Introduction
In my previous collaboration, I referenced the report released this year by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) on the state of democracy worldwide. They base their assessment on four indicators that allow for cross-country comparisons: freedom of expression, free and credible elections, the rule of law and legal system, and free, plural, and effective representation.
Global Democratic Crisis
The world, in general, is facing a clear crisis in advancing and maintaining its respective democracies. At least 47 countries have lost or regressed in at least one of the four mentioned factors, with the most significant being freedom of expression and the loss of political pluralism.
Focus on Freedom of Expression
I will focus on the latter, as it is, in my view, the most lamentable loss affecting all democracies. Without freedom of expression, hardly any other political right can thrive in a person’s public and collective life. The study states:
“The global regression was most severe in press freedom, with 43 countries experiencing declines compared to 2019. This is the broadest decrease in this factor since the beginning of the Indexes guiding our data reports since 1975.”
Press Freedom Deterioration Across Regions
Press freedom performance deteriorated in all regions, with 15 African and 15 European countries, as well as six each in the Americas and Asia-Pacific experiencing declines. One country in Western Asia also saw a decrease. While the majority of countries that experienced declines were mid-range, four countries—Finland, Portugal, Sweden, and Uruguay—were in the high-range category.
World Press 2025 Freedom Index
The gravity of the press freedom performance drop is reflected in the World Press 2025 Freedom Index findings, which categorized the global state of press freedom as a “difficult situation” for the first time in the Index’s history. The economic indicator of the index, measuring ownership concentration, advertiser and financial sponsor pressure, and opaque allocation or restriction of humanitarian aid, has fallen to its lowest point (Reporters Without Borders 2025).
Case Studies: New Zealand and Palestine
New Zealand has experienced a media crisis marked by the shrinking news landscape. In 2024, Newshub, a television and online news company, closed, leaving the country with only the state-owned TVNZ, which also reduced its news programming and staff. The media has become highly concentrated, with 78.5% of journalists working for one of every five employers (Reporters Without Borders s.f.). Since October 2023, nearly 200 journalists have been killed, and Israel has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip for over 18 months (Reporters Without Borders 2025).
Al Jazeera’s treatment exemplifies the media environment in the region. Between 2024 and 2025, Al Jazeera faced pressure from both Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which suspended its operations due to alleged national security concerns and tensions over certain event coverages (IDEA International 2024z).
Progress in Press Freedom
Twelve countries from all regions have seen significant advances in press freedom (comparing 2024 scores to 2019). Most of these countries are in the Americas (Bolivia, Brazil, Dominican Republic, and Honduras) and Europe (Bulgaria, Czechia, Montenegro, and Poland). Only Zambia in Africa saw improvements, while Fiji and Sri Lanka in Asia-Pacific, and Syria in Western Asia experienced gains. Syria is the only low-performing country that has seen any improvement in this factor (Brazil, Czechia, and Poland have moved from mid-range to high-range performance between 2019 and 2024).
Conclusion
It is evident that, in our respective countries, the place to start is by defending press freedom and expression. Without it, nothing good can begin.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the main focus of this article? The article focuses on the global state of democracy, particularly emphasizing press freedom and its recent decline.
- Which organization released the report on global democracy? The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) released the report.
- How many countries have experienced a decline in democratic factors? At least 47 countries have lost or regressed in at least one of the four democratic factors.
- What is the most significant loss affecting all democracies? Freedom of expression is considered the most lamentable loss affecting all democracies.
- How many countries have seen improvements in press freedom? Twelve countries from all regions have experienced significant advances in press freedom.
- What are some examples of media concentration and decline? New Zealand’s media landscape has shrunk, with the closure of Newshub and TVNZ reducing news programming and staff. Al Jazeera has faced pressure from Israel and the Palestinian Authority, leading to operational suspension.
