World Press Freedom Index 2025: Bangladesh climbs 16 notches to 149th, outshines India, Pakistan
Bangladesh enters into top 150 for first time since 2020
Bangladesh has risen 16 notches to rank 149th among 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index 2025, outperforming India, Bhutan and Pakistan among South Asian nations.
This year, with a score of 33.71 out of 100, Bangladesh has entered into the group of top 150 for the first time since 2020, according to the annual index released by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Friday (2 May).
The country ranked 165th, scoring 27.64 in the 2024 index.
The index rates the state of press freedom in countries across the globe on the basis of five contextual indicators – political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural context and safety.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Bangladesh has surpassed India, Bhutan and Pakistan in this year's Index. India, despite climbing eight spots, now ranks 151st – still two places behind Bangladesh. Bhutan slipped five positions to 152nd, while Pakistan fell six spots to 158th.
However, Bangladesh continues to lag behind its other South Asian neighbours – Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.
Nepal, despite dropping 16 places to 90th globally, remains the region's leader in press freedom with a score of 55.2. It is followed by the Maldives at 104th (scored 52.46) and Sri Lanka at 139th (scored 39.93).
Meanwhile, all the South Asian countries were classified as "very serious" press freedom situations, except Nepal classified as "problematic" and the Maldives as "difficult".
The RSF said, for over ten years, the Index's results have warned of a worldwide decline in press freedom. In 2025, a new low point emerged: the average score of all assessed countries fell below 55 points, falling into the category of a "difficult situation." More than six out of ten countries (112 in total) saw their overall scores decline in the Index.
With a score of 92.31, Norway (1st) remains the only country in the world to enjoy a "good" rating across all five indicators of the Index. It held on to its top spot for the ninth consecutive year, increasing its lead over other countries.
Estonia (2nd) moved up to second place, closely followed by the Netherlands (3rd), which overtook Sweden (4th) in the world's top three.
Meanwhile, Eritrea (180th) retained its position as the worst-ranking country in the 2025 index, followed by North Korea (179th), China (178th) and Syria (177th).
