Global press freedom suffers sharpest fall in 50 years, report finds

"Press freedom around the world has suffered its sharpest fall in 50 years as global democracy weakens dramatically, a landmark report has found. According to the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), democracy has declined in 94 countries over the last five years and only a third have made progress. Democracy faces a perfect storm of autocratic resurgence and acute uncertainty, due to massive social and economic changes, Kevin Casas-Zamora, the secretary-general of the thinktank, said."

"To fight back, democracies need to protect key elements of democracy, like elections and the rule of law, but also profoundly reform government so that it delivers fairness, inclusion and shared prosperity. The International IDEA's survey the Global State of Democracy Report 2025 is published every five years and considered the most comprehensive of its kind, covering 174 countries and measuring democratic performance from 1975."

"The survey found that the freedom of the press had worsened in a quarter of the countries, marking the broadest deterioration since the beginning of the dataset. The three largest declines were seen in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso and Myanmar, all suffering historically high levels of civil conflict, poverty and political instability. The fourth-largest took place in South Korea, where the former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, repeatedly targeted critical media and his government used defamation lawsuits to silence journalists before being ousted earlier this year."

Democracy declined in 94 countries over the last five years while only a third of countries made progress. Press freedom experienced its sharpest fall in 50 years and worsened in a quarter of countries, marking the broadest deterioration since the dataset began. The largest press freedom declines occurred in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso and Myanmar, all facing civil conflict, poverty and political instability. South Korea saw a major decline after a president targeted critical media and used defamation lawsuits to silence journalists. New Zealand experienced media consolidation with four out of five journalists working for one of five employers. Nearly 200 journalists were killed in Palestine since October 2023 amid restrictions on international press.

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