India's rank slips to 161 in World Press Freedom Index

From the 150th spot in 2022, India’s rank has further dipped to 161 in the 2023 edition of the Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders. This is several spots behind Pakistan and Afghanistan, which have improved their rankings this year at positions 150 and 152, respectively. Countries ranked lower than India include Bangladesh (163), Turkey (165), Saudi Arabia (170), and Iran (177). The index was published today, May 3, which is also World Press Freedom Day. The ranking is based on a country’s performance in five broad categories: political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural context, and safety of journalists. Of the five, India’s ranking was lowest in the safety of journalists category (172) and best in the social indicator category (143).