April 30, Pozirk. Belarus ranks 165th of 180 assessed countries and territories in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
The ranking placed Belarus between Yemen and Myanmar, stressing that the country abuses measures to protect national security to restrict media freedom, similar to Russia, Nicaragua and Egypt. Belarusian authorities regularly use anti-terrorism and anti-extremism laws to criminalize reporters’ work, the RSF noted.
Belarus ranked similarly last year, with the 166th position in the RSF Index.
The world’s 10 best countries for journalists are Norway, the Netherlands, Estonia, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Portugal.
Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, North Korea, and Eritrea conclude the ranking with the worst press freedom score.
On the eve of May 3, World Press Freedom Day, at least 22 media workers are behind bars in Belarus, according to the Belarusian Association of Journalists.
