Afghanistan 175th in global press freedom index

KABUL (Pajhwok): Afghanistan has 175th place in the latest global press freedom index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

The Paris-based organisation said on Friday media outlets in Afghanistan were required to broadcast information controlled by the government.

Despite restrictions on journalists, Afghanistan is above countries like Iran, Syria, China, North Korea and Eritrea.

In the2025 press freedom index, Norway is on the top -- followed by Estonia, the Netherlands and Sweden.

RSF gave Afghanistan a press freedom score of 17.88, just ahead of Iran, which ranked 176th with a score of 16.22.

In 2024, Afghanistan had ranked 178th with a score of 19.9. The press freedom situation in the country was serious, the watchdog said.

It called financial instability one of the gravest threats to press freedom worldwide, with three-quarters of global media outlets facing economic woes.

Independent journalism in Afghanistan was facing threats, the group noted, urging the international community to do more to support Afghan media professionals.

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