Andorra Climbs to 60th in 2026 World Press Freedom Index Amid Global Decline

Andorra has risen to 60th place in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), up five spots from 65th in 2025 and marking continued progress from 72nd in 2024. The principality's score improved slightly to 63.91 from 63.30 the previous year.

This gain comes amid a dire global outlook, with RSF reporting the worst press freedom conditions in 25 years. The worldwide average score has reached its lowest point since the index began, placing more than half of 180 countries in "difficult" or "very serious" situations for the first time. Restrictive laws, often justified by national security concerns, increasingly limit journalistic work and fuel the criminalization of reporters. Armed conflicts pose ongoing dangers, notably in Gaza where over 220 media workers have died since October 2023, as well as in Sudan, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria, which saw the largest gain at 141st after political changes. Authoritarian states anchor the bottom: Eritrea at 180th, North Korea at 179th, and China at 178th, while Russia (172nd) and Iran (177th) use legal mechanisms to suppress outlets. Norway tops the list, with the United States dropping to 64th.

In Andorra, RSF identifies persistent structural barriers in the small market that erode media pluralism. Economic power is concentrated among bankers and business leaders, who own key private outlets like Diari d'Andorra alongside the government-aligned public broadcaster RTVA. The country's sole news agency functions more as a communications service than an independent source. Andorra's democratic framework, shaped by a constitution just over 30 years old, features blurred boundaries between political and economic elites, fostering opacity.

No official censorship exists, yet public media tilt toward the government, private ones face advertising leverage from banking interests, and self-censorship is common, especially on financial scandals. Conservative traditions linked to the Catholic Church limit social discourse, and journalists lack access to an outdated judiciary, including judges and magistrates.

RSF's five indicators reveal stark disparities: Andorra places 19th in political context and journalist safety, 57th in legal framework, but falls to 75th socially and 107th economically. Among influential neighbors, Portugal slipped two places to 10th with a score of 83.71. European rankings vary by political and structural factors, with global economic pressures further straining media sustainability.