Lebanon ranks sixth in Arab press freedom

Lebanon ranks number six in the Arab world in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, a notable improvement in a region where journalism often operates under pressure. With a global score of 42.62, the country climbed eight places worldwide, moving from 140 to 132, according to the latest rankings.

In the MENA region, Qatar leads with a score of 58.35, followed by Morocco and Algeria. Lebanon now sits just behind Tunisia and ahead of Oman, Libya, Jordan, and Yemen. On paper, the shift suggests movement. In reality, it signals resilience within constraint.

An eight-place global jump

Climbing eight spots in a single year is significant. The World Press Freedom Index, compiled annually by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), evaluates countries based on five indicators: political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural environment, and safety of journalists.

Lebanon’s improvement reflects relative gains across these indicators compared to global peers. The country has maintained a functioning, diverse media ecosystem, one that continues to produce investigative reporting, political critique, and public-interest journalism.

In a region where many media landscapes are tightly state-controlled, Lebanon’s pluralism remains a distinguishing factor.

Pluralism as strength

Lebanon’s media scene is one of the most diverse in the Arab world. Television stations represent a wide political spectrum. Independent digital platforms have multiplied since 2019. Podcasts, newsletters, and investigative collectives have carved out new spaces for accountability-driven journalism.

Civil society organizations and press freedom groups continue to advocate for legal reforms, transparency, and journalist protection. Meanwhile, younger journalists are reshaping storytelling formats, moving beyond traditional broadcasting into data journalism, long-form investigations, and digital-first reporting.

This adaptability matters. In times of national crisis, Lebanese media has often been the primary arena for public debate, scrutinizing financial collapse, covering investigations, and reporting on elections and reform efforts.

A regional context

Ranking sixth in the Arab world places Lebanon in the upper half of the region’s media landscape. In a broader Middle Eastern context marked by censorship laws, licensing restrictions, and limited press independence, Lebanon’s relative openness stands out.

The country’s constitutional protections for freedom of expression, combined with its historically vibrant press culture, continue to provide a foundation for journalistic work, even amid institutional challenges.

In one of the world’s most volatile regions, Lebanese journalism continues to endure, evolve, and hold space for public conversation.