The Paris-based international non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, dedicated to the state of freedom of speech across the globe. The analysis of this ranking indicates that Uzbekistan remains on the list of regions where the level of press freedom is considered concerning. Zamin.uz has analyzed the most significant aspects of the international report regarding Uzbekistan and the region.
Ranking and Scores: What is the Situation?
In the updated index, Uzbekistan is ranked 147th among 180 countries. Although the country rose one position compared to last year's result, a decrease was observed in the total points earned.
Specifically, while Uzbekistan's score was 35.24 out of 100 in 2025, this figure dropped to 34.95 points in the 2026 report. International experts continue to assess the situation in the country as "very serious."
Indicator Analysis: Where is Growth and Where is Decline?
The index is formed based on five main criteria. It is noteworthy that Uzbekistan's indicators in some areas improved this year:
Positive changes: An increase in scores was recorded for economic and security indicators.
Negative changes: A decline was observed in political, legal, and social criteria.
Comparison: In the 2025 report, indicators had decreased across all five categories.
Historical Retrospective: A Step Backward?
For a long time, Uzbekistan was among the countries with the worst press conditions. Due to democratic reforms that began in 2016-2017, the country managed to move into the category of nations where the situation was "difficult" by 2019. However, starting from 2024, Uzbekistan has returned to the "very serious" category.
The Situation in Central Asia
The rankings of neighboring countries in the region for the 2026 index are as follows:
Kyrgyzstan: 146th place.
Uzbekistan: 147th place.
Kazakhstan: 149th place.
Tajikistan: 155th place.
Turkmenistan: 173rd place.
The Global Overview
According to international analysts, the state of press freedom is currently found to be "good" in only 7 countries (Norway, the Netherlands, Estonia, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Ireland).
Overall, the level of press freedom has declined in 100 countries worldwide over the past year. The main reasons cited for this are increasing political pressure on the media, the strengthening of autocratic tendencies, and the weakening of the media market.
Dear readers, in your opinion, what measures should be taken first to further improve press and speech freedom in our country? How do you evaluate the changes in the activities of local media?
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
