Democracy Index 1946

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1946 — 148 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1946 — 148 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	85.9	+68.8	+5.7
2	🇦🇺 Australia	74.0	+4.3	+1.8
3	🇸🇪 Sweden	70.5	+6.7	+6.5
4	🇳🇴 Norway	70.0	+49.4	+5.8
5	🇳🇿 New Zealand	69.7	+1.8	+0.6
6	🇮🇸 Iceland	68.9	+0.6	+2.1
7	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	67.9	+8.3	+6.7
8	🇮🇪 Ireland	65.7	+1.6	+0.8
9	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	65.1	+39.8	+14.1
10	🇫🇮 Finland	65.0	+6.8	+13.2
11	🇺🇾 Uruguay	63.1	+2.8	+30.8
12	🇦🇹 Austria	61.7	+5.6	+52.8
13	🇨🇦 Canada	61.2	+5.3	+4.4
14	🇨🇭 Switzerland	56.2	+1.1	+0.9
15	🇺🇸 United States of America	50.6	+3.8	+3.5
16	🇳🇱 Netherlands	47.7	+33.0	−17.0
17	🇧🇪 Belgium	46.1	+18.0	+1.7
18	🇮🇹 Italy	34.7	+22.8	+31.3
19	🇨🇺 Cuba	31.1	−0.1	+10.1
20	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	29.2	+0.3	−0.1
21	🇯🇵 Japan	27.5	+7.6	+7.0
22	🇨🇱 Chile	27.4	−1.2	+0.7
23	🇫🇷 France	26.7	+8.8	−18.9
24	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	26.1	+3.0	+3.6
25	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	25.4	+0.1	+1.0
26	🇵🇪 Peru	24.5	+3.9	+18.9
27	🇵🇭 Philippines	23.6	+16.6	+6.0
28	🇯🇲 Jamaica	23.1	+0.3	+5.3
29	🇦🇷 Argentina	22.7	+11.7	−2.0
30	🇬🇹 Guatemala	22.4	+2.9	+16.9
31	🇧🇧 Barbados	20.0	+0.6	+2.2
32	🇱🇧 Lebanon	19.6	0.0	+3.6
33	🇫🇯 Fiji	18.7	0.0	0.0
34	🇬🇾 Guyana	18.5	0.0	+0.4
35	🇨🇴 Colombia	18.1	−1.9	−1.1
36	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	18.0	+0.1	0.0
37	🇪🇬 Egypt	17.9	0.0	+1.0
38	🇧🇷 Brazil	17.8	+10.1	+10.3
39	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	17.3	+2.5	+0.7
40	🇲🇹 Malta	16.8	−1.1	+0.1
41	🇮🇳 India	16.5	+0.3	+0.9
42	🇮🇶 Iraq	16.1	+0.1	−0.5
43	🇸🇷 Suriname	16.0	+0.6	+0.6
44	🇻🇪 Venezuela	15.5	+2.4	+7.2
45	🇯🇴 Jordan	15.5	+0.1	+0.1
46	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	15.2	0.0	0.0
47	🇸🇬 Singapore	14.9	+8.6	+0.9
48	🇬🇷 Greece	14.7	+6.7	+8.8
49	🇭🇺 Hungary	14.4	+7.5	−10.9
50	🇲🇺 Mauritius	14.0	+0.2	+1.1
51	🇹🇷 Türkiye	13.7	+2.9	+3.3
52	🇿🇦 South Africa	13.2	0.0	0.0
53	South Yemen	13.0	+0.2	+0.6
54	🇹🇭 Thailand	12.9	+0.6	+2.0
55	🇮🇩 Indonesia	12.5	+3.4	+9.4
56	🇨🇿 Czechia	12.3	+6.4	−46.4
57	🇬🇲 The Gambia	12.1	+0.6	+1.0
58	🇻🇳 Vietnam	11.9	+6.3	—
59	🇸🇳 Senegal	11.6	+5.8	+6.4
60	🇱🇷 Liberia	11.5	0.0	−3.9
61	🇵🇦 Panama	11.3	−3.2	−5.0
62	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	11.3	+4.7	+6.2
63	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	11.2	+3.3	−2.3
64	🇲🇾 Malaysia	11.2	+3.2	−0.2
65	Palestine/British Mandate	11.0	0.0	0.0
66	Somaliland	10.8	0.0	+0.3
67	🇰🇼 Kuwait	10.8	0.0	+0.2
68	🇬🇭 Ghana	10.5	+0.2	+0.3
69	🇵🇱 Poland	10.4	+0.1	−11.4
70	🇳🇬 Nigeria	10.3	+0.1	+0.2
71	Zanzibar	10.3	0.0	0.0
72	🇿🇲 Zambia	10.2	0.0	0.0
73	🇧🇼 Botswana	10.1	+0.2	+0.5
74	🇺🇬 Uganda	10.0	+0.1	+0.1
75	🇮🇷 Iran	10.0	−0.1	+6.0
76	🇪🇨 Ecuador	9.8	−0.6	+3.6
77	🇨🇾 Cyprus	9.6	+0.1	+1.0
78	🇲🇽 Mexico	9.5	+0.1	+0.6
79	🇩🇿 Algeria	9.2	+0.3	+0.2
80	🇹🇿 Tanzania	9.0	0.0	+0.1
81	🇪🇷 Eritrea	9.0	0.0	+7.0
82	🇸🇨 Seychelles	8.8	+0.1	+0.3
83	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	8.3	0.0	0.0
84	🇱🇦 Laos	8.2	+1.9	+1.7
85	🇱🇸 Lesotho	8.0	0.0	0.0
86	🇭🇹 Haiti	7.9	−1.4	−1.6
87	🇧🇹 Bhutan	7.9	0.0	0.0
88	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	7.8	+1.3	−0.2
89	🇸🇾 Syria	7.6	−1.2	+0.4
90	🇷🇸 Serbia	7.3	+3.7	−3.4
91	🇵🇹 Portugal	7.2	0.0	+0.1
92	🇳🇪 Niger	7.1	+0.2	+0.4
93	🇲🇻 Maldives	7.1	0.0	+1.0
94	🇭🇳 Honduras	7.0	0.0	—
95	🇲🇷 Mauritania	7.0	+0.4	+0.6
96	🇸🇿 Eswatini	7.0	0.0	0.0
97	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	6.7	+0.1	0.0
98	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	6.6	+0.8	+1.1
99	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	6.6	0.0	0.0
100	🇸🇻 El Salvador	6.3	+0.3	+1.8
101	🇰🇷 South Korea	6.3	+3.2	+4.2
102	🇲🇬 Madagascar	6.1	+0.5	+0.4
103	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	6.1	+2.1	−2.3
104	🇪🇸 Spain	5.9	+0.2	−28.2
105	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.8	0.0	0.0
106	🇸🇴 Somalia	5.6	0.0	+0.5
107	🇷🇴 Romania	5.6	−0.6	−9.2
108	🇰🇪 Kenya	5.2	0.0	+0.3
109	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	5.2	+0.9	+0.9
110	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	5.1	+0.1	+0.2
111	🇧🇮 Burundi	5.0	0.0	+0.1
112	🇶🇦 Qatar	5.0	0.0	0.0
113	🇨🇳 China	4.9	−0.2	−0.2
114	🇬🇦 Gabon	4.8	+2.6	+2.6
115	Republic of Vietnam	4.8	+0.2	+0.2
116	🇲🇦 Morocco	4.6	0.0	+0.1
117	🇰🇭 Cambodia	4.4	+0.2	+0.2
118	🇧🇴 Bolivia	4.3	−2.1	0.0
119	🇧🇯 Benin	4.3	+0.1	+0.1
120	🇸🇩 Sudan	4.2	0.0	−0.1
121	🇰🇲 Comoros	4.1	—	—
122	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.1	0.0	−1.0
123	🇲🇼 Malawi	4.0	0.0	0.0
124	🇲🇱 Mali	3.9	+0.1	+0.4
125	🇦🇱 Albania	3.8	+0.9	−9.4
126	🇲🇳 Mongolia	3.7	0.0	+1.2
127	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.6	0.0	+0.1
128	🇬🇳 Guinea	3.5	+0.4	+0.4
129	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.4	0.0	−0.4
130	🇦🇴 Angola	3.4	0.0	0.0
131	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	3.3	0.0	0.0
132	🇹🇳 Tunisia	3.3	0.0	0.0
133	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.3	0.0	0.0
134	🇹🇼 Taiwan	3.1	−0.7	−1.2
135	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	3.0	+0.1	+0.6
136	🇩🇯 Djibouti	2.7	+0.7	+0.7
137	🇹🇩 Chad	2.6	+0.1	+0.2
138	🇷🇼 Rwanda	2.6	0.0	0.0
139	🇹🇬 Togo	2.5	+0.5	+0.6
140	🇴🇲 Oman	2.5	0.0	+0.1
141	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	2.4	0.0	+1.0
142	🇲🇿 Mozambique	2.0	0.0	0.0
143	🇳🇵 Nepal	1.9	0.0	0.0
144	🇷🇺 Russia	1.5	+0.1	−0.1
145	🇾🇪 Yemen	1.2	0.0	0.0
146	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	1.2	0.0	0.0
147	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	1.2	0.0	+0.1
148	🇰🇵 North Korea	0.7	−1.6	—

Frequently asked questions

Which countries are the most liberal democracies?

Denmark ranks #1 of 148 countries on the V-Dem liberal democracy index index in 1946, with the highest score of 85.9 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1946?

In 1946, the top three of 148 ranked countries are Denmark (85.9), Australia (74.0), and Sweden (70.5).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1946?

North Korea ranks #148 of 148 with a score of 0.7.

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

Austria shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 52.8 points over the past decade, standing at 61.7 (rank #12) in 1946.

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 1946 edition covers 148 countries.