In 2024, Jamaica had the highest press freedom score among countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Central American nation scored 77.3 points on scale from 1 to 100. Two Caribbean countries – Trinidad and Tobago and Costa Rica – followed, with 76.69 and 76.13 points, respectively. The index presents an overview of the plurality and independence of the media and how safe and free it is for journalists to do their job, with lower scores indicating a worse situation for the press and higher scores a better one.
Press freedom laggards in the LATAM region
Venezuela, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Cuba had the worst results in the region in 2023 - their scores stood below 38 points. Unsurprisingly, due to the political situation in these four countries, journalism there experiences high restrictions imposed by the governments in order to stifle access to information. In one country, private press is actually prohibited by constitution – for that reason Cuba has seen only the lowest press freedom scores year after year. Honduras, ranking second lowest on the index, has been noted to see declining press freedom scores since the coup d’etat in 2009. All in all, it comes as no surprise that trust in mass media in Latin America keeps deteriorating.
Dangers of being a journalist in Latin America
Mexico is considered the most dangerous country for journalist as it ranks high in terms of number of deaths not only in the Latin America region, but also the highest in the world. In 2022, Mexico was found to be the deadliest country for journalists worldwide, with more than 10 representatives of the press being killed that year. Colombia and Brazil follow second and third in the regional ranking, yet still far below the figures reported in Mexico.
Press freedom index in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024, by country
Adjust the presentation of the statistic and data points.
Share the statistic on social media channels or embed the statistic in your
website using "Embed Code", where available.
Cite this statistic and select one of the following formats: APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA & Bluebook.
Print the statistic including description and metadata.
Chart type
Press freedom index in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024, by country
Share this statistic
You have no right to use this feature.
Make sure to contact us if you are interested in scientific citation.
You can upgrade your account to enable this functionality for all statistics.
This feature is not available with your current account.Request access
According to the source, the Index ranks 180 countries and regions according to the level of freedom available to journalists. It is a snapshot of the media freedom situation based on an evaluation of pluralism, independence of the media, quality of legislative framework and safety of journalists in each country and region. It does not rank public policies even if governments obviously have a major impact on their country’s ranking. Nor is it an indicator of the quality of journalism in each country or region.
The countries surveyed were scored between 0 and 100, with 0 being the worst possible result and 100 the best.
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
Reporters Without Borders. (May 5, 2024). Press freedom index in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024, by country [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved February 12, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/955642/press-freedom-index-latin-america-caribbean-country/
Reporters Without Borders. "Press freedom index in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024, by country." Chart. May 5, 2024. Statista. Accessed February 12, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/955642/press-freedom-index-latin-america-caribbean-country/
Reporters Without Borders. (2024). Press freedom index in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024, by country. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: February 12, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/955642/press-freedom-index-latin-america-caribbean-country/
Reporters Without Borders. "Press Freedom Index in Latin America and The Caribbean in 2024, by Country." Statista, Statista Inc., 5 May 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/955642/press-freedom-index-latin-america-caribbean-country/
Reporters Without Borders, Press freedom index in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024, by country Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/955642/press-freedom-index-latin-america-caribbean-country/ (last visited February 12, 2025)
Press freedom index in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024, by country [Graph], Reporters Without Borders, May 5, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/955642/press-freedom-index-latin-america-caribbean-country/
Profit from additional features with an Employee Account
Please create an employee account to be able to mark statistics as favorites.
Then you can access your favorite statistics via the star in the header.
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.