Estonia scored 86.44 compared to 85.31 in 2023, putting it in the "good" (green) category. Only eight countries of the 180 monitored scored high enough – over 85 – to be in this group.

The report also highlighted several problems.

"Although press freedom is guaranteed on the legal and political levels, journalists face the risk of self-censorship due to anti-defamation legislation and cyber-bullying," said Reporters Without Borders (RSF), who compile the annual report.

Norway, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Finland took the top five places – this is a long-term trend.

Portugal, Ireland, Switzerland, and Germany followed Estonia, rounding out the top 10. Latvia and Lithuania were 12th and 13th, respectively.

Looking at the wider region, Russia ranked at 162 and Belarus at 157. Ukraine rose from 79 to 61, and Poland from 57 to 47.

RSF said, that globally, the situation is worsening and it warns of a "worrying trend" revealed by the report.

"States and other political forces are playing a decreasing role in protecting press freedom. This disempowerment sometimes goes hand in hand with more hostile actions that undermine the role of journalists, or even instrumentalize the media through campaigns of harassment or disinformation," wrote Anne Bocandé,
RSF editorial director.

Estonia was ranked 4th in 2022 and 8th in 2023.

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