped the index, maintaining first place for the tenth consecutive year. The top ten also includes the Netherlands, Estonia, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Portugal.

At the bottom of the ranking are China (178th), North Korea, and Eritrea.

RSF notes that for the first time in 25 years of monitoring, more than half of the world’s countries are classified as having a “difficult” or “very difficult” press freedom situation. The organization links this deterioration to the rise of restrictive media laws and increased judicial pressure on journalists, often justified by national security concerns.