Kazakhstan outranks Kyrgyzstan in World Press Freedom Index

Kazakhstan ranked 141st in the World Press Freedom Index, while neighboring Kyrgyzstan has slipped to the 144th spot, as reported by Reporters Without Borders.

This means that Kazakhstan has moved up by one notch this year compared to 2024, while Kyrgyzstan has plunged by 24 notches year over year.

However, all five Central Asian states are marked in red on the map, meaning that the situation with press freedom is quite serious there. Among other states in red are Belarus (166), Azerbaijan (167), Russia (171), Afghanistan (175), Iran (176) and China (178). All in all, 90 out of 180 countries have reported problems with press freedom.

In contrast, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, the Netherlands, Denmark and Iceland have reported a good situation with the press — the highest mark in the rating.

According to Reporters Without Borders, this year marked the deepest decline in the Press Freedom Index over the past 10 years across the globe. Researchers believe this was the result of economic pressure.

«The media economy must urgently be restored to a state that is conducive to journalism and ensures the production of reliable information, which is inherently costly. Solutions exist and must be deployed on a large scale. The media’s financial independence is a necessary condition for ensuring free, trustworthy information that serves the public interest,» the organization said in a statement on its website.

In 2023, Kazakhstan was ranked 134th out of 180 countries in the same rating. This was a decline of 22 notches compared to 2022, when the country stood at the 122nd position.