Albania marks improvement in press freedom index

The country ranks 80th in the world, out of 180 estimated states, climbing 19 positions compared to 2024.

At the regional level, Albania positions third for media freedom, after Montenegro and Northern Macedonia, leaving behind a European Union country like Greece.

According to the report, a positive news report is that no case of journalists killed or imprisoned during the past year was reported in Albania.

However, RSF proves that challenges remain present, especially in terms of the media's conflict of interest and economic independence. “In Albania, press freedom and media independence are threatened by close ties between the business world and politics. Journalists face intimidation by politicians and organised crime”, the report stresses.

According to report data, Albania has performed well in indicators such as security, legal and social aspects, while poorly resulting in political and economic indicators, reflecting the strong impact of business policy and interests on the functioning of the media.

By comparison, Kosovo and Serbia are ranked lower in the regional index, at 99th and 96th in the world respectively.

Part of the report

“Gasers face political pressure, especially during the elections. Politicians limit editorial independence by politicising media regulators and appointing those responsible for public media. Critics against authorities often subject to attacks designed to discredit them from both the government and the opposition, and they have difficulty getting state information, the approach in which may be even more limited by a recent centralisation of government communications”.

Legal Framework

“Although Albania's constitution and international legal commitments guarantee press freedom, protection of resource privacy is insufficient. As a result of controversial judicial decisions, media were barred from covering sensitive issues of public interest”.

sociocultural context

“Grazies investigating crime and corruption are particularly targets of threats. Women newspapers, who make up most of the profession, face online harassment and in some cases gender discrimination within news organizations, although there has been progress in this area. Autosensura is widespread, but however, media have created a platform for ethical self-regulation, the first of its kind in Albania”, the report says.

Region and World

In the Balkan region, the report notes a widespread decline in press freedom. Montenegro holds the highest position in the region, in the 37th position, followed by Northern Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia. Kosovo has also noted decline in the ranking, positioning 99th place.

In the end, RSF underlines that economic pressure, linked to the concentration of ownership, dependence on advertisers and lack of transparent public support, is one of the main factors that are undermining media freedom. “Without economic independence cannot have free press”, the report says.

Globally, the report for 2025 is led by Norway, followed by Estonia, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Finland. Among the countries that have suffered a slight decline are the United States, which has dropped from 55th to 57th, and Italy, from 46th to 49th.

Eritrea closes the world ranking list, while China and North Korea are positioned immediately above, representing the three countries with the most limited media freedom.