India slips to 150 in press freedom index

India's ranking in the World Press Freedom Index 2022 has fallen down to 150^th position from last year's 142^nd rank out of 180 countries.

About World Press Freedom Index

• Published every year since 2002 by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the World Press Freedom Index is an important advocacy tool based on the principle of emulation among states. 
• The Index ranks 180 countries and regions according to the level of freedom available to journalists.
• It is a snapshot of the media freedom situation based on an evaluation of pluralism, independence of the media, quality of legislative framework and safety of journalists in each country and region.

Key-highlights of the index:

• Top performing countries include Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia and Finland while North Korea remained at the bottom of the list.
• The rankings of India's neighbours have also come down, with the index placing Pakistan at 157^th position (145^th last year), Sri Lanka 146^th (127^th), Bangladesh 162^nd (152^nd) and Myanmar at 176^th (140^th) position.
• Nepal has significantly improved its global ranking by 30 points from 106^th position last year to 76^th position in 2022.
• Russia’s position has also come down from 150^th last year to 155^th this year, while China climbed up by two positions (from 177^th to 175^th).