Stockholm: Press freedom worldwide has experienced its steepest decline in half a century, according to a new report by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).
The Global State of Democracy Report 2025, published annually by International IDEA, found that democracy has weakened in 94 countries over the past five years, with only a third showing progress.
The study, covering 174 nations from 1975 to 2025, paints a stark picture of backsliding governance and shrinking civic space.
“Democracy faces a perfect storm of autocratic resurgence and acute uncertainty due to massive social and economic changes. To fight back, democracies need to defend core institutions such as elections and the rule of law, but also deliver fairness, inclusion, and shared prosperity,” said Kevin Casas-Zamora, secretary-general of the Stockholm-based thinktank.
The survey highlighted that freedom of the press deteriorated in one-quarter of countries, marking the broadest decline since the dataset began. The sharpest downturns were recorded in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, and Myanmar, where conflict and instability have deepened restrictions.
South Korea ranked fourth in decline, with former president Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration accused of weaponising defamation lawsuits and targeting critical media outlets before he was ousted earlier this year.
🌍 The #GlobalStateofDemocracy Report 2025: #DemocracyOnTheMove is #OutNow! Can democracy keep pace with a world on the move?
This year’s edition takes on one of the defining questions of our time: how migration and democracy intersect—and how the political rights of migrants,… pic.twitter.com/xLI5hPLFtu
— International IDEA (@Int_IDEA) September 11, 2025
The report also noted stark contrasts: in New Zealand, concentration of ownership has left four out of five journalists working for only five employers, while in Palestine, nearly 200 journalists have been killed since October 2023, and Israel has imposed tight restrictions on international press access to Gaza. Between 2024 and 2025, Al Jazeera was suspended by both Israel and the Palestinian Authority over security disputes and coverage controversies.
Amid the widespread decline, the report flagged some gains. Chile showed the largest improvement in freedom of expression, bolstered by draft legislation enhancing protections for journalists and their families.
In Africa, Botswana and South Africa were among the countries contributing to the continent’s strong share of democratic progress, accounting for 24% of global improvements. Parliamentary elections in Jordan in 2024 were praised for increased fairness, while Poland also recorded democratic advances.
The report reserved strong criticism for the United States, once seen as the foremost champion of global democracy. The authors noted Washington had cut back diplomatic and financial support for international democracy initiatives this year, undermining global reform efforts.
Domestically, US political institutions have lost credibility, the report argued, increasingly serving as a reference point for executive overreach and offering more encouragement to populist strongman leaders than to pro-democracy hopefuls.
International IDEA had already classified the US as a backsliding democracy in 2021, citing visible deterioration since 2019.
