Africa and the Press Freedom Index

 Reporters without Borders just published its 2026 "World Press Freedom Index."  It ranks 180 countries.  The United States dropped seven places to 64 compared to 57 in 2025.  

Ten African countries had better scores than the United States.  The top five African press freedom countries were Seychelles (35), Ghana (39), Cape Verde (40), Mauritius (42) and Gabon (43).  But African countries were also well represented at the bottom of the list.  The five worst performers were Eritrea (180), Egypt (169), Djibouti (167), Sudan (161), and Ethiopia (148).  Curiously, all five are in northeast Africa.

Press Freedom Index: 10 African Countries Score Better than US

 Reporters without Borders posted recently its "RSF World Press Freedom Index 2025: Economic Fragility a Leading Threat to Press Freedom."

RSF ranked 180 countries for the 2025 index.  Ten African countries, led by South Africa, Namibia, and Cabo Verde scored better than the United States, ranked number 57, although Sub-Saharan Africa generally experienced a decline in press freedom.  The five lowest ranking countries were Eritrea, North Korea, China, Syria, and Iran.  

The 2025 RSF index shows that today's news media are caught between preserving their editorial independence and ensuring their economic survival.  

East Africa and the Horn: World Press Index

Reporters without Borders has just released its 2017 World Press Index that covers 180 countries.

The highest ranking African country is Namibia at number 24 out of 180. Five African countries (Namibia, Ghana, Cape Verde, South Africa, and Burkina Faso) rank higher than the United States.

The three East African countries are in the mid range with Tanzania number 83, Kenya number 95, and Uganda number 112. All of the countries in the Horn of Africa have poor rankings: South Sudan (145), Ethiopia (150), Somalia (167), Djibouti (172), Sudan (174), and Eritrea (179).

2015 World Press Freedom Index and Horn of Africa

The 2015 World Press Freedom Index prepared by Reporters without Borders looked at 180 countries.  Of the six countries in the Horn of Africa, South Sudan scored best at number 125, although it dropped 6 positions from 2014.  Ethiopia was next best at 142, an improvement of one position.  Djibouti was at 170, a drop of one position.  Somalia ranked 172, an improvement of 4 positions.  Sudan was 174,  a drop of 2 positions.  Eritrea was dead last at 180, unchanged from 2014. 

2013 World Press Freedom Index: East Africa and the Horn

The 2013 World Press Freedom Index prepared by Reporters without Borders ranks 179 countries worldwide from best to worst in terms of press freedom.  The countries in East Africa and the Horn did not fare well.

The two best performers were Tanzania (70) and Kenya (71) followed by Uganda at 104.  South Sudan ranked 124 and Ethiopia 137.  Djibouti (167), Sudan (170), and Somalia (175) were well behind and Eritrea (179) had the lowest ranking in the world.