Nigeria has been ranked 112th out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
This year’s ranking marks some improvement for the country which ranked 122th position in 2025.
Despite the improvement, Nigeria remains in the “difficult category” for press freedom based on the five indicators determining the economic, legal, security, political and social environments for journalism in the country.
“Nigeria is one of West Africa’s most dangerous and difficult countries for journalists, who are regularly monitored, attacked and arbitrarily arrested,” the report stated.
According to the report, around 30 journalists were assaulted, arrested and targeted with tear gas or gunfire while covering the social protests shaking the country in 2024 as electoral periods continue to bring significant violence against media professionals in the country.
It stated, “Crimes committed against journalists continue to go unpunished, even when the perpetrators are known or apprehended. There is almost no state mechanism for protection. In fact, the authorities keep investigative journalists under close surveillance and do not hesitate to threaten and arbitrarily detain them.”
The RSF expressed concerns over plummeting press freedom across the world, noting that “more than half the world’s countries now fall into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom.”
“In over half of the world’s countries and territories (52.2%), the state of press freedom is categorised as “difficult” or “very serious.” This category was a small minority (13.7%) in 2002.
“In 2002, 20% of the global population lived in a country where the state of press freedom was categorised as “good.” Twenty-five years later, less than 1% of the world’s population lives in a country that falls under this category,” it added.
The report stated that while Norway held the top spot for the tenth consecutive year, Eritrea came in last for the third year in a row.
It added that Post-Assad Syria had seen the biggest improvement in press freedom of all the countries and territories in the 2026 Index, climbing 36 places in the ranking.
Meanwhile, RSF editorial director Anne Bocandé warned that authoritarian states, incompetent political powers, predatory economic actors deepen globally decline in press freedom, urging governments around the world to support accountability journalism.
“Current protection mechanisms are not strong enough; international law is being undermined and impunity is rife. We need firm guarantees and meaningful sanctions. The ball is in the court of democracies and their citizens. It is up to them to stand in the way of those who seek to silence the press. The spread of authoritarianism isn’t inevitable,” Ms Bocandé said in the report.