Taiwan Ranks 1st in Asia for Press Freedom in 2026, China Ranks 3rd from the Bottom Globally
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) announced the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, with Taiwan ranking 28th, maintaining its top position in Asia, though dropping 4 places and rated 'satisfactory.' China, detaining 121 journalists, ranked 178th (3rd from bottom globally), rated 'very bad.' Globally, over half of countries are now classified as having 'difficult' or 'very bad' press freedom, highlighting a severe worldwide decline.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 30, 2026 at 16:22
- 🔍 Collected: April 30, 2026 at 16:31 (9 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 30, 2026 at 16:39 (7 min after Collected)
Central News Agency reporter Chiu Tsu-Yin reported from Taipei on April 30 that Reporters Without Borders (RSF) announced the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, with Taiwan ranking 28th, still leading among Asian countries, though categorized as 'satisfactory.' However, its ranking dropped 4 places from last year and it faces challenges in maintaining information credibility.
China continues to hold the third-to-last position among 180 countries, rated as 'very bad,' due to the Chinese government's significant expansion of repressive tools in recent years, including imprisoning journalists under national security regulations, severely infringing on press freedom. Currently, 121 media professionals are imprisoned, the highest globally.
It is noteworthy that China's information control model is being emulated by neighboring countries, such as Vietnam (174th) and Myanmar (166th), which have adopted so-called 'cybersecurity laws' based on Beijing's legal framework, becoming major tools for internet censorship.
Hong Kong (140th), also of concern to Taiwan's public, has been rated 'very bad' for press freedom, similar to China, following the recent sentencing of media mogul Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison, considered the harshest sentence ever for a Hong Kong journalist. This event is seen as an indicator of the regression of press freedom in Hong Kong.
Furthermore, due to the impact of war, press freedom in countries like Iraq, Sudan, and Yemen has declined. Over 220 journalists have been killed in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, with at least 70 killed while working, and similar situations are seen in Sudan and South Sudan. Russia, which continues its war against Ukraine, remains one of the countries with the worst press freedom situation (172nd); Iran (177th) also hovers near the bottom.
Alarmingly, the legal indicator significantly declined this year, with journalists in many countries being prosecuted for reporting news. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in particular, uses anti-terrorism, anti-separatism, and anti-extremism laws to restrict press freedom, with 48 journalists imprisoned in the country as of April 2026.
US President Donald Trump's unfriendly policies towards the media and journalists led to a decline in the US ranking to 64th. In addition, the significant layoffs at the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and the forced closures, suspensions, or downsizing of international broadcasting organizations like Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), and Radio Free Asia (RFA) in various countries also have a global impact.
Norway maintained its top position for the 10th consecutive year, while Eritrea remained at the bottom for the 3rd consecutive year. Syria saw the largest improvement in press freedom after the fall of the Assad regime, jumping 36 places in rank.
Alarmingly, this year's World Press Freedom Index revealed for the first time that over half of the world's countries (52.2%) fall into the 'difficult' or 'very bad' categories of press freedom, a situation unprecedented in 25 years, as the report showed only 13.7% in 2002.
The report also pointed out that in 2002, 20% of the world's population lived in countries with 'good' press freedom, but today, less than 1% of the population lives in such countries. (Editors: Chang Ya-ching) 1150430
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China continues to hold the third-to-last position among 180 countries, rated as 'very bad,' due to the Chinese government's significant expansion of repressive tools in recent years, including imprisoning journalists under national security regulations, severely infringing on press freedom. Currently, 121 media professionals are imprisoned, the highest globally.
It is noteworthy that China's information control model is being emulated by neighboring countries, such as Vietnam (174th) and Myanmar (166th), which have adopted so-called 'cybersecurity laws' based on Beijing's legal framework, becoming major tools for internet censorship.
Hong Kong (140th), also of concern to Taiwan's public, has been rated 'very bad' for press freedom, similar to China, following the recent sentencing of media mogul Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison, considered the harshest sentence ever for a Hong Kong journalist. This event is seen as an indicator of the regression of press freedom in Hong Kong.
Furthermore, due to the impact of war, press freedom in countries like Iraq, Sudan, and Yemen has declined. Over 220 journalists have been killed in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, with at least 70 killed while working, and similar situations are seen in Sudan and South Sudan. Russia, which continues its war against Ukraine, remains one of the countries with the worst press freedom situation (172nd); Iran (177th) also hovers near the bottom.
Alarmingly, the legal indicator significantly declined this year, with journalists in many countries being prosecuted for reporting news. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in particular, uses anti-terrorism, anti-separatism, and anti-extremism laws to restrict press freedom, with 48 journalists imprisoned in the country as of April 2026.
US President Donald Trump's unfriendly policies towards the media and journalists led to a decline in the US ranking to 64th. In addition, the significant layoffs at the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and the forced closures, suspensions, or downsizing of international broadcasting organizations like Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), and Radio Free Asia (RFA) in various countries also have a global impact.
Norway maintained its top position for the 10th consecutive year, while Eritrea remained at the bottom for the 3rd consecutive year. Syria saw the largest improvement in press freedom after the fall of the Assad regime, jumping 36 places in rank.
Alarmingly, this year's World Press Freedom Index revealed for the first time that over half of the world's countries (52.2%) fall into the 'difficult' or 'very bad' categories of press freedom, a situation unprecedented in 25 years, as the report showed only 13.7% in 2002.
The report also pointed out that in 2002, 20% of the world's population lived in countries with 'good' press freedom, but today, less than 1% of the population lives in such countries. (Editors: Chang Ya-ching) 1150430
Choose to stand with facts; your sponsorship supports press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency 'First-Hand News' APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, broadcast, transmitted, or used without authorization.