The country also scored 52.73 points this year, compared with 56.09 points in 2025.

Malaysia was ranked 107th in 2024 and 73rd in 2023.

In the Asean region, Malaysia remains in second place behind its neighbour Thailand (92nd). It is followed by Brunei (96th), the Philippines (114th), Singapore (123rd), Indonesia (129th), Cambodia (151st), Laos (154th), Myanmar (166th) and Vietnam (174th).

RSF said Malaysia’s political indicator, which measures media independence from political pressure, moved from 44.66 to 43.00.

Its economic indicator, which assesses the financial independence of the media, moved from 48.67 to 40.28.

The legal indicator, which covers laws and regulations affecting journalists, stood at 43.71 compared with 46.26 previously.

The sociocultural indicator, which looks at social pressures and self-censorship, was recorded at 51.25 from 62.72.

An improvement was seen in the security indicator, which rose from 78.16 to 85.42, reflecting a stronger assessment of journalist safety from physical, psychological and professional risks.