Western Balkans identified as Europe’s disinformation soft underbelly

Countries in the Western Balkans display the lowest levels of resilience to disinformation in Europe due to lack of media literacy, according to the 2026 Media Literacy Index published by the Open Society Institute – Sofia. Persistent weaknesses in education, media freedom and public trust continue to leave the region highly exposed to information warfare, including Russian influence linked to the war in Ukraine.

EU member state Bulgaria, which borders the Western Balkans, ranks just above the region’s weakest performers but still places last among EU countries.

The societies in South-Eastern Europe remain the most vulnerable, while also being among those most exposed to Russian information influence due to their proximity to the war in Ukraine, noted the author of the report Marin Lessenski from Open Society Institute.

While Northern and Western Europe sustain resilience through strong education systems and media freedom, Western Balkan countries remain outside the EU’s institutional stability, making them more susceptible to great power influence.

In 2026, artificial intelligence and a divided Western response to disinformation further compound these challenges, the report states. Ultimately, the use of disinformation for short-term political gain represents a self-destructive race to the bottom that risks causing lasting damage to democracy.

The Media Literacy Index has been published by the Open Society Institute – Sofia since 2017 and assesses how well societies are prepared to address the complex challenges posed by disinformation.

North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo, as well as Georgia perform the worst, all falling into the fifth and lowest cluster of the index.

Greece, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova and Cyprus rank just above them, but still remain near the bottom of the media literacy table. Bulgaria remains last among EU member states and continues to be among the countries most exposed to the negative effects of disinformation and fake news.

Recent reports by the Balkan Free Media Initiative (BMFI) warn that social media platforms in the Western Balkans have increasingly been misused to amplify pro-government, pro-Russian and anti-EU narratives. This proces is outpacing independent fact-checking efforts and contributing to political polarisation and public distrust. The findings underline gaps in content labelling and regulation, and growing threats to journalists from coordinated online attacks and hate speech.

In another BMFI study, algorithmic manipulation on platforms such as TikTok was identified as a structural vulnerability across the region, with limited transparency and enforcement enabling coordinated inauthentic behaviour, especially around elections.

The report calls for national monitoring bodies, clearer rules on paid political content, enhanced cooperation between authorities and platforms, and greater investment in media literacy

The top performers

The OSI media literacy index records a convergence among the top-performing countries. Denmark, Finland, Ireland and the Netherlands share first place with an identical score of 71 points.

While Finland has traditionally held a clear lead since the index was first published in 2017, this year’s data shows that several European countries have closed the gap, with Denmark even slightly outperforming Finland. These Cluster 1 countries are the most resilient to disinformation, combining high-quality education systems, strong media freedom and deeply rooted interpersonal trust.

The results also underline a persistent and troubling “East–West divide” in Europe. The highest-performing clusters are dominated almost exclusively by north-western European countries, while those at the bottom are largely located in south-eastern Europe, particularly in the Western Balkans. Kosovo, North Macedonia and Albania are identified as the most vulnerable countries, where systemic shortcomings in education and media freedom continue to undermine societal defences against disinformation.

This year’s report also includes an “extended index” covering 47 countries, offering a global perspective on the disinformation crisis. The findings show that Canada and Australia have successfully joined the top-performing group, matching the resilience of leading European states, while the United States remains in the second cluster, indicating greater exposure to the phenomenon of “post-truth” politics than its peers in the top tier.

The index is calculated using a model designed to reflect the multidimensional nature of resilience to disinformation. Education remains the most significant factor, accounting for 45% of the total score, based on PISA results and tertiary education participation. Media freedom follows with a weight of 40%, drawing on data from Reporters Without Borders and Freedom House. The remaining 15% is split between interpersonal trust (10%) and e-participation (5%), which measures the use of digital tools for civic engagement.

The 2026 edition of the Media Literacy Index advocates a “common sense” strategy to counter the current race to the bottom in the information space. The report stresses that there is no single “silver bullet”.

Instead, it calls for prioritising media literacy from an early age, following Finland’s long-standing approach, while avoiding the potential pitfalls of overly strict regulation. It also highlights the importance of psychological awareness, urging countries to educate citizens about the effects of confirmation bias and emotional manipulation in order to build lasting cognitive immunity.

Caption: Illustrative photo. [EC – Audiovisual Service]