Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released its 2024 World Press Freedom Index. Since 2002, The Index has been assessing media freedom in 177 countries worldwide. RSF has been evaluating Georgia since 2003. 

In 2024, Georgia's ranking has deteriorated by 26 places, landing at 103rd out of 177 countries.

Excluding 2008, Georgia had only been ranked below 100 in the global ranking in 2011-2012. Starting in 2013, the country saw rapid improvements, reversing the negative trend, but a sharp deterioration since 2021 has returned the country's ranking to the levels of 2011-2012.

Notably, no EU member state is ranked below 100, and aside from Belarus, no other European country falls beyond this threshold. Ukraine ranks 60th and Moldova 31st in the Press Freedom Index. Hungary is also 36 places ahead of Georgia.

Significantly, in 2024, Georgia is among the ten countries where the state of media freedom has deteriorated the most compared to 2023. Along with Georgia, this top ten includes Afghanistan (ranked 178), Argentina (ranked 66), Burkina Faso (ranked 86), and Ecuador (ranked 110).

Between 2022 and 2024, Georgia experienced a sharp decline in the quality of democracy. The rights of the media and journalists have significantly worsened. In addition to the existential threat stemming from Russian-style Foreign Agents Law, journalists and cameramen have faced brutal physical violence. Freedom of expression remains a primary target for regimes moving toward dictatorship.