The 2026 World Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters Without Borders, ranked Morocco 105th out of 185 countries, categorizing it under «difficult situation». The report highlighted the ongoing profound challenges facing the media landscape in the kingdom. DR ‹ › Morocco ranked 105th out of 185 countries in the latest World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders, with a score of 50.55. The closer the score is to 100, the better the performance. This represents an improvement of 15 places compared to last year. Across the sub-indices, Morocco ranked 85th in the political category, 127th in the economic category, 108th in the legal category, 117th in the social category, and 99th in the security category. The organization said that independent journalists in Morocco face «constant pressure, as authorities seek to bring the media under their control», adding that the current government, led by businessman Aziz Akhannouch, has tightened its grip on the sector. It also argued that media pluralism in Morocco remains largely superficial, with the press failing to reflect the full diversity of political opinions. According to the report, independent journalists and critical outlets face significant pressure, while access to information is undermined by what it describes as a propaganda machine. It added that misinformation is increasingly used to serve political agendas. The organization further stated that since the National Rally of Independents' victory in the 2021 legislative elections, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch and Justice Minister Abdelatif Ouahbi have intensified pressure on critical journalists, including through legal action. It claimed that financial influence is used to shape editorial lines, while media outlets critical of the government face economic constraints. According to the report, this overlap between economic power and political authority weakens the media's ability to investigate corruption, making such reporting risky due to potential financial and legal repercussions. Morocco third in the Arab world On the economic front, the organization noted that Moroccan journalists operate in a challenging environment, with independent outlets struggling to attract advertisers. Socially, it added that while the public consumes independent journalism, it is less inclined to defend it. The index classifies countries into five categories, placing Morocco in the «difficult situation» group. Despite this, the kingdom ranks third in the Arab world, behind Mauritania (61st) and Qatar (75th). In the Maghreb, Tunisia ranks next (137th), followed by Libya (138th), while Algeria comes last in the region (145th), as the only Maghreb country classified as being in a «very dangerous situation». Globally, Norway ranks first, followed by the Netherlands, Estonia, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Portugal. At the bottom of the index are Saudi Arabia (176th), followed by Iran, China, North Korea, and Eritrea. Reporters Without Borders noted that, for the first time in the history of the index, more than half of the world's countries fall into the «difficult» or «very dangerous» categories, with the global average score at its lowest level in 25 years.
