Venezuela remains among the most restrictive countries for press freedom, according to Reporters Without Borders
Venezuela moved up one position in the last year in the World Press Freedom Classification of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and was ranked 159 out of 180 countries, according to the entity's annual report published on April 30. The organization reported that Venezuela remains one of the countries with the worst results in the region, due to uncertainty about guarantees for the press despite the release of journalists recorded in early 2026.
TL;DR
- Venezuela improved one position to 159th in the 2026 World Press Freedom Classification by RSF.
- Despite the slight improvement, Venezuela is still considered one of the countries with the worst press freedom in the region.
- Global press freedom has reached its lowest point in 25 years, with journalism facing criminalization and attacks.
- Several Latin American countries, including Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, and El Salvador, saw significant drops in their rankings.
- Cuba and Nicaragua remain near the bottom of the index due to repression and difficult conditions for journalists.
- Colombia was an exception, improving its ranking by 13 positions to 102nd.
- Norway retained the top spot for press freedom, followed by the Netherlands and Estonia.
- Less than 1% of the world's population enjoys a "good" press freedom situation, compared to 20% in 2002.
- The bottom of the list includes countries like Eritrea, North Korea, China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.
- Niger experienced the largest drop, falling 37 places to 120th, highlighting deterioration in the Sahel region.
- Spain dropped to 29th place due to a decline in all indicators.
- Other major democracies like Germany, France, and the United States also fell in the rankings.