Press freedom index in European countries 2024

Norway had the best press freedom index score in Europe in 2024 at 91.98, while the country with the worst score was Russia at just 29.86. The index presents an overview of the plurality and independence of the media and how safe and free it is for journalist to do their job, with higher scores indicating a better situation for the press and lower scores signaling potential risks and challenges.

Press freedom in the EU

Journalists across the globe are at risk of being arrested, detained, imprisoned, and killed, and many face regular intimidation or are restricted by laws aimed at curtailing their freedom. Whilst Europe is among the safest regions in the world for media professionals, the press freedom index score has worsened in EU states across the bloc as well as in countries not part of the union.

How many journalists die each year?

Since the turn of the century there has been a noticeable increase in the number of journalists killed worldwide. Sadly, over one hundred journalists were killed in every year from 2012 to 2015, and although the situation has improved somewhat since then, 50 journalists lost their lives as a result of their work in 2020, with Mexico ranked as the deadliest country for those employed in the field.