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As of 2024, Eritrea and Egypt had the least freedom of the press in Africa, with 16.64 and 25.1 points in the press freedom index, respectively. On the other hand, Mauritania and Namibia obtained the highest scores on the continent, showing a satisfactory situation. The press freedom index determines the levels of media freedom in each country, evaluating the political, economic, and sociocultural context, as well as legal framework and safety of journalists. The index ranks from zero, a very serious situation, to 100, a good situation regarding press freedom.

Low levels of press freedom on the continent

As the index shows, some African countries lack press freedom. For instance, Eritrea and Djibouti do not have any privately-owned media, which is why they obtained the least-performing index scores on the continent. According to the index, Egypt ranked second in Africa for having the least press freedom and presented the most critical situation in North Africa. On the other hand, Tunisia had by far the highest levels of press freedom in the northern region. A survey conducted in 2020 showed that almost half of Tunisia’s population believed that the media should be free from government control.

Limited safety of journalists in Africa

Especially in the world regions with poor press freedom, journalists are often in danger due to their work. Worldwide, the number of imprisoned journalists has generally risen in recent years, growing from 145 in 2010 to over 360 in 2022. Egypt ranked among the countries with the most journalists in jail. Moreover, cases of murdered journalists are also reported every year in different parts of the world.

Press freedom index in Africa from 2022 to 2024, by country

Characteristic	2022	2023	2024
Mauritania	58.1	59.45	74.2
Namibia	81.84	80.91	74.16
Seychelles	83.33	75.71	73.75
South Africa	75.56	78.6	73.73
Cabo Verde	75.37	75.72	72.77
Ghana	67.43	65.93	67.71
Cote d'Ivoire	74.46	68.83	66.79
Gabon	56	58.12	65.83
Mauritius	66.07	65.56	65.55
Gambia	69.25	71.06	65.53
Liberia	62.77	64.34	65.13
Malawi	61.4	61.34	64.46
Sierra Leone	71.03	62.55	64.27
Congo-Brazzaville	58.64	60.42	62.57
Comoros	60.16	62.25	61.47
Central African Republic	56.96	57.56	60.12
Guinea	59.82	59.51	59.97
Botswana	58.49	64.61	59.78
Niger	67.8	66.84	59.71
Eswatini	46.42	52.66	58.31
Burkina Faso	73.13	67.64	58.24
Benin	48.39	52.44	56.73
Guinea-Bissau	58.79	61.57	55.95
Senegal	63.07	55.82	55.44
Zambia	55.4	59.41	55.38
Chad	56.18	53.73	54.81
Tanzania	48.28	44.02	54.8
Madagascar	58.02	56.66	54.08
Kenya	64.59	51.15	53.22
Angola	57.17	48.3	52.44
Mozambique	49.89	56.13	52.42
Burundi	55.74	52.14	51.78
Nigeria	46.79	49.56	51.03
Togo	57.17	63.06	50.89
Mali	54.48	52.29	50.56
Zimbabwe	44.94	48.17	50.31
Tunisia	58.49	50.11	49.97
Lesotho	59.39	64.29	48.92
DR Congo	47.66	48.55	47.91
Equatorial Guinea	43.96	50.35	46.49
Uganda	46.35	46.08	46
Morocco/Western Sahara	45.42	43.69	45.97
Cameroon	49.1	45.58	44.95
South Sudan	47.06	50.62	42.57
Algeria	45.53	45.74	41.97
Ethiopia	50.53	47.7	41.37
Libya	43.16	40.22	40.59
Rwanda	45.18	46.21	40.54
Somalia	44.01	44.24	39.4
Sudan	40.96	40.83	35.73
Djibouti	35.75	35.87	30.14
Egypt	30.23	33.37	25.1
Eritrea	19.62	27.86	16.64

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Release date

May 2024

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Region

Africa

Survey time period

2022-2024

Supplementary notes

According to the source, "The purpose of the World Press Freedom Index is to compare the level of press freedom enjoyed by journalists and media in 180 countries and territories. This comparison is based on a definition of press freedom formulated by RSF and its panel experts when developing the new methodology to be used from 2022 onwards."

"The Index is a snapshot of the situation in the 180 countries and territories during the calendar year (January-December) prior to its publication. Nonetheless, it is meant to be seen as an accurate reflection of the situation at the time of publication."

The Index’s rankings are based on a score ranging from 0 to 100 that is assigned to each country or territory, with 100 being the best possible score (the highest possible level of press freedom) and 0 the worst.

From 0 to 40 points: Very serious situation
From 40 to 55 points: Difficult situation
From 55 to 70 points: Problematic situation
From 70 to 85 points: Satisfactory situation
From 85 to 100 points: Good situation

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