Newspapers have been a way for the world to be connected to and keep up to date on current events all around the globe. The earliest newspapers date to 17th century Europe when printed periodicals began rapidly to replace the practice of hand-writing newssheets. Though today mobile phone applications and websites often come close to replacing the newspaper, printed news is still published daily.
As the world moves towards digital at every turn, questions are unsurprisingly being asked about the future of print media. Digitally or not, however, the newspaper is still one of the first places we turn for news. With more and more papers moving online, hiding articles behind paywalls and monthly subscriptions, print may not be dead so much as adapting – moving into a new era of life.
Here are the top 20 oldest newspapers in the world.
| Rank | Date of first publication | Newspaper | Country/Region |
| 1. | 1605 | Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien | Holy Roman Empire |
| 2. | 1609 | Avisa Relation oder Zeitung | Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Holy Roman Empire |
| 3. | 1610 | Name not given in source | Old Swiss Confederacy |
| 4. | 1615 | Name not given in source | Holy Roman Empire |
| 5. | 1617 | Name not given in source | Brandenburg, Holy Roman Empire |
| 6. | 1618 | Courante uyt Italien, Duytslandt, &c. | Holland, Dutch Republic |
| 7. | 1618 | Wöchentliche Zeitung aus mancherley Orten | Poland |
| 8. | 1620 | Nieuwe Tijdinghen | Spanish Netherlands |
| 9. | 1631 | La Gazette | France |
| 10. | 1639 | Genova | Republic of Genoa |
| 11. | 1640 | Milano | Duchy of Milan |
| 12. | 1641 | The heads of severall proceedings in the present Parliament | Scotland |
| 13. | 1641 | Gazeta em Que Se Relatam as Novas Que Houve Nesta e Que vieram de Várias Partes | Kingdom of Portugal |
| 14. | 1642 | Genova | Republic of Genoa |
| 15. | 1642 | Bologna | Papal States |
| 16. | 1645 | Ordinari Post Tijdender | Sweden |
| 17. | 1650 | Einkommende Zeitungen | Saxony, Holy Roman Empire |
| 18. | 1656 | Weeckelycke Courante van Europa | Holland, Dutch Republic |
| 19. | 1661 | La Gazeta | Kingdom of Spain |
| 20. | 1661 | Merkuriusz Polski Ordynaryjny | Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth |
