A new UNESCO report marking World Press Freedom Day highlights a sustained global decline in freedom of expression, alongside rising pressure on journalists and media institutions.
The UN agency's World Trends in Freedom of Expression report, covering the period from January 2022 to November 2025, points to a 10 per cent drop in the global freedom of expression index since 2012.
It notes that self-censorship has risen by 63 per cent worldwide, while control over newspapers, television, radio and digital platforms has increased by 48 per cent.
Academic and artistic freedom are also in decline.
Between January 2022 and September 2025, 310 journalists were killed, including 24 women, the report notes. OUt of this, 162 journalists were killed in conflict zones.
2025 marks the highest annual death toll since 2018, when 99 journalists were killed.
70 percent of environmental journalists report having been attacked because of their work.
Despite the overall decline in freedom of expression documented in the 2025 World Trends Report, the publication also highlights key positive developments in media development and access to information.
Published every four years, the World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development report offers a unique and comprehensive analysis of key changes, opportunities and challenges while also outlining a path forward to address these issues.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres made a call for press freedom.
Often, reporters are deliberately targeted in war zones, Guterres noted in a message marking the day.
In addition to this lethal threat, the rise of information "manipulation" is allowing mistrust to take root, the Secretary-General insists.
The world's top diplomat also warns that today, media workers risk censorship, surveillance, legal harassment - and even death, all across the globe.
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