The Asia Pacific region has witnessed a decline in media freedom over the last year, according to an annual study by Paris-based think tank Reporters without Borders, and China, Singapore and Brunei have seen biggest falls in freedom of the press.

New Zealand retains its top spot as Asia Pacific’s freest media market, and fifth freest in the world, with Australia not far behind (25th).

But the Pacific picture is very different to Asia’s with Taiwan the highest ranked Asian country, just outside of the top 50.

Brunei suffered the region’s biggest fall in the Reporters without Borders index, with its score dropping 17 points and sliding 34 places down the table, to 155th.

Singapore’s press freedom score fell by seven points, and the citystate dropped to 154th and was leapfrogged by Pakistan.

China’s score also fell by seven points, and the country’s ranking in the index remains unchanged – 176th out of 180 countries.

There were also declines for Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, China, Vietnam and North Korea.

Sri Lanka was Asia’s press freedom success story, with the South Asian country rising 24 places up the table.

The report’s authors noted that the media freedom situation worsened significantly or stagnated in most of APAC, with the decline affecting eastern Asia’s democracies, “previously seen as regional models.”

Press freedom in Asia Pacific (global ranking and +/- change on 2015 in brackets):

1. (5) New Zealand (+1)

2 (25) Australia (0)

3. (51) Taiwan (0)

4. (55) Papua New Guinea (+1)

5. (60) Mongolia (-6)

6. (69) Hong Kong (+1)

7. (70) South Korea (-10)

8. (72) Japan (-11)

9. (94) Bhutan (+10)

10. (99) East Timor (+4)

11. (105) Nepal (0)

12. (112) Maldives (0)

13. (120) Afghanistan (+2)

14. (128) Cambodia (+11)

15. (130) Indonesia (+8)

16. (133) India (+3)

17. (136) Thailand (-2)

18. (138) The Philippines (+3)

19. (141) Sri Lanka (+24)

18. (143) Myanmar (+1)

19. (144) Bangladesh (+2)

20. (146) Malaysia (+1)

21. (147) Pakistan (+12)

22. (154) Singapore (-1)

23. (155) Brunei (-34)

24. (173) Laos (-2)

25. (175) Vietnam (0)

26. (176) China (0)

27. (179 out of 180) North Korea (0)

Source: Reporters without Borders