CPJ 2024 Prison Census - Second highest on record
Data snapshot: December 1, 2024 | Page created: December 22, 2025
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) conducts an annual census of journalists imprisoned in connection with their work. The 2024 count confirms press freedom continues to deteriorate globally.
Asia remains the region with the most journalists behind bars. In the Middle East and North Africa, nearly half of those detained were imprisoned by Israel, largely in connection with the Gaza conflict.
228 journalists (more than 60%) are imprisoned under broad anti-state laws frequently used to silence independent voices. These laws criminalize activities like "spreading false information," "inciting subversion," or "harming national security" - vague charges that can be applied to legitimate journalism.
CPJ's prison census is a snapshot taken at 12:01 a.m. on December 1, 2024. It counts only those incarcerated at that moment. It does not include:
The true scope of press freedom violations is larger than any census can capture.
2022 set the global record with at least 370 journalists imprisoned. 2023 saw a slight decrease. 2024's count of 361 represents the second-highest total CPJ has ever recorded, indicating the global press freedom crisis continues unabated.
This page documents the state of journalist imprisonment worldwide. Ember compiles publicly available information from the Committee to Protect Journalists to help ensure these cases are not forgotten.