Democracy Index 1948

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1948 — 153 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1948 — 153 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	86.5	+0.2	+6.3
2	🇦🇺 Australia	74.3	+0.1	+2.1
3	🇸🇪 Sweden	70.7	0.0	+7.1
4	🇳🇴 Norway	70.5	+0.5	+6.2
5	🇳🇿 New Zealand	70.4	0.0	+1.3
6	🇳🇱 Netherlands	70.0	+0.8	+5.2
7	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	69.3	+0.3	+18.3
8	🇮🇸 Iceland	68.8	0.0	+1.9
9	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	68.2	0.0	+7.0
10	🇫🇮 Finland	65.9	+1.6	+12.9
11	🇮🇪 Ireland	65.5	−0.2	+0.9
12	🇺🇾 Uruguay	64.9	0.0	+31.6
13	🇫🇷 France	62.1	+2.5	+16.5
14	🇨🇦 Canada	61.3	+0.1	+3.2
15	🇦🇹 Austria	61.3	+0.2	—
16	🇨🇭 Switzerland	56.1	−0.1	+0.8
17	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	52.6	+18.9	+23.2
18	🇺🇸 United States of America	51.0	−0.7	+4.0
19	🇲🇹 Malta	50.7	+27.1	+34.0
20	🇮🇹 Italy	50.6	+1.4	+47.4
21	🇧🇪 Belgium	48.1	0.0	+3.5
22	🇯🇵 Japan	36.4	+1.0	+17.1
23	🇨🇺 Cuba	31.1	−0.1	+8.6
24	🇮🇱 Israel	29.4	—	—
25	🇨🇱 Chile	26.9	+0.1	−0.8
26	🇵🇭 Philippines	26.2	0.0	+7.8
27	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	26.2	0.0	+3.6
28	🇧🇷 Brazil	24.9	−0.1	+20.1
29	🇯🇲 Jamaica	23.5	0.0	+5.6
30	🇬🇹 Guatemala	23.1	−0.4	+17.7
31	🇻🇪 Venezuela	21.7	+2.0	+10.6
32	🇦🇷 Argentina	21.6	+1.1	−3.2
33	🇸🇾 Syria	20.2	+5.4	+10.6
34	🇧🇧 Barbados	20.2	+0.1	+2.0
35	🇬🇷 Greece	19.8	+0.2	+13.5
36	🇲🇺 Mauritius	19.4	+5.4	+6.4
37	🇱🇧 Lebanon	19.3	−0.1	+3.3
38	🇫🇯 Fiji	18.7	0.0	0.0
39	🇬🇾 Guyana	18.5	−0.1	+0.4
40	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	18.0	0.0	0.0
41	🇪🇬 Egypt	17.9	0.0	+0.7
42	🇪🇨 Ecuador	17.4	+5.7	+10.2
43	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	17.3	0.0	+0.7
44	🇵🇰 Pakistan	16.5	+0.8	—
45	🇵🇦 Panama	16.5	+2.5	+0.1
46	🇸🇬 Singapore	16.5	+1.6	+2.5
47	🇯🇴 Jordan	16.4	+0.7	+1.0
48	South Yemen	16.4	0.0	+3.7
49	🇮🇶 Iraq	16.2	0.0	−0.4
50	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	16.1	−9.3	−8.3
51	🇸🇷 Suriname	16.0	0.0	+0.6
52	🇮🇳 India	15.3	+1.1	−0.4
53	🇨🇴 Colombia	15.2	−2.6	−4.2
54	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	15.2	0.0	0.0
55	🇹🇷 Türkiye	14.7	+0.1	+4.3
56	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	14.4	+2.2	+0.5
57	🇬🇲 The Gambia	13.7	+1.2	+2.6
58	🇱🇷 Liberia	13.1	+1.9	−2.3
59	🇮🇩 Indonesia	12.8	+0.3	+9.8
60	🇱🇦 Laos	12.8	+2.4	+6.3
61	🇻🇳 Vietnam	12.5	−2.5	—
62	🇭🇺 Hungary	12.1	−2.3	−12.5
63	🇵🇪 Peru	12.0	−12.8	+6.4
64	🇸🇳 Senegal	11.7	+0.1	+6.5
65	🇲🇾 Malaysia	11.4	−0.2	0.0
66	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	11.3	0.0	+6.2
67	🇹🇭 Thailand	11.2	−0.2	+0.1
68	🇿🇦 South Africa	11.1	−1.5	−2.1
69	Somaliland	10.9	0.0	+0.3
70	🇰🇼 Kuwait	10.8	0.0	+0.3
71	🇬🇭 Ghana	10.7	0.0	+0.4
72	🇳🇬 Nigeria	10.7	0.0	+0.6
73	🇵🇱 Poland	10.6	−0.2	−10.8
74	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	10.6	0.0	+6.3
75	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	10.5	0.0	—
76	🇿🇲 Zambia	10.5	+0.3	+0.4
77	🇰🇷 South Korea	10.3	+4.1	+8.3
78	Zanzibar	10.3	0.0	0.0
79	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	10.2	0.0	+5.3
80	🇧🇼 Botswana	10.1	0.0	+0.5
81	🇺🇬 Uganda	10.0	0.0	+0.1
82	🇮🇷 Iran	10.0	0.0	+6.0
83	Palestine/British Mandate	9.9	0.0	−1.1
84	🇭🇹 Haiti	9.8	0.0	+0.3
85	🇨🇾 Cyprus	9.6	0.0	+1.0
86	🇲🇽 Mexico	9.5	0.0	+0.5
87	🇰🇭 Cambodia	9.4	+4.4	+5.2
88	🇩🇿 Algeria	9.4	+0.2	+0.4
89	🇲🇱 Mali	9.2	0.0	+5.7
90	🇸🇨 Seychelles	9.1	+0.3	+0.6
91	🇹🇿 Tanzania	9.0	0.0	0.0
92	🇨🇳 China	9.0	+3.1	+3.9
93	🇪🇷 Eritrea	9.0	0.0	+7.0
94	Palestine/Gaza	8.9	—	—
95	🇲🇷 Mauritania	8.4	+0.1	+2.0
96	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	8.3	0.0	0.0
97	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	8.1	0.0	+2.5
98	🇱🇸 Lesotho	8.0	0.0	0.0
99	🇧🇹 Bhutan	7.9	0.0	0.0
100	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	7.9	0.0	−0.1
101	🇧🇴 Bolivia	7.4	+0.2	+1.1
102	🇲🇬 Madagascar	7.4	0.0	+1.7
103	🇭🇳 Honduras	7.3	+0.2	—
104	🇵🇹 Portugal	7.2	0.0	0.0
105	🇳🇪 Niger	7.2	−0.2	+0.5
106	🇲🇻 Maldives	7.1	0.0	+1.0
107	🇷🇸 Serbia	7.1	0.0	−3.6
108	🇸🇿 Eswatini	7.0	0.0	0.0
109	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	6.7	0.0	0.0
110	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	6.7	+0.1	+0.1
111	🇹🇩 Chad	6.3	0.0	+3.9
112	🇸🇻 El Salvador	6.2	−0.1	+1.7
113	🇪🇸 Spain	5.9	0.0	−17.0
114	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.8	+0.7	−6.1
115	Republic of Vietnam	5.8	0.0	+1.2
116	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.6	−0.2	−0.2
117	🇸🇴 Somalia	5.6	0.0	+0.2
118	🇰🇪 Kenya	5.3	+0.1	+0.2
119	🇦🇱 Albania	5.2	0.0	−3.9
120	🇧🇮 Burundi	5.0	0.0	+0.1
121	🇶🇦 Qatar	5.0	0.0	0.0
122	🇬🇳 Guinea	4.9	0.0	+1.8
123	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.9	+1.4	−2.4
124	🇬🇦 Gabon	4.8	0.0	+2.6
125	🇨🇿 Czechia	4.8	−8.3	−44.7
126	🇰🇲 Comoros	4.7	+0.5	—
127	🇲🇦 Morocco	4.6	0.0	+0.1
128	🇸🇩 Sudan	4.4	+0.1	+0.1
129	🇧🇯 Benin	4.4	+0.1	+0.2
130	🇹🇬 Togo	4.4	0.0	+2.5
131	🇲🇼 Malawi	4.0	0.0	0.0
132	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	4.0	—	—
133	🇲🇳 Mongolia	3.8	0.0	+1.3
134	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.6	0.0	+0.1
135	🇦🇴 Angola	3.4	0.0	0.0
136	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	3.3	0.0	0.0
137	🇹🇳 Tunisia	3.3	0.0	0.0
138	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.3	0.0	0.0
139	🇷🇴 Romania	3.3	−1.6	−4.9
140	🇹🇼 Taiwan	3.2	−0.1	−0.4
141	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.2	+0.1	−0.2
142	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	3.0	0.0	+0.6
143	🇩🇯 Djibouti	2.8	0.0	+0.8
144	🇷🇼 Rwanda	2.6	0.0	0.0
145	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	2.4	0.0	+1.0
146	🇴🇲 Oman	2.4	0.0	0.0
147	🇲🇿 Mozambique	2.0	0.0	0.0
148	🇳🇵 Nepal	1.9	0.0	0.0
149	🇷🇺 Russia	1.5	0.0	+0.1
150	🇾🇪 Yemen	1.2	0.0	0.0
151	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	1.2	0.0	0.0
152	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	1.2	0.0	+0.1
153	🇰🇵 North Korea	0.6	−0.1	—

Frequently asked questions

Which countries are the most liberal democracies?

Denmark ranks #1 of 153 countries on the V-Dem liberal democracy index index in 1948, with the highest score of 86.5 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1948?

In 1948, the top three of 153 ranked countries are Denmark (86.5), Australia (74.3), and Sweden (70.7).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1948?

North Korea ranks #153 of 153 with a score of 0.6.

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

Italy shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 47.4 points over the past decade, standing at 50.6 (rank #20) in 1948.

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 1948 edition covers 153 countries.