Democracy Index

The Democracy Index published by the Economist Group is an index measuring the quality of democracy across the world. This quantitative and comparative assessment is centrally concerned with democratic rights and democratic institutions. The methodology for assessing democracy used in this democracy index is according to Economist Intelligence Unit which is part of the Economist Group, a UK-based private company, which publishes the weekly newspaper The Economist. The index is based on 60 indicators grouped into five categories, measuring pluralism, civil liberties, and political culture. In addition to a numeric score and a ranking, the index categorizes each country into one of four regime types: full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes, and authoritarian regimes. The first Democracy Index report was published in 2006. Reports were published every two years until 2010 and annually thereafter. The index includes 167 countries and territories, of which 166 are sovereign states and 164 are UN member states. Other democracy indices with similar assessments of the state of democracy include V-Dem Democracy indices or Bertelsmann Transformation Index.

The 2023 Economist Intelligence Unit Democracy Index map

Full democracies   9.00–10.00   8.00–8.99

Flawed democracies   7.00–7.99   6.00–6.99

Hybrid regimes   5.00–5.99   4.00–4.99

Authoritarian regimes   3.00–3.99   2.00–2.99   1.00–1.99   0.00–0.99

No data

Methodology

As described in the report, the Democracy Index produces a weighted average based on the answers to 60 questions, each one with either two or three permitted answers. Most answers are experts' assessments. Some answers are provided by public-opinion surveys from the respective countries. In the case of countries for which survey results are missing, survey results for similar countries and expert assessments are used in order to fill in gaps.

The questions are grouped into five categories:

• electoral process and pluralism
• civil liberties
• functioning of government
• political participation
• political culture

Each answer is converted to a score, either 0 or 1, or for the three-answer questions, 0, 0.5 or 1. With the exceptions mentioned below, within each category, the scores are added, multiplied by ten, and divided by the total number of questions within the category. There are a few modifying dependencies, which are explained much more precisely than the main rule procedures. In a few cases, an answer yielding zero for one question voids another question; e.g., if the elections for the national legislature and head of government are not considered free (question 1), then the next question, "Are elections... fair?", is not considered, but automatically scored zero. Likewise, there are a few questions considered so important that a low score on them yields a penalty on the total score sum for their respective categories, namely:

1. "Whether national elections are free and fair";
2. "The security of voters";
3. "The influence of foreign powers on government";
4. "The capability of the civil servants to implement policies".

The five category indices, which are listed in the report, are then averaged to find the overall score for a given country. Finally, the score, rounded to two decimals, decides the regime-type classification of the country.

The report discusses other indices of democracy, as defined, e.g., by Freedom House, and argues for some of the choices made by the team from the Economist Intelligence Unit. In this comparison, a higher emphasis is placed on the public opinion and attitudes, as measured by surveys, but on the other hand, economic living-standards are not weighted as one criterion of democracy (as seemingly some other investigators have done).

The report is widely cited in the international press as well as in peer-reviewed academic journals.

Definitions

• Full democracies are nations where civil liberties and fundamental political freedoms are not only respected but also reinforced by a political culture conducive to the thriving of democratic principles. These nations have a valid system of governmental checks and balances, an independent judiciary whose decisions are enforced, governments that function adequately, and diverse and independent media. These nations have only limited problems in democratic functioning.
• Flawed democracies are nations where elections are fair and free and basic civil liberties are honoured but may have issues (e.g. media freedom infringement and minor suppression of political opposition and critics). These nations can have significant faults in other democratic aspects, including underdeveloped political culture, low levels of participation in politics, and issues in the functioning of governance.
• Hybrid regimes are nations with regular electoral frauds, preventing them from being fair and free democracies. These nations commonly have governments that apply pressure on political opposition, non-independent judiciaries, widespread corruption, harassment and pressure placed on the media, anaemic rule of law, and more pronounced faults than flawed democracies in the realms of underdeveloped political culture, low levels of participation in politics, and issues in the functioning of governance.
• Authoritarian regimes are nations where political pluralism is nonexistent or severely limited. These nations are often absolute monarchies or dictatorships, may have some conventional institutions of democracy but with meagre significance, infringements and abuses of civil liberties are commonplace, elections (if they take place) are not fair or free (including (sham elections)), the media is often state-owned or controlled by groups associated with the ruling regime, the judiciary is not independent, and censorship and suppression of governmental criticism are commonplace.

By regime type

The following table indicates the number of nations and the percentage of world population for each type of regime. Some microstates are not considered in the calculation.

Year 2023

Type of regime	Score	Countries		Proportion of world population (%)
		Number	(%)w
Full democracies	9.00–10.00   8.00–8.99	24	14.4%	7.8%
Flawed democracies	7.00–7.99   6.00–6.99	50	29.9%	37.6%
Hybrid regimes	5.00–5.99   4.00–4.99	34	20.4%	15.2%
Authoritarian regimes	3.00–3.99   2.00–2.99   1.00–1.99   0.00–0.99	59	35.3%	39.4%

List by region

The following table lists the average of each country scored by geographic region, as defined by the Economist Democracy Index.

Region	Coun­tries	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012	2011	2010	2008	2006
Western Europe	21	8.37	8.36	8.23	8.29	8.35	8.35	8.38	8.40	8.42	8.41	8.41	8.44	8.40	8.45	8.61	8.60
North America	2	8.27	8.37	8.36	8.58	8.59	8.56	8.56	8.56	8.56	8.59	8.59	8.59	8.59	8.63	8.64	8.64
Latin America and the Caribbean	24	5.68	5.79	5.83	6.09	6.13	6.24	6.26	6.33	6.37	6.36	6.38	6.36	6.35	6.37	6.43	6.37
Central and Eastern Europe	28	5.37	5.39	5.36	5.36	5.42	5.42	5.40	5.43	5.55	5.58	5.53	5.51	5.50	5.55	5.67	5.76
Asia and Australasia	28	5.21	5.46	5.62	5.67	5.67	5.67	5.63	5.74	5.74	5.70	5.61	5.56	5.51	5.53	5.58	5.44
Sub-Saharan Africa	44	4.04	4.14	4.12	4.16	4.26	4.36	4.35	4.37	4.38	4.34	4.36	4.33	4.32	4.23	4.28	4.24
Middle East and North Africa	20	3.23	3.34	3.41	3.44	3.53	3.54	3.54	3.56	3.58	3.65	3.68	3.73	3.62	3.52	3.48	3.54
World	167	5.23	5.29	5.28	5.37	5.44	5.48	5.48	5.52	5.55	5.55	5.53	5.52	5.49	5.46	5.55	5.52

The following table lists the number of countries in each of the four democracy classifications.

Year 2023

Rank	Region	Countries	Authoritarian	Hybrid regime	Flawed democracy	Full democracy	Average score
1	Western Europe	21	0	1	5	15	8.37
2	North America	2	0	0	1	1	8.27
3	Latin America and the Caribbean	24	4	7	11	2	5.68
4	Asia and Australasia	28	8	5	10	5	5.41
5	Central and Eastern Europe	28	8	4	16	0	5.37
6	Sub-Saharan Africa	44	22	15	6	1	4.04
7	Middle East and North Africa	20	17	2	1	0	3.23
	World	167	59	34	50	25	5.23

List by country

The following table shows each nation's score over the years. The regions are assigned by the Economist Intelligence Unit, and may differ from conventional classifications (for example, Turkey is grouped in Western Europe).

Region	2023 rank	Country	Regime type	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012	2011	2010	2008	2006
North America	13	Canada	Full democracy	8.69	8.88	8.87	9.24	9.22	9.15	9.15	9.15	9.08	9.08	9.08	9.08	9.08	9.08	9.07	9.07
	29	United States	Flawed democracy	7.85	7.85	7.85	7.92	7.96	7.96	7.98	7.98	8.05	8.11	8.11	8.11	8.11	8.18	8.22	8.22
Western Europe	19	Austria	Full democracy	8.28	8.20	8.07	8.16	8.29	8.29	8.42	8.41	8.54	8.54	8.48	8.62	8.49	8.49	8.49	8.69
	36	Belgium	Flawed democracy	7.64	7.64	7.51	7.51	7.64	7.78	7.78	7.77	7.93	7.93	8.05	8.05	8.05	8.05	8.16	8.15
	37	Cyprus	Flawed democracy	7.38	7.38	7.43	7.56	7.59	7.59	7.59	7.65	7.53	7.40	7.29	7.29	7.29	7.29	7.70	7.60
	6	Denmark	Full democracy	9.28	9.28	9.09	9.15	9.22	9.22	9.22	9.20	9.11	9.11	9.38	9.52	9.52	9.52	9.52	9.52
	5	Finland	Full democracy	9.30	9.29	9.27	9.20	9.25	9.14	9.03	9.03	9.03	9.03	9.03	9.06	9.06	9.19	9.25	9.25
	24	France	Full democracy	8.07	8.07	7.99	7.99	8.12	7.80	7.80	7.92	7.92	8.04	7.92	7.88	7.77	7.77	8.07	8.07
	12	Germany	Full democracy	8.80	8.80	8.67	8.67	8.68	8.68	8.61	8.63	8.64	8.64	8.31	8.34	8.34	8.38	8.82	8.82
	21	Greece	Full democracy	8.14	7.97	7.56	7.39	7.43	7.29	7.29	7.23	7.45	7.45	7.65	7.65	7.65	7.92	8.13	8.13
	3	Iceland	Full democracy	9.45	9.52	9.18	9.37	9.58	9.58	9.58	9.50	9.58	9.58	9.65	9.65	9.65	9.65	9.65	9.71
	7	Ireland	Full democracy	9.19	9.13	9.00	9.05	9.24	9.15	9.15	9.15	8.85	8.72	8.68	8.56	8.56	8.79	9.01	9.01
	34	Italy	Flawed democracy	7.69	7.69	7.68	7.74	7.52	7.71	7.98	7.98	7.98	7.85	7.85	7.74	7.74	7.83	7.98	7.73
	11	Luxembourg	Full democracy	8.81	8.81	8.68	8.68	8.81	8.81	8.81	8.81	8.88	8.88	8.88	8.88	8.88	8.88	9.10	9.10
	28	Malta	Flawed democracy	7.93	7.70	7.57	7.68	7.95	8.21	8.15	8.39	8.39	8.39	8.28	8.28	8.28	8.28	8.39	8.39
	9	Netherlands	Full democracy	9.00	9.00	8.88	8.96	9.01	8.89	8.89	8.80	8.92	8.92	8.84	8.99	8.99	8.99	9.53	9.66
	1	Norway	Full democracy	9.81	9.81	9.75	9.81	9.87	9.87	9.87	9.93	9.93	9.93	9.93	9.93	9.80	9.80	9.68	9.55
	31	Portugal	Flawed democracy	7.75	7.95	7.82	7.90	8.03	7.84	7.84	7.86	7.79	7.79	7.65	7.92	7.81	8.02	8.05	8.16
	23	Spain	Full democracy	8.07	8.07	7.94	8.12	8.29	8.08	8.08	8.30	8.30	8.05	8.02	8.02	8.02	8.16	8.45	8.34
	4	Sweden	Full democracy	9.39	9.39	9.26	9.26	9.39	9.39	9.39	9.39	9.45	9.73	9.73	9.73	9.50	9.50	9.88	9.88
	8	Switzerland	Full democracy	9.14	9.14	8.90	8.83	9.03	9.03	9.03	9.09	9.09	9.09	9.09	9.09	9.09	9.09	9.15	9.02
	102	Turkey	Hybrid regime	4.33	4.35	4.35	4.48	4.09	4.37	4.88	5.04	5.12	5.12	5.63	5.76	5.73	5.73	5.69	5.70
	18	United Kingdom	Full democracy	8.28	8.28	8.10	8.54	8.52	8.53	8.53	8.36	8.31	8.31	8.31	8.21	8.16	8.16	8.15	8.08
Central and Eastern Europe	66	Albania	Flawed democracy	6.28	6.41	6.11	6.08	5.89	5.98	5.98	5.91	5.91	5.67	5.67	5.67	5.81	5.86	5.91	5.91
	84	Armenia	Hybrid regime	5.42	5.63	5.49	5.35	5.54	4.79	4.11	3.88	4.00	4.13	4.02	4.09	4.09	4.09	4.09	4.15
	130	Azerbaijan	Authoritarian	2.80	2.87	2.68	2.68	2.75	2.65	2.65	2.65	2.71	2.83	3.06	3.15	3.15	3.15	3.19	3.31
	151	Belarus	Authoritarian	1.99	1.99	2.41	2.59	2.48	3.13	3.13	3.54	3.62	3.69	3.04	3.04	3.16	3.34	3.34	3.34
	94	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Hybrid regime	5.00	5.00	5.04	4.84	4.86	4.98	4.87	4.87	4.83	4.78	5.02	5.11	5.24	5.32	5.70	5.78
	62	Bulgaria	Flawed democracy	6.41	6.53	6.64	6.71	7.03	7.03	7.03	7.01	7.14	6.73	6.83	6.72	6.78	6.84	7.02	7.10
	58	Croatia	Flawed democracy	6.50	6.50	6.50	6.50	6.57	6.57	6.63	6.75	6.93	6.93	6.93	6.93	6.73	6.81	7.04	7.04
	26	Czech Republic	Flawed democracy	7.97	7.97	7.74	7.67	7.69	7.69	7.62	7.82	7.94	7.94	8.06	8.19	8.19	8.19	8.19	8.17
	27	Estonia	Flawed democracy	7.96	7.96	7.84	7.84	7.90	7.97	7.79	7.85	7.85	7.74	7.61	7.61	7.61	7.68	7.68	7.74
	89	Georgia	Hybrid regime	5.20	5.20	5.12	5.31	5.42	5.50	5.93	5.93	5.88	5.82	5.95	5.53	4.74	4.59	4.62	4.90
	50	Hungary	Flawed democracy	6.72	6.64	6.50	6.56	6.63	6.63	6.64	6.72	6.84	6.90	6.96	6.96	7.04	7.21	7.44	7.53
	120	Kazakhstan	Authoritarian	3.08	3.08	3.08	3.14	2.94	2.94	3.06	3.06	3.06	3.17	3.06	2.95	3.24	3.30	3.45	3.62
	109	Kyrgyzstan	Authoritarian	3.70	3.62	3.62	4.21	4.89	5.11	5.11	4.93	5.33	5.24	4.69	4.69	4.34	4.31	4.05	4.08
	38	Latvia	Flawed democracy	7.38	7.37	7.31	7.24	7.49	7.38	7.25	7.31	7.37	7.48	7.05	7.05	7.05	7.05	7.23	7.37
	39	Lithuania	Flawed democracy	7.31	7.31	7.18	7.13	7.50	7.50	7.41	7.47	7.54	7.54	7.54	7.24	7.24	7.24	7.36	7.43
	68	Moldova	Flawed democracy	6.23	6.23	6.10	5.78	5.75	5.85	5.94	6.01	6.35	6.32	6.32	6.32	6.32	6.33	6.50	6.50
	52	Montenegro	Flawed democracy	6.67	6.45	6.02	5.77	5.65	5.74	5.69	5.72	6.01	5.94	5.94	6.05	6.15	6.27	6.43	6.57
	73	North Macedonia	Flawed democracy	6.03	6.10	6.03	5.89	5.97	5.87	5.57	5.23	6.02	6.25	6.16	6.16	6.16	6.16	6.21	6.33
	42	Poland	Flawed democracy	7.18	7.04	6.80	6.85	6.62	6.67	6.67	6.83	7.09	7.47	7.12	7.12	7.12	7.05	7.30	7.30
	60	Romania	Flawed democracy	6.45	6.45	6.43	6.40	6.49	6.38	6.44	6.62	6.68	6.68	6.54	6.54	6.54	6.60	7.06	7.06
	144	Russia	Authoritarian	2.22	2.28	3.24	3.31	3.11	2.94	3.17	3.24	3.31	3.39	3.59	3.74	3.92	4.26	4.48	5.02
	64	Serbia	Flawed democracy	6.33	6.33	6.36	6.22	6.41	6.41	6.41	6.57	6.71	6.71	6.67	6.33	6.33	6.33	6.49	6.62
	44	Slovakia	Flawed democracy	7.07	7.07	7.03	6.97	7.17	7.10	7.16	7.29	7.29	7.35	7.35	7.35	7.35	7.35	7.33	7.40
	32	Slovenia	Flawed democracy	7.75	7.75	7.54	7.54	7.50	7.50	7.50	7.51	7.57	7.57	7.88	7.88	7.76	7.69	7.96	7.96
	155	Tajikistan	Authoritarian	1.94	1.94	1.94	1.94	1.93	1.93	1.93	1.89	1.95	2.37	2.51	2.51	2.51	2.51	2.45	2.45
	162	Turkmenistan	Authoritarian	1.66	1.66	1.66	1.72	1.72	1.72	1.72	1.83	1.83	1.83	1.72	1.72	1.72	1.72	1.72	1.83
	91	Ukraine	Hybrid regime	5.06	5.42	5.57	5.81	5.90	5.69	5.69	5.70	5.70	5.42	5.84	5.91	5.94	6.30	6.94	6.94
	149	Uzbekistan	Authoritarian	2.12	2.12	2.12	2.12	2.01	2.01	1.95	1.95	1.95	2.45	1.72	1.72	1.74	1.74	1.74	1.85
Latin America and the Caribbean	54	Argentina	Flawed democracy	6.62	6.85	6.81	6.95	7.02	7.02	6.96	6.96	7.02	6.84	6.84	6.84	6.84	6.84	6.63	6.63
	106	Bolivia	Hybrid regime	4.20	4.51	4.65	5.08	4.84	5.70	5.49	5.63	5.75	5.79	5.79	5.84	5.84	5.92	6.15	5.98
	51	Brazil	Flawed democracy	6.68	6.78	6.86	6.92	6.86	6.97	6.86	6.90	6.96	7.38	7.12	7.12	7.12	7.12	7.38	7.38
	25	Chile	Flawed democracy	7.98	8.22	7.92	8.28	8.08	7.97	7.84	7.78	7.84	7.80	7.80	7.54	7.54	7.67	7.89	7.89
	55	Colombia	Flawed democracy	6.55	6.72	6.48	7.04	7.13	6.96	6.67	6.67	6.62	6.55	6.55	6.63	6.63	6.55	6.54	6.40
	17	Costa Rica	Full democracy	8.29	8.29	8.07	8.16	8.13	8.07	7.88	7.88	7.96	8.03	8.03	8.10	8.10	8.04	8.04	8.04
	135	Cuba	Authoritarian	2.65	2.65	2.59	2.84	2.84	3.00	3.31	3.46	3.52	3.52	3.52	3.52	3.52	3.52	3.52	3.52
	61	Dominican Republic	Flawed democracy	6.44	6.39	6.45	6.32	6.54	6.54	6.66	6.67	6.67	6.67	6.74	6.49	6.20	6.20	6.20	6.13
	85	Ecuador	Hybrid regime	5.41	5.69	5.71	6.13	6.33	6.27	6.02	5.81	5.87	5.87	5.87	5.78	5.72	5.77	5.64	5.64
	96	El Salvador	Hybrid regime	4.71	5.06	5.72	5.90	6.15	5.96	6.43	6.64	6.64	6.53	6.53	6.47	6.47	6.47	6.40	6.22
	100	Guatemala	Hybrid regime	4.47	4.68	4.62	4.97	5.26	5.60	5.86	5.92	5.92	5.81	5.81	5.88	5.88	6.05	6.07	6.07
	67	Guyana	Flawed democracy	6.26	6.34	6.25	6.01	6.15	6.67	6.46	6.25	6.05	5.91	6.05	6.05	6.05	6.05	6.12	6.15
	129	Haiti	Authoritarian	2.81	2.81	3.48	4.22	4.57	4.91	4.03	4.02	3.94	3.82	3.94	3.96	4.00	4.00	4.19	4.19
	95	Honduras	Hybrid regime	4.98	5.15	5.10	5.36	5.42	5.63	5.72	5.92	5.84	5.84	5.84	5.84	5.84	5.76	6.18	6.25
	45	Jamaica	Flawed democracy	7.06	7.13	7.13	7.13	6.96	7.02	7.29	7.39	7.39	7.39	7.39	7.39	7.13	7.21	7.21	7.34
	90	Mexico	Hybrid regime	5.14	5.25	5.57	6.07	6.09	6.19	6.41	6.47	6.55	6.68	6.91	6.90	6.93	6.93	6.78	6.67
	143	Nicaragua	Authoritarian	2.26	2.50	2.69	3.60	3.55	3.63	4.66	4.81	5.26	5.32	5.46	5.56	5.56	5.73	6.07	5.68
	48	Panama	Flawed democracy	6.91	6.91	6.85	7.18	7.05	7.05	7.08	7.13	7.19	7.08	7.08	7.08	7.08	7.15	7.35	7.35
	74	Paraguay	Flawed democracy	6.00	5.89	5.86	6.18	6.24	6.24	6.31	6.27	6.33	6.26	6.26	6.26	6.40	6.40	6.40	6.16
	77	Peru	Hybrid regime	5.81	5.92	6.09	6.53	6.60	6.60	6.49	6.65	6.58	6.54	6.54	6.47	6.59	6.40	6.31	6.11
	49	Suriname	Flawed democracy	6.88	6.95	6.82	6.82	6.98	6.98	6.76	6.77	6.77	6.77	6.77	6.65	6.65	6.65	6.58	6.52
	43	Trinidad and Tobago	Flawed democracy	7.16	7.16	7.16	7.16	7.16	7.16	7.04	7.10	7.10	6.99	6.99	6.99	7.16	7.16	7.21	7.18
	15	Uruguay	Full democracy	8.66	8.91	8.85	8.61	8.38	8.38	8.12	8.17	8.17	8.17	8.17	8.17	8.17	8.10	8.08	7.96
	142	Venezuela	Authoritarian	2.31	2.23	2.11	2.76	2.88	3.16	3.87	4.68	5.00	5.07	5.07	5.15	5.08	5.18	5.34	5.42
Asia and Australasia	167	Afghanistan	Authoritarian	0.26	0.32	0.32	2.85	2.85	2.97	2.55	2.55	2.77	2.77	2.48	2.48	2.48	2.48	3.02	3.06
	14	Australia	Full democracy	8.66	8.71	8.90	8.96	9.09	9.09	9.09	9.01	9.01	9.01	9.13	9.22	9.22	9.22	9.09	9.09
	75	Bangladesh	Hybrid regime	5.87	5.99	5.99	5.99	5.88	5.57	5.43	5.73	5.73	5.78	5.86	5.86	5.86	5.87	5.52	6.11
	81	Bhutan	Hybrid regime	5.54	5.54	5.71	5.71	5.30	5.30	5.08	4.93	4.93	4.87	4.82	4.65	4.57	4.68	4.30	2.62
	121	Cambodia	Authoritarian	3.05	3.18	2.90	3.10	3.53	3.59	3.63	4.27	4.27	4.78	4.60	4.96	4.87	4.87	4.87	4.77
	148	China	Authoritarian	2.12	1.94	2.21	2.27	2.26	3.32	3.10	3.18	3.14	3.00	3.00	3.00	3.14	3.14	3.04	2.97
	80	Fiji	Hybrid regime	5.55	5.55	5.61	5.72	5.85	5.85	5.85	5.64	5.69	5.61	3.61	3.67	3.67	3.62	5.11	5.66
	88	Hong Kong	Hybrid regime	5.24	5.28	5.60	5.57	6.02	6.15	6.31	6.42	6.50	6.46	6.42	6.42	5.92	5.92	5.85	6.03
	41	India	Flawed democracy	7.18	7.04	6.91	6.61	6.90	7.23	7.23	7.81	7.74	7.92	7.69	7.52	7.30	7.28	7.80	7.68
	56	Indonesia	Flawed democracy	6.53	6.71	6.71	6.30	6.48	6.39	6.39	6.97	7.03	6.95	6.82	6.76	6.53	6.53	6.34	6.41
	16	Japan	Full democracy	8.40	8.33	8.15	8.13	7.99	7.99	7.88	7.99	7.96	8.08	8.08	8.08	8.08	8.08	8.25	8.15
	159	Laos	Authoritarian	1.71	1.77	1.77	1.77	2.14	2.37	2.37	2.37	2.21	2.21	2.21	2.32	2.10	2.10	2.10	2.10
	40	Malaysia	Flawed democracy	7.29	7.30	7.24	7.19	7.16	6.88	6.54	6.54	6.43	6.49	6.49	6.41	6.19	6.19	6.36	5.98
	59	Mongolia	Flawed democracy	6.48	6.35	6.42	6.48	6.50	6.50	6.50	6.62	6.62	6.62	6.51	6.35	6.23	6.36	6.60	6.60
	166	Myanmar	Authoritarian	0.85	0.74	1.02	3.04	3.55	3.83	3.83	4.20	4.14	3.05	2.76	2.35	1.77	1.77	1.77	1.77
	98	Nepal	Hybrid regime	4.60	4.49	4.41	5.22	5.28	5.18	5.18	4.86	4.77	4.77	4.77	4.16	4.24	4.24	4.05	3.42
	2	New Zealand	Full democracy	9.61	9.61	9.37	9.25	9.26	9.26	9.26	9.26	9.26	9.26	9.26	9.26	9.26	9.26	9.19	9.01
	165	North Korea	Authoritarian	1.08	1.08	1.08	1.08	1.08	1.08	1.08	1.08	1.08	1.08	1.08	1.08	1.08	1.08	0.86	1.03
	118	Pakistan	Authoritarian	3.25	4.13	4.31	4.31	4.25	4.17	4.26	4.33	4.40	4.64	4.64	4.57	4.55	4.55	4.46	3.92
	72	Papua New Guinea	Flawed democracy	6.03	5.97	6.10	6.10	6.03	6.03	6.03	6.03	6.03	6.03	6.36	6.32	6.32	6.54	6.54	6.54
	53	Philippines	Flawed democracy	6.66	6.73	6.62	6.56	6.64	6.71	6.71	6.94	6.84	6.77	6.41	6.30	6.12	6.12	6.12	6.48
	69	Singapore	Flawed democracy	6.18	6.22	6.23	6.03	6.02	6.38	6.32	6.38	6.14	6.03	5.92	5.88	5.89	5.89	5.89	5.89
	22	South Korea	Full democracy	8.09	8.03	8.16	8.01	8.00	8.00	8.00	7.92	7.97	8.06	8.06	8.13	8.06	8.11	8.01	7.88
	70	Sri Lanka	Flawed democracy	6.17	6.47	6.14	6.14	6.27	6.19	6.48	6.48	6.42	5.69	5.69	5.75	6.58	6.64	6.61	6.58
	10	Taiwan	Full democracy	8.92	8.99	8.99	8.94	7.73	7.73	7.73	7.79	7.83	7.65	7.57	7.57	7.46	7.52	7.82	7.82
	63	Thailand	Flawed democracy	6.35	6.67	6.04	6.04	6.32	4.63	4.63	4.92	5.09	5.39	6.25	6.55	6.55	6.55	6.81	5.67
	46	East Timor	Flawed democracy	7.06	7.06	7.06	7.06	7.19	7.19	7.19	7.24	7.24	7.24	7.24	7.16	7.22	7.22	7.22	6.41
	136	Vietnam	Authoritarian	2.62	2.73	2.94	2.94	3.08	3.08	3.08	3.38	3.53	3.41	3.29	2.89	2.96	2.94	2.53	2.75
Middle East and North Africa	110	Algeria	Authoritarian	3.66	3.66	3.77	3.77	4.01	3.50	3.56	3.56	3.95	3.83	3.83	3.83	3.44	3.44	3.32	3.17
	139	Bahrain	Authoritarian	2.52	2.52	2.52	2.49	2.55	2.71	2.71	2.79	2.79	2.87	2.87	2.53	2.92	3.49	3.38	3.53
	127	Egypt	Authoritarian	2.93	2.93	2.93	2.93	3.06	3.36	3.36	3.31	3.18	3.16	3.27	4.56	3.95	3.07	3.89	3.90
	153	Iran	Authoritarian	1.96	1.96	1.95	2.20	2.38	2.45	2.45	2.34	2.16	1.98	1.98	1.98	1.98	1.94	2.83	2.93
	128	Iraq	Authoritarian	2.88	3.13	3.51	3.62	3.74	4.06	4.09	4.08	4.08	4.23	4.10	4.10	4.03	4.00	4.00	4.01
	30	Israel	Flawed democracy	7.80	7.93	7.97	7.84	7.86	7.79	7.79	7.85	7.77	7.63	7.53	7.53	7.53	7.48	7.48	7.28
	122	Jordan	Authoritarian	3.04	3.17	3.49	3.62	3.93	3.93	3.87	3.96	3.86	3.76	3.76	3.76	3.89	3.74	3.93	3.92
	114	Kuwait	Authoritarian	3.50	3.83	3.91	3.80	3.93	3.85	3.85	3.85	3.85	3.78	3.78	3.78	3.74	3.88	3.39	3.09
	112	Lebanon	Authoritarian	3.56	3.64	3.84	4.16	4.36	4.63	4.72	4.86	4.86	5.12	5.05	5.05	5.32	5.82	5.62	5.82
	157	Libya	Authoritarian	1.78	2.06	1.95	1.95	2.02	2.19	2.32	2.25	2.25	3.80	4.82	5.15	3.55	1.94	2.00	1.84
	93	Morocco	Hybrid regime	5.04	5.04	5.04	5.04	5.10	4.99	4.87	4.77	4.66	4.00	4.07	4.07	3.83	3.79	3.88	3.90
	119	Oman	Authoritarian	3.12	3.12	3.00	3.00	3.06	3.04	3.04	3.04	3.04	3.15	3.26	3.26	3.26	2.86	2.98	2.77
	115	Palestine	Authoritarian	3.47	3.86	3.94	3.83	3.89	4.39	4.46	4.49	4.57	4.72	4.80	4.80	4.97	5.44	5.83	6.01
	111	Qatar	Authoritarian	3.65	3.65	3.65	3.24	3.19	3.19	3.19	3.18	3.18	3.18	3.18	3.18	3.18	3.09	2.92	2.78
	150	Saudi Arabia	Authoritarian	2.08	2.08	2.08	2.08	1.93	1.93	1.93	1.93	1.93	1.82	1.82	1.71	1.77	1.84	1.90	1.92
	158	Sudan	Authoritarian	1.76	2.47	2.47	2.54	2.70	2.15	2.15	2.37	2.37	2.54	2.54	2.38	2.38	2.42	2.81	2.90
	163	Syria	Authoritarian	1.43	1.43	1.43	1.43	1.43	1.43	1.43	1.43	1.43	1.74	1.86	1.63	1.99	2.31	2.18	2.36
	82	Tunisia	Hybrid regime	5.51	5.51	5.99	6.59	6.72	6.41	6.32	6.40	6.72	6.31	5.76	5.67	5.53	2.79	2.96	3.06
	125	United Arab Emirates	Authoritarian	3.01	2.90	2.90	2.70	2.76	2.76	2.69	2.75	2.75	2.64	2.52	2.58	2.58	2.52	2.60	2.42
	154	Yemen	Authoritarian	1.95	1.95	1.95	1.95	1.95	1.95	2.07	2.07	2.24	2.79	2.79	3.12	2.57	2.64	2.95	2.98
Sub-Saharan Africa	107	Angola	Hybrid regime	4.18	3.96	3.37	3.66	3.72	3.62	3.62	3.40	3.35	3.35	3.35	3.35	3.32	3.32	3.35	2.41
	97	Benin	Hybrid regime	4.68	4.28	4.19	4.58	5.09	5.74	5.61	5.67	5.72	5.65	5.87	6.00	6.06	6.17	6.06	6.16
	33	Botswana	Flawed democracy	7.73	7.73	7.73	7.62	7.81	7.81	7.81	7.87	7.87	7.87	7.98	7.85	7.63	7.63	7.47	7.60
	133	Burkina Faso	Authoritarian	2.73	3.08	3.84	3.73	4.04	4.75	4.75	4.70	4.70	4.09	4.15	3.52	3.59	3.59	3.60	3.72
	147	Burundi	Authoritarian	2.13	2.13	2.13	2.14	2.15	2.33	2.33	2.40	2.49	3.33	3.41	3.60	4.01	4.01	4.51	4.51
	35	Cape Verde	Flawed democracy	7.65	7.65	7.65	7.65	7.78	7.88	7.88	7.94	7.81	7.81	7.92	7.92	7.92	7.94	7.81	7.43
	138	Cameroon	Authoritarian	2.56	2.56	2.56	2.77	2.85	3.28	3.61	3.46	3.66	3.41	3.41	3.44	3.41	3.41	3.46	3.27
	164	Central African Republic	Authoritarian	1.18	1.35	1.43	1.32	1.32	1.52	1.52	1.61	1.57	1.49	1.49	1.99	1.82	1.82	1.86	1.61
	161	Chad	Authoritarian	1.67	1.67	1.67	1.55	1.61	1.61	1.50	1.50	1.50	1.50	1.50	1.62	1.62	1.52	1.52	1.65
	123	Comoros	Authoritarian	3.04	3.20	3.20	3.09	3.15	3.71	3.71	3.71	3.71	3.52	3.52	3.52	3.52	3.41	3.58	3.90
	131	Republic of the Congo	Authoritarian	2.79	2.79	2.79	3.11	3.11	3.31	3.25	2.91	2.91	2.89	2.89	2.89	2.89	2.89	2.94	3.19
	105	Ivory Coast	Hybrid regime	4.22	4.22	4.22	4.11	4.05	4.15	3.93	3.81	3.31	3.53	3.25	3.25	3.08	3.02	3.27	3.38
	160	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Authoritarian	1.68	1.48	1.40	1.13	1.13	1.49	1.61	1.93	2.11	1.75	1.83	1.92	2.15	2.15	2.28	2.76
	134	Djibouti	Authoritarian	2.70	2.74	2.74	2.71	2.77	2.87	2.76	2.83	2.90	2.99	2.96	2.74	2.68	2.20	2.37	2.37
	156	Equatorial Guinea	Authoritarian	1.92	1.92	1.92	1.92	1.92	1.92	1.81	1.70	1.77	1.66	1.77	1.83	1.77	1.84	2.19	2.09
	152	Eritrea	Authoritarian	1.97	2.03	2.03	2.15	2.37	2.37	2.37	2.37	2.37	2.44	2.40	2.40	2.34	2.31	2.31	2.31
	132	Eswatini	Authoritarian	2.78	3.01	3.08	3.08	3.14	3.03	3.03	3.03	3.09	3.09	3.20	3.20	3.26	2.90	3.04	2.93
	116	Ethiopia	Authoritarian	3.37	3.17	3.30	3.38	3.44	3.35	3.42	3.60	3.83	3.72	3.83	3.72	3.79	3.68	4.52	4.72
	146	Gabon	Authoritarian	2.18	3.40	3.40	3.54	3.61	3.61	3.61	3.74	3.76	3.76	3.76	3.56	3.48	3.29	3.00	2.72
	101	Gambia	Hybrid regime	4.47	4.47	4.41	4.49	4.33	4.31	4.06	2.91	2.97	3.05	3.31	3.31	3.38	3.38	4.19	4.39
	65	Ghana	Flawed democracy	6.30	6.43	6.50	6.50	6.63	6.63	6.69	6.75	6.86	6.33	6.33	6.02	6.02	6.02	5.35	5.35
	145	Guinea	Authoritarian	2.21	2.32	2.28	3.08	3.14	3.14	3.14	3.14	3.14	3.01	2.84	2.79	2.79	2.79	2.09	2.02
	140	Guinea-Bissau	Authoritarian	2.45	2.56	2.75	2.63	2.63	1.98	1.98	1.98	1.93	1.93	1.26	1.43	1.99	1.99	1.99	2.00
	92	Kenya	Hybrid regime	5.05	5.05	5.05	5.05	5.18	5.11	5.11	5.33	5.33	5.13	5.13	4.71	4.71	4.71	4.79	5.08
	71	Lesotho	Flawed democracy	6.06	6.19	6.30	6.30	6.54	6.64	6.64	6.59	6.59	6.66	6.66	6.66	6.33	6.02	6.29	6.48
	79	Liberia	Hybrid regime	5.57	5.43	5.43	5.32	5.45	5.35	5.23	5.31	4.95	4.95	4.95	4.95	5.07	5.07	5.25	5.22
	87	Madagascar	Hybrid regime	5.26	5.70	5.70	5.70	5.64	5.22	5.11	5.07	4.85	4.42	4.32	3.93	3.93	3.94	5.57	5.82
	76	Malawi	Hybrid regime	5.85	5.91	5.74	5.74	5.50	5.49	5.49	5.55	5.55	5.66	6.00	6.08	5.84	5.84	5.13	4.97
	137	Mali	Authoritarian	2.58	3.23	3.48	3.93	4.92	5.41	5.64	5.70	5.70	5.79	5.90	5.12	6.36	6.01	5.87	5.99
	108	Mauritania	Hybrid regime	4.14	4.03	4.03	3.92	3.92	3.82	3.82	3.96	3.96	4.17	4.17	4.17	4.17	3.86	3.91	3.12
	20	Mauritius	Full democracy	8.14	8.14	8.08	8.14	8.22	8.22	8.22	8.28	8.27	8.17	8.17	8.17	8.04	8.04	8.04	8.04
	113	Mozambique	Authoritarian	3.51	3.51	3.51	3.51	3.65	3.85	4.02	4.02	4.60	4.66	4.77	4.88	4.90	4.90	5.49	5.28
	57	Namibia	Flawed democracy	6.52	6.52	6.52	6.52	6.43	6.25	6.31	6.31	6.31	6.24	6.24	6.24	6.24	6.23	6.48	6.54
	141	Niger	Authoritarian	2.37	3.73	3.22	3.29	3.29	3.76	3.76	3.96	4.62	4.02	4.08	4.16	4.16	3.38	3.41	3.54
	104	Nigeria	Hybrid regime	4.23	4.23	4.11	4.10	4.12	4.44	4.44	4.50	3.85	3.76	3.77	3.77	3.83	3.47	3.53	3.52
	117	Rwanda	Authoritarian	3.30	3.10	3.10	3.10	3.16	3.35	3.19	3.07	3.07	3.25	3.38	3.36	3.25	3.25	3.71	3.82
	83	Senegal	Hybrid regime	5.48	5.72	5.53	5.67	5.81	6.15	6.15	6.21	6.08	6.15	6.15	6.09	5.51	5.27	5.37	5.37
	103	Sierra Leone	Hybrid regime	4.32	5.03	4.97	4.86	4.86	4.66	4.66	4.55	4.55	4.56	4.64	4.71	4.51	4.51	4.11	3.57
	47	South Africa	Flawed democracy	7.05	7.05	7.05	7.05	7.24	7.24	7.24	7.41	7.56	7.82	7.90	7.79	7.79	7.79	7.91	7.91
	86	Tanzania	Hybrid regime	5.35	5.10	5.10	5.10	5.16	5.41	5.47	5.76	5.58	5.77	5.77	5.88	5.64	5.64	5.28	5.18
	126	Togo	Authoritarian	2.99	2.99	2.80	2.80	3.30	3.10	3.05	3.32	3.41	3.45	3.45	3.45	3.45	3.45	2.43	1.75
	99	Uganda	Hybrid regime	4.49	4.55	4.48	4.94	5.02	5.20	5.09	5.26	5.22	5.22	5.22	5.16	5.13	5.05	5.03	5.14
	78	Zambia	Hybrid regime	5.80	5.80	5.72	4.86	5.09	5.61	5.68	5.99	6.28	6.39	6.26	6.26	6.19	5.68	5.25	5.25
	124	Zimbabwe	Authoritarian	3.04	2.92	2.92	3.16	3.16	3.16	3.16	3.05	3.05	2.78	2.67	2.67	2.68	2.64	2.53	2.62

Components

The following table shows the five parameters that made up the score of each nation in 2023 and the changes that had occurred since 2022.

Year 2023

Rank	Δ Rank	Country	Regime type	Overall score	Δ Score	Elec­toral pro­cess and plura­lism	Func­tioning of govern­ment	Poli­tical partici­pation	Poli­tical cul­ture	Civil liber­ties
Full democracies
1		Norway	Full democracy	9.81		10.00	9.64	10.00	10.00	9.41
2		New Zealand	Full democracy	9.61		10.00	9.29	10.00	8.75	10.00
3		Iceland	Full democracy	9.52		10.00	9.64	8.89	9.38	9.71
4		Sweden	Full democracy	9.39		9.58	9.64	8.33	10.00	9.41
5		Finland	Full democracy	9.30	0.01	10.00	9.64	7.78	9.38	9.71
6		Denmark	Full democracy	9.28		10.00	9.29	8.33	9.38	9.41
7	1	Ireland	Full democracy	9.19	0.05	10.00	8.21	8.33	10.00	9.41
8	1	Switzerland	Full democracy	9.14		9.58	9.29	8.33	9.38	9.12
9		Netherlands	Full democracy	9.00		9.58	8.93	8.33	8.75	9.41
10		Taiwan	Full democracy	8.92	0.07	10.00	9.29	7.78	8.13	9.41
11	2	Luxembourg	Full democracy	8.81		10.00	8.93	6.67	8.75	9.71
12	2	Germany	Full democracy	8.80		9.58	8.57	8.33	8.13	9.41
13	1	Canada	Full democracy	8.69	0.19	10.00	8.21	8.89	7.50	8.82
14	3	Uruguay	Full democracy	8.66	0.25	10.00	8.93	7.78	6.88	9.71
15	1	Australia	Full democracy	8.66	0.05	10.00	8.57	7.22	7.50	10.00
16		Japan	Full democracy	8.40	0.25	9.17	8.93	6.67	8.13	9.12
17		Costa Rica	Full democracy	8.29		9.58	7.50	7.78	6.88	9.71
18		United Kingdom	Full democracy	8.28		9.58	7.50	8.33	6.88	9.12
19	1	Austria	Full democracy	8.28	0.08	9.58	7.50	8.89	6.88	8.53
20	5	Greece	Full democracy	8.14	0.17	10.00	7.14	7.22	7.50	8.82
21	1	Mauritius	Full democracy	8.14		9.17	7.86	6.11	8.75	8.82
22	2	South Korea	Full democracy	8.09	0.06	9.58	8.57	7.22	6.25	8.82
23	1	France	Full democracy	8.07		9.58	7.86	7.78	6.88	8.24
24	1	Spain	Full democracy	8.07		9.58	7.50	7.22	7.50	8.53
Flawed democracies
25	6	Chile	Flawed democracy	7.98	0.24	9.58	8.21	6.11	6.88	9.12
26	1	Czech Republic	Flawed democracy	7.97		9.58	6.43	7.22	7.50	9.12
27		Estonia	Flawed democracy	7.96		9.58	7.86	6.67	6.88	8.82
28	5	Malta	Flawed democracy	7.93	0.23	9.17	7.14	6.67	8.13	8.53
29	1	United States	Flawed democracy	7.85		9.17	6.43	8.89	6.25	8.53
30	1	Israel	Flawed democracy	7.80	0.13	9.58	7.50	9.44	6.88	5.59
31	3	Portugal	Flawed democracy	7.75	0.20	9.58	6.79	6.67	6.88	8.82
32		Slovenia	Flawed democracy	7.75		9.58	7.14	7.22	6.25	8.53
33	1	Botswana	Flawed democracy	7.73		9.17	6.79	6.67	7.50	8.53
34		Italy	Flawed democracy	7.69		9.58	6.79	7.22	7.50	7.35
35		Cape Verde	Flawed democracy	7.65		9.17	7.00	6.67	6.88	8.53
36		Belgium	Flawed democracy	7.64		9.58	8.21	5.00	6.88	8.53
37		Cyprus	Flawed democracy	7.38		9.17	5.36	6.67	6.88	8.82
38	1	Latvia	Flawed democracy	7.38	0.01	9.58	6.43	6.11	6.25	8.53
39		Lithuania	Flawed democracy	7.31		9.58	6.43	6.11	5.63	8.82
40		Malaysia	Flawed democracy	7.29	0.01	9.58	7.50	7.22	6.25	5.88
41	5	India	Flawed democracy	7.18	0.14	8.67	7.86	7.22	6.25	5.88
42		Poland	Flawed democracy	7.18	0.14	9.58	6.07	6.67	6.25	7.35
43	2	Trinidad and Tobago	Flawed democracy	7.16		9.58	7.14	6.11	5.63	7.35
44	1	Slovakia	Flawed democracy	7.05		7.42	7.14	8.33	5.00	7.35
45	3	Jamaica	Flawed democracy	7.06	0.07	8.75	6.79	5.00	6.25	8.53
46	1	Timor-Leste	Flawed democracy	7.06		9.58	5.93	5.56	6.88	7.35
47	2	South Africa	Flawed democracy	7.05		7.42	7.14	8.33	5.00	7.35
48	1