Democracy Index 2025

Every country ranked by the V-Dem liberal democracy index for 2025 — 179 countries scored on a 0–100 scale for electoral competition plus liberal checks (rule of law, judicial and legislative constraints, civil liberties). Switch metrics or years below.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 2025 — 179 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	88.4	−0.1	−1.0
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	85.3	+0.7	−2.8
3	🇳🇴 Norway	84.7	0.0	−2.4
4	🇨🇭 Switzerland	84.3	0.0	−1.5
5	🇪🇪 Estonia	83.7	−1.1	−0.8
6	🇮🇪 Ireland	82.2	−0.8	−0.3
7	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	80.9	0.0	−4.5
8	🇫🇮 Finland	80.8	+2.6	−1.9
9	🇫🇷 France	80.0	0.0	−1.2
10	🇧🇪 Belgium	79.4	−1.6	−4.3
11	🇨🇿 Czechia	79.4	−1.7	+2.8
12	🇦🇺 Australia	79.3	−0.3	−3.2
13	🇺🇾 Uruguay	79.0	+2.2	−4.2
14	🇳🇿 New Zealand	78.7	−2.4	−4.1
15	🇩🇪 Germany	78.2	+0.4	−6.3
16	🇨🇱 Chile	78.1	−0.5	−5.8
17	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	77.7	−0.4	−1.6
18	🇳🇱 Netherlands	77.4	+0.8	−5.7
19	🇦🇹 Austria	75.7	−0.5	−4.8
20	🇱🇻 Latvia	75.1	−0.8	−0.3
21	🇪🇸 Spain	74.1	−0.2	−1.8
22	🇰🇷 South Korea	73.9	+11.2	+14.0
23	🇨🇦 Canada	73.6	−0.8	+0.1
24	🇯🇵 Japan	73.4	−0.3	−0.6
25	🇮🇸 Iceland	72.0	−3.7	−5.7
26	🇵🇹 Portugal	71.7	−3.7	−11.2
27	🇱🇹 Lithuania	71.2	−2.0	−6.8
28	🇧🇷 Brazil	70.4	−0.8	−6.5
29	🇹🇼 Taiwan	70.4	−0.3	+1.8
30	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	68.9	−6.1	−9.9
31	🇸🇨 Seychelles	68.0	+2.8	+25.3
32	🇯🇲 Jamaica	67.9	+0.3	0.0
33	🇧🇧 Barbados	67.9	−0.6	+1.7
34	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	66.8	+1.5	−0.8
35	🇨🇾 Cyprus	66.4	+1.1	−7.3
36	🇵🇱 Poland	64.5	+3.2	−13.0
37	🇮🇹 Italy	64.2	−4.5	−14.4
38	🇲🇺 Mauritius	63.9	+26.8	+1.2
39	🇿🇦 South Africa	63.3	−1.5	−1.6
40	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	63.1	−1.1	−7.6
41	🇸🇷 Suriname	62.6	−0.8	−0.7
42	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	62.3	−6.3	−1.6
43	🇲🇹 Malta	62.1	0.0	+3.7
44	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	61.3	+11.6	+21.6
45	🇬🇭 Ghana	60.6	+4.6	−2.5
46	🇭🇷 Croatia	59.3	−1.4	−11.0
47	🇸🇮 Slovenia	58.9	−4.1	−21.5
48	🇮🇱 Israel	58.8	−0.9	−6.6
49	🇵🇦 Panama	57.5	−0.3	+2.2
50	🇸🇰 Slovakia	57.3	−1.7	−15.2
51	🇺🇸 United States of America	57.1	−18.0	−27.7
52	🇬🇷 Greece	56.8	+0.3	−21.7
53	🇨🇴 Colombia	55.5	+0.1	+0.4
54	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	54.9	+0.4	+8.3
55	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	53.9	+0.3	+8.3
56	🇦🇷 Argentina	52.4	−3.4	−6.6
57	🇬🇹 Guatemala	52.3	+3.1	+9.8
58	🇬🇲 The Gambia	52.2	+1.2	+41.6
59	🇧🇼 Botswana	52.0	+5.0	−6.7
60	🇳🇦 Namibia	51.9	+0.3	−6.0
61	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	51.9	0.0	−3.5
62	🇱🇸 Lesotho	51.2	+0.5	+6.7
63	🇵🇪 Peru	50.6	+0.5	−18.2
64	🇳🇵 Nepal	50.5	−1.5	−2.9
65	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	50.5	+1.0	+16.1
66	🇲🇪 Montenegro	50.0	0.0	+11.3
67	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	49.9	−3.4	−6.7
68	🇸🇳 Senegal	48.4	+2.3	−10.2
69	🇷🇴 Romania	46.4	+1.5	−14.5
70	🇲🇼 Malawi	46.2	−1.0	+1.8
71	🇽🇰 Kosovo	45.7	−1.4	+0.7
72	🇧🇹 Bhutan	45.7	0.0	−2.2
73	🇲🇩 Moldova	44.9	−5.4	−2.7
74	🇰🇪 Kenya	44.6	+0.9	+2.0
75	🇲🇳 Mongolia	42.4	+3.9	−13.2
76	🇱🇷 Liberia	41.7	+1.9	−3.4
77	🇲🇻 Maldives	41.6	−1.9	+22.9
78	🇫🇯 Fiji	39.8	−1.2	+12.8
79	🇪🇨 Ecuador	38.6	−5.7	+12.3
80	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	38.4	+0.4	+3.9
81	🇦🇱 Albania	38.2	−1.6	−5.3
82	🇭🇳 Honduras	38.0	−0.3	+13.5
83	🇵🇾 Paraguay	37.6	−1.4	−4.0
84	🇿🇲 Zambia	37.5	−1.5	+0.4
85	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	37.4	+0.4	+10.4
86	🇦🇲 Armenia	37.1	−4.1	+16.8
87	🇸🇬 Singapore	36.0	+1.2	+2.9
88	🇲🇾 Malaysia	35.5	−0.4	+15.1
89	🇧🇴 Bolivia	35.2	+4.2	−1.6
90	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	34.8	−1.5	+3.0
91	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	33.9	+0.3	−2.4
92	🇬🇾 Guyana	32.8	+1.4	−11.6
93	🇧🇯 Benin	32.3	0.0	−20.0
94	🇭🇺 Hungary	31.5	−1.0	−16.2
95	🇹🇭 Thailand	31.4	+0.8	+20.9
96	🇳🇬 Nigeria	31.1	−0.3	−9.0
97	🇹🇿 Tanzania	29.7	−6.0	−9.4
98	Somaliland	29.7	+2.5	+5.0
99	🇮🇩 Indonesia	29.6	−3.6	−21.5
100	🇵🇭 Philippines	29.1	−1.0	−11.8
101	🇬🇪 Georgia	27.5	−5.2	−22.9
102	🇯🇴 Jordan	27.4	+0.4	+5.3
103	🇱🇧 Lebanon	26.7	+4.1	−2.8
104	🇹🇳 Tunisia	26.5	−0.6	−36.4
105	🇮🇳 India	26.0	−2.1	−15.7
106	Zanzibar	25.3	+0.6	+1.9
107	🇲🇦 Morocco	25.1	−0.1	+2.1
108	🇺🇦 Ukraine	24.0	+1.0	+1.2
109	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	22.8	−2.0	−7.6
110	🇲🇽 Mexico	22.1	−2.5	−21.2
111	🇮🇶 Iraq	22.0	+1.0	−1.6
112	🇷🇸 Serbia	20.8	−1.7	−13.3
113	🇲🇬 Madagascar	18.7	−1.4	−7.1
114	🇬🇦 Gabon	17.8	+2.7	−4.5
115	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	17.8	−0.7	−13.9
116	🇳🇪 Niger	17.7	−0.5	−31.6
117	🇵🇰 Pakistan	17.6	−1.7	−8.8
118	🇲🇿 Mozambique	17.5	−1.4	−12.4
119	🇺🇬 Uganda	16.5	−0.3	−5.7
120	🇦🇴 Angola	16.3	+0.2	+4.1
121	🇹🇬 Togo	15.7	−1.0	−10.1
122	🇲🇱 Mali	15.0	+0.9	−19.9
123	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	14.7	−0.9	−6.5
124	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	14.2	0.0	−16.1
125	🇴🇲 Oman	14.0	+0.1	−0.1
126	🇰🇲 Comoros	13.2	+1.0	−10.8
127	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	13.1	−0.2	+2.1
128	🇸🇴 Somalia	12.8	+0.1	+0.5
129	🇲🇷 Mauritania	12.7	−0.9	−5.1
130	🇰🇼 Kuwait	12.7	−5.2	−15.1
131	🇩🇿 Algeria	12.6	+0.3	−4.9
132	🇩🇯 Djibouti	11.8	0.0	+0.4
133	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	11.6	+1.9	+0.8
134	🇪🇬 Egypt	11.5	−0.8	+2.2
135	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	11.5	−0.8	−0.7
136	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	11.5	−0.4	+1.3
137	🇨🇲 Cameroon	11.4	−1.2	−3.8
138	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	11.4	−0.4	−4.8
139	🇹🇷 Türkiye	11.0	+0.1	−12.0
140	🇱🇦 Laos	11.0	−0.7	+2.1
141	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	10.3	−2.3	−20.3
142	🇮🇷 Iran	10.3	+1.5	−3.3
143	🇻🇳 Vietnam	10.2	−0.7	−1.3
144	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	10.2	+0.5	−7.7
145	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	10.0	+0.7	−0.2
146	🇭🇹 Haiti	9.8	−0.3	−14.5
147	🇱🇾 Libya	9.8	−1.1	−7.4
148	🇸🇿 Eswatini	9.7	−0.4	0.0
149	🇬🇳 Guinea	9.5	+2.0	−6.6
150	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	9.5	−4.5	−19.5
151	🇶🇦 Qatar	9.1	−0.4	+0.2
152	🇸🇻 El Salvador	9.0	0.0	−37.2
153	🇷🇼 Rwanda	9.0	−0.1	−4.8
154	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	7.9	+0.5	+4.3
155	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	7.7	0.0	−1.3
156	🇸🇸 South Sudan	6.4	−0.7	−0.2
157	🇹🇩 Chad	6.2	+0.8	−2.9
158	🇧🇭 Bahrain	6.2	0.0	+1.1
159	🇧🇮 Burundi	6.0	−0.2	−0.3
160	Palestine/Gaza	5.8	+0.3	−0.5
161	🇨🇺 Cuba	5.7	+0.1	0.0
162	🇷🇺 Russia	5.6	−0.1	−5.3
163	🇸🇾 Syria	5.4	0.0	+2.9
164	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	5.3	0.0	−1.0
165	🇰🇭 Cambodia	5.1	+0.3	−6.4
166	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	4.7	−0.2	−0.3
167	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	4.7	0.0	+0.1
168	🇾🇪 Yemen	4.3	−0.4	−2.6
169	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	4.3	+0.2	+0.1
170	🇻🇪 Venezuela	4.2	−0.4	−6.1
171	🇨🇳 China	3.9	+0.2	−1.3
172	🇧🇾 Belarus	3.8	+0.2	−6.2
173	🇸🇩 Sudan	3.4	+0.4	−3.0
174	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	3.4	0.0	+1.0
175	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	1.9	−0.1	−10.5
176	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	1.8	+0.4	−18.3
177	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	1.5	0.0	−16.6
178	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0
179	🇪🇷 Eritrea	0.9	0.0	+0.3

Frequently asked questions

Which countries are the most liberal democracies?

Denmark ranks #1 of 179 countries on the V-Dem liberal democracy index index in 2025, with the highest score of 88.4 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 2025?

In 2025, the top three of 179 ranked countries are Denmark (88.4), Sweden (85.3), and Norway (84.7).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 2025?

Eritrea ranks #179 of 179 with a score of 0.9.

Which country changed most on liberal democracy index over the last decade?

The Gambia shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 41.6 points over the past decade, standing at 52.2 (rank #58) in 2025.

How is the liberal democracy index index measured?

The index comes from the V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) project; scores are shown here on a 0–100 scale (higher-precision source data runs 0–1). Higher scores are better. The 2025 edition covers 179 countries.