Northern Europe continues to dominate the rankings.
Norway remains in first place for the tenth consecutive year, followed by the Netherlands, Estonia, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.
According to the findings, Iceland now ranks twelfth, improving from eighteenth place last year. The country’s overall score increased from 81.36 to 87.77.
Despite this progress, economic pressures on the media sector remain a concern, with Iceland receiving its lowest score in that category. By contrast, the safety of journalists scored highly.
Alongside Ireland, these are the only countries rated in the highest category.
Elsewhere, Syria saw a notable improvement following political change, while the United States dropped seven places.
Globally, the report notes that press freedom is now classified as “difficult” or “very serious” in more than half of all countries assessed. The legal environment for journalists has deteriorated most significantly over the past year.