World view · rights
Press Freedom Index
प्रेस स्वतन्त्रता सूचकाङ्क
Nepal · 2026
Rank 87
Rank 87 of 180
Trajectory · 2002–2026
Press Freedom Index
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
Linear extrapolation of the last 5-year trend — illustrative only, not a forecast.
Solid — measured history
Dashed — if current trend continues
Green dotted — reform scenario (1.5× current pace)
Honest caveat: projections are linear extrapolation of the last 5 observed years. Real-world indices change non-linearly with policy shocks, elections, and external events. This tool answers "where would this go if nothing changes?" — it is not a forecast. For real change, see the "what would move this" panel below.
Why Nepal is here
Nepal still leads South Asia on press freedom, but has slipped from rank 74 (2024) to 87 (2026) over two years. The constitution guarantees press freedom and there is a competitive private media; however, threats to journalists outside Kathmandu have intensified, the Media Council Bill remains contentious, and self-censorship on Chinese-investment and religious-conversion stories is rising.
The short version
Compared to the rest of the world, Nepali journalists can mostly write what they want — better than India, Pakistan or Bangladesh next door. But we slipped 13 places in two years, so this freedom is not safe forever.
Inside the score
The headline number breaks down into these sub-scores — these are the levers.
Political context
58/100
Constitution protects press; ruling parties still pressure friendly editors
Legal framework
54/100
Media Council Bill, Electronic Transactions Act used against online journalists
Economic context
42/100
Govt advertising as soft pressure; tiny ad market forces dependency
Sociocultural context
64/100
Society broadly accepts press freedom; women journalists face online harassment
Safety
71/100
Few killed since 2017, but provincial-reporter assaults under-prosecuted
SAARC scoreboard
How Nepal compares to its neighbours on this index, latest year.
What would actually move this
Three concrete actions — each tied to where a comparable country actually moved on this metric.
- 1
Withdraw or rewrite the Media Council Bill to remove punitive licensing powers.
- 2
Provincial-level press-protection cells — most threats happen outside Kathmandu valley.
- 3
Make defamation cases against journalists publicly tracked, with timeline dashboards.
Countries that moved — and how
Real reform episodes from countries roughly our size or context. Each shows that significant movement is possible within a decade.
Taiwan 🇹🇼
Rank 51 → 27 (2014 → 2024)
Public-broadcasting independence law, defamation decriminalised in practice, strong digital-rights coalition.
Armenia 🇦🇲
Rank 79 → 43 (2018 → 2024)
Post-Velvet Revolution opening; libel law reformed; broadcast licensing depoliticised.
Bhutan 🇧🇹
Rank 70 → 30 (2017 → 2024)
Royal commission on media reform, journalist-protection fund, small but professional regulator.
Source · cited verbatim
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) — Press Freedom Index, 2026
Open the publisher's releaseAll values on this page are taken directly from this source. Year and confidence level is shown on each card. If you find a discrepancy with the publisher's current dataset, please report it.