Democracy Index 1947

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1947 — 150 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1947 — 150 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	86.3	+0.4	+6.1
2	🇦🇺 Australia	74.2	+0.2	+2.0
3	🇸🇪 Sweden	70.7	+0.2	+6.8
4	🇳🇿 New Zealand	70.4	+0.7	+1.3
5	🇳🇴 Norway	70.0	0.0	+5.7
6	🇳🇱 Netherlands	69.2	+21.5	+4.5
7	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	69.0	+3.9	+18.0
8	🇮🇸 Iceland	68.8	−0.1	+1.9
9	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	68.2	+0.3	+7.0
10	🇮🇪 Ireland	65.7	0.0	+0.6
11	🇺🇾 Uruguay	64.9	+1.8	+32.3
12	🇫🇮 Finland	64.3	−0.7	+11.5
13	🇨🇦 Canada	61.2	0.0	+4.4
14	🇦🇹 Austria	61.1	−0.6	+52.3
15	🇫🇷 France	59.6	+32.9	+14.0
16	🇨🇭 Switzerland	56.2	0.0	+0.9
17	🇺🇸 United States of America	51.7	+1.1	+4.7
18	🇮🇹 Italy	49.2	+14.5	+45.8
19	🇧🇪 Belgium	48.1	+2.0	+3.5
20	🇯🇵 Japan	35.4	+7.9	+15.6
21	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	33.7	+4.5	+4.3
22	🇨🇺 Cuba	31.2	+0.1	+8.6
23	🇨🇱 Chile	26.8	−0.6	−0.6
24	🇵🇭 Philippines	26.2	+2.6	+7.8
25	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	26.2	+0.1	+3.8
26	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	25.4	0.0	+1.0
27	🇧🇷 Brazil	25.0	+7.2	+20.0
28	🇵🇪 Peru	24.8	+0.3	+19.2
29	🇲🇹 Malta	23.6	+6.8	+6.9
30	🇬🇹 Guatemala	23.5	+1.1	+18.1
31	🇯🇲 Jamaica	23.5	+0.4	+5.7
32	🇦🇷 Argentina	20.5	−2.2	−4.4
33	🇧🇧 Barbados	20.1	+0.1	+2.4
34	🇻🇪 Venezuela	19.7	+4.2	+8.7
35	🇬🇷 Greece	19.6	+4.9	+13.3
36	🇱🇧 Lebanon	19.4	−0.2	+3.4
37	🇫🇯 Fiji	18.7	0.0	0.0
38	🇬🇾 Guyana	18.6	+0.1	+0.5
39	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	18.0	0.0	0.0
40	🇪🇬 Egypt	17.9	0.0	+1.0
41	🇨🇴 Colombia	17.8	−0.3	−1.6
42	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	17.3	0.0	+0.7
43	South Yemen	16.4	+3.4	+3.9
44	🇮🇶 Iraq	16.2	+0.1	−0.4
45	🇸🇷 Suriname	16.0	0.0	+0.6
46	🇵🇰 Pakistan	15.7	—	—
47	🇯🇴 Jordan	15.7	+0.2	+0.3
48	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	15.2	0.0	0.0
49	🇻🇳 Vietnam	15.0	+3.1	—
50	🇸🇬 Singapore	14.9	0.0	+0.9
51	🇸🇾 Syria	14.8	+7.2	+5.1
52	🇹🇷 Türkiye	14.6	+0.9	+4.2
53	🇭🇺 Hungary	14.4	0.0	−10.6
54	🇮🇳 India	14.2	−2.3	−1.5
55	🇵🇦 Panama	14.0	+2.7	−2.4
56	🇲🇺 Mauritius	14.0	0.0	+1.3
57	🇨🇿 Czechia	13.1	+0.8	−45.6
58	🇿🇦 South Africa	12.6	−0.6	−0.6
59	🇮🇩 Indonesia	12.5	0.0	+9.5
60	🇬🇲 The Gambia	12.5	+0.4	+1.4
61	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	12.2	+1.0	−1.7
62	🇪🇨 Ecuador	11.7	+1.9	+5.6
63	🇸🇳 Senegal	11.6	0.0	+6.4
64	🇲🇾 Malaysia	11.6	+0.4	+0.2
65	🇹🇭 Thailand	11.4	−1.5	+0.2
66	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	11.3	0.0	+6.2
67	🇱🇷 Liberia	11.2	−0.3	−4.2
68	Somaliland	10.9	+0.1	+0.3
69	🇵🇱 Poland	10.8	+0.4	−10.9
70	🇰🇼 Kuwait	10.8	0.0	+0.2
71	🇬🇭 Ghana	10.7	+0.2	+0.4
72	🇳🇬 Nigeria	10.7	+0.4	+0.6
73	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	10.6	+5.4	+6.3
74	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	10.5	—	—
75	🇱🇦 Laos	10.4	+2.2	+3.9
76	Zanzibar	10.3	0.0	0.0
77	🇿🇲 Zambia	10.2	0.0	0.0
78	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	10.2	+5.1	+5.3
79	🇧🇼 Botswana	10.1	0.0	+0.5
80	🇺🇬 Uganda	10.0	0.0	+0.1
81	🇮🇷 Iran	10.0	0.0	+6.0
82	Palestine/British Mandate	9.9	−1.1	−1.1
83	🇭🇹 Haiti	9.8	+1.9	+0.3
84	🇨🇾 Cyprus	9.6	0.0	+1.0
85	🇲🇽 Mexico	9.5	0.0	+0.5
86	🇲🇱 Mali	9.2	+5.3	+5.7
87	🇩🇿 Algeria	9.2	0.0	+0.2
88	🇹🇿 Tanzania	9.0	0.0	+0.1
89	🇪🇷 Eritrea	9.0	0.0	+7.0
90	🇸🇨 Seychelles	8.8	0.0	+0.3
91	🇲🇷 Mauritania	8.3	+1.3	+1.9
92	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	8.3	0.0	0.0
93	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	8.1	+1.5	+2.5
94	🇱🇸 Lesotho	8.0	0.0	0.0
95	🇧🇹 Bhutan	7.9	0.0	0.0
96	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	7.9	+0.1	−0.1
97	🇳🇪 Niger	7.4	+0.3	+0.7
98	🇲🇬 Madagascar	7.4	+1.3	+1.7
99	🇵🇹 Portugal	7.2	0.0	+0.1
100	🇧🇴 Bolivia	7.2	+2.9	+2.9
101	🇭🇳 Honduras	7.1	+0.1	—
102	🇲🇻 Maldives	7.1	0.0	+1.0
103	🇷🇸 Serbia	7.1	−0.2	−3.6
104	🇸🇿 Eswatini	7.0	0.0	0.0
105	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	6.7	0.0	0.0
106	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	6.6	0.0	0.0
107	🇸🇻 El Salvador	6.3	0.0	+1.8
108	🇹🇩 Chad	6.3	+3.7	+3.9
109	🇰🇷 South Korea	6.2	−0.1	+4.1
110	🇪🇸 Spain	5.9	0.0	−17.6
111	🇨🇳 China	5.9	+1.0	+0.8
112	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.8	0.0	0.0
113	Republic of Vietnam	5.8	+1.0	+1.2
114	🇸🇴 Somalia	5.6	0.0	+0.2
115	🇦🇱 Albania	5.2	+1.4	−4.8
116	🇰🇪 Kenya	5.2	0.0	+0.3
117	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.1	−1.0	−3.3
118	🇰🇭 Cambodia	5.0	+0.6	+0.8
119	🇧🇮 Burundi	5.0	0.0	+0.1
120	🇶🇦 Qatar	5.0	0.0	0.0
121	🇬🇳 Guinea	4.9	+1.4	+1.8
122	🇷🇴 Romania	4.9	−0.7	−8.8
123	🇬🇦 Gabon	4.8	0.0	+2.6
124	🇲🇦 Morocco	4.6	0.0	+0.1
125	🇹🇬 Togo	4.4	+1.9	+2.5
126	🇸🇩 Sudan	4.3	+0.1	0.0
127	🇧🇯 Benin	4.3	0.0	+0.1
128	🇰🇲 Comoros	4.2	+0.1	—
129	🇲🇼 Malawi	4.0	0.0	0.0
130	🇲🇳 Mongolia	3.8	+0.1	+1.3
131	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.6	0.0	+0.1
132	🇵🇾 Paraguay	3.5	−0.6	−2.3
133	🇦🇴 Angola	3.4	0.0	0.0
134	🇹🇼 Taiwan	3.3	+0.2	−0.8
135	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	3.3	0.0	0.0
136	🇹🇳 Tunisia	3.3	0.0	0.0
137	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.3	0.0	0.0
138	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.1	−0.3	−0.1
139	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	3.0	0.0	+0.6
140	🇩🇯 Djibouti	2.8	+0.1	+0.8
141	🇷🇼 Rwanda	2.6	0.0	0.0
142	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	2.4	0.0	+1.0
143	🇴🇲 Oman	2.4	−0.1	0.0
144	🇲🇿 Mozambique	2.0	0.0	0.0
145	🇳🇵 Nepal	1.9	0.0	0.0
146	🇷🇺 Russia	1.5	0.0	−0.2
147	🇾🇪 Yemen	1.2	0.0	0.0
148	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	1.2	0.0	0.0
149	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	1.2	0.0	+0.1
150	🇰🇵 North Korea	0.7	0.0	—

Frequently asked questions

Which countries are the most liberal democracies?

Denmark ranks #1 of 150 countries on the V-Dem liberal democracy index index in 1947, with the highest score of 86.3 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1947?

In 1947, the top three of 150 ranked countries are Denmark (86.3), Australia (74.2), and Sweden (70.7).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1947?

North Korea ranks #150 of 150 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 52.3 points over the past decade, standing at 61.1 (rank #14) in 1947.

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 1947 edition covers 150 countries.