Bangladesh has slipped two positions on the World Press Freedom Index 2024, compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

The country now ranks 165th among 180 nations, as revealed in the index released on World Press Freedom Day. This marks a decline from its position of 163rd last year and 162nd in 2022.

According to the latest index, Bangladesh's press freedom score has decreased significantly to 27.64 from 35.31 in the previous year.

In the South Asian region, Nepal leads in press freedom, securing the 74th position globally with a score of 60.52. The Maldives follows closely at 106th place with a score of 52.36. Bhutan ranks third regionally with a score of 37.29, placing 147th globally. Sri Lanka and Pakistan rank fourth and fifth, respectively, while India claims the sixth position.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan has seen a drastic decline, falling to the bottom of the regional rankings, now placed 178th globally with a score of 19.09.

Reporters Without Borders, an international NGO headquartered in Paris, publishes the World Press Freedom Index annually to assess the level of media freedom in different countries and territories. This index serves as a comparison of press freedom enjoyed by journalists and media worldwide, based on their operational freedom in the previous year. Bangladesh has been part of this index since 2013.