World Press Freedom Index 2024Bangladesh worst in South Asia after Afghanistan

Bangladesh stands at the bottom among South Asian countries only after Afghanistan on the World Press Freedom Index 2024 published by Reporters Without Borders, slipping two notches from the previous year.

The country has ranked 165th among 180 nations with a score of 27.64 out of 100, according to the index published on Friday on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day.

Bangladesh’s score fell from last year’s 35.31 while it ranked 163rd.

The country held the 162nd position in 2022 with a score of 36.63. In 2021, it was at 152nd place with a score of 50.29.

Nepal has come out as the leader in press freedom in South Asia, moving up to 74th globally this year, scoring 60.52, followed by the Maldives which ranked 106th with a score of 52.36.

Bhutan stands in third place in the region with a score of 37.29 and a global ranking of 147th. Earlier, the country led the region.

The fourth place-holder Sri Lanka scored 35.21 and ranked 150th while Pakistan placed fifth in the region, claiming 152nd position.

India took the sixth position in the region and notched up to 159th globally from last year’s 161st position, scoring a little better than Bangladesh.

This year, Afghanistan came at the bottom in the region as it fell 26 notches to the 178th position with a score of 19.09.

Terming the Asia-Pacific region as the world’s second most challenging region for journalism, the index mentioned the names of Myanmar (171st), China (172nd), North Korea (177th), Vietnam (174th) and Afghanistan (178th) among the top 10 most dangerous countries for media personnel.

Like the last seven years, Norway tops the global index with 91.89 points followed by Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, Finland, Estonia, Portugal, Ireland, Switzerland and Germany.

The World Press Freedom Index 2024 considered five indicators – political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural context and safety – while evaluating the amount of freedom journalists enjoyed and the intense threat they faced.