Democracy Index 1949

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1949 — 153 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1949 — 153 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	86.5	0.0	+6.4
2	🇫🇮 Finland	74.7	+8.8	+29.1
3	🇦🇺 Australia	74.3	0.0	+5.7
4	🇩🇪 Germany	74.2	—	+73.1
5	🇳🇱 Netherlands	71.6	+1.6	+6.8
6	🇸🇪 Sweden	71.4	+0.7	+8.4
7	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	70.6	+1.3	+19.6
8	🇳🇴 Norway	70.6	+0.1	+6.6
9	🇳🇿 New Zealand	70.4	0.0	+1.8
10	🇮🇸 Iceland	68.8	0.0	+1.9
11	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	68.2	0.0	+9.7
12	🇮🇪 Ireland	66.3	+0.8	+2.9
13	🇺🇾 Uruguay	65.5	+0.6	+23.5
14	🇨🇦 Canada	62.8	+1.5	+5.7
15	🇫🇷 France	62.1	0.0	+18.0
16	🇧🇪 Belgium	61.9	+13.8	+17.3
17	🇦🇹 Austria	61.5	+0.2	—
18	🇨🇭 Switzerland	56.1	0.0	+1.1
19	🇮🇹 Italy	54.8	+4.2	+51.6
20	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	51.9	−0.7	+22.5
21	🇲🇹 Malta	50.7	0.0	+32.6
22	🇺🇸 United States of America	49.6	−1.4	+3.4
23	🇮🇱 Israel	47.9	+18.5	—
24	🇯🇵 Japan	36.4	0.0	+17.0
25	🇨🇺 Cuba	30.9	−0.2	+8.2
26	🇲🇺 Mauritius	30.2	+10.8	+17.2
27	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	26.2	0.0	+3.6
28	🇸🇷 Suriname	26.1	+10.1	+10.7
29	🇵🇭 Philippines	26.1	−0.1	+7.8
30	🇨🇱 Chile	25.8	−1.1	−2.3
31	🇧🇷 Brazil	25.1	+0.2	+20.2
32	🇯🇲 Jamaica	23.5	0.0	+5.7
33	🇬🇹 Guatemala	22.6	−0.5	+17.2
34	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	21.1	+5.0	−3.3
35	🇦🇷 Argentina	20.9	−0.7	−4.0
36	🇧🇧 Barbados	20.2	0.0	+1.8
37	🇬🇷 Greece	19.9	+0.1	+13.6
38	🇱🇧 Lebanon	19.4	+0.1	+3.4
39	🇫🇯 Fiji	18.7	0.0	0.0
40	🇪🇨 Ecuador	18.5	+1.1	+6.2
41	🇬🇾 Guyana	18.5	0.0	+0.4
42	🇪🇬 Egypt	18.0	+0.1	+0.8
43	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	17.9	−0.1	−0.1
44	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	17.3	0.0	+0.7
45	🇸🇾 Syria	16.9	−3.3	+10.7
46	🇸🇬 Singapore	16.9	+0.4	+2.9
47	🇵🇦 Panama	16.8	+0.3	+0.4
48	🇵🇰 Pakistan	16.5	0.0	—
49	🇯🇴 Jordan	16.4	0.0	+1.0
50	South Yemen	16.4	0.0	+3.7
51	🇮🇶 Iraq	16.2	0.0	−0.4
52	🇮🇳 India	15.4	+0.1	−0.3
53	🇰🇷 South Korea	15.4	+5.1	+13.5
54	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	15.2	0.0	0.0
55	🇸🇨 Seychelles	15.0	+5.9	+6.5
56	🇹🇷 Türkiye	14.6	−0.1	+4.2
57	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	14.5	+0.1	+0.6
58	🇮🇩 Indonesia	14.5	+1.7	+11.5
59	🇲🇾 Malaysia	14.0	+2.6	+2.6
60	🇬🇲 The Gambia	13.7	0.0	+2.6
61	🇱🇷 Liberia	13.1	0.0	−2.3
62	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	12.7	+2.2	—
63	🇱🇦 Laos	12.7	−0.1	+6.2
64	🇻🇳 Vietnam	12.5	0.0	—
65	🇸🇳 Senegal	11.7	0.0	+6.5
66	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	11.3	0.0	+6.2
67	🇿🇦 South Africa	10.9	−0.2	−2.3
68	Somaliland	10.9	0.0	+0.3
69	🇬🇭 Ghana	10.8	+0.1	+0.6
70	🇹🇭 Thailand	10.8	−0.4	0.0
71	🇰🇼 Kuwait	10.8	0.0	+0.3
72	🇳🇬 Nigeria	10.7	0.0	+0.6
73	🇿🇲 Zambia	10.6	+0.1	+0.5
74	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	10.6	0.0	+6.3
75	🇵🇱 Poland	10.4	−0.2	—
76	Zanzibar	10.3	0.0	0.0
77	🇧🇼 Botswana	10.2	+0.1	+0.6
78	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	10.2	0.0	+5.3
79	🇺🇬 Uganda	10.0	0.0	+0.1
80	🇮🇷 Iran	10.0	0.0	+6.0
81	🇭🇹 Haiti	9.8	0.0	+0.3
82	🇨🇾 Cyprus	9.6	0.0	+1.0
83	🇲🇽 Mexico	9.5	0.0	+0.2
84	🇩🇿 Algeria	9.5	+0.1	+0.5
85	🇲🇱 Mali	9.3	+0.1	+5.8
86	🇹🇿 Tanzania	9.0	0.0	0.0
87	🇪🇷 Eritrea	9.0	0.0	+7.0
88	Palestine/Gaza	8.9	0.0	—
89	🇲🇷 Mauritania	8.4	0.0	+2.0
90	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	8.3	0.0	0.0
91	🇭🇺 Hungary	8.2	−3.9	−15.6
92	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	8.1	0.0	+2.5
93	🇷🇸 Serbia	8.1	+1.0	−2.7
94	🇱🇸 Lesotho	8.0	0.0	0.0
95	🇭🇳 Honduras	7.9	+0.6	—
96	🇧🇹 Bhutan	7.9	0.0	0.0
97	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	7.9	0.0	+0.8
98	🇨🇴 Colombia	7.8	−7.4	−11.6
99	🇲🇬 Madagascar	7.4	0.0	+1.7
100	🇵🇹 Portugal	7.2	0.0	0.0
101	🇧🇴 Bolivia	7.2	−0.2	−0.1
102	🇳🇪 Niger	7.2	0.0	+0.5
103	🇲🇻 Maldives	7.1	0.0	+1.0
104	🇸🇿 Eswatini	7.0	0.0	0.0
105	🇻🇪 Venezuela	6.9	−14.8	−4.2
106	🇰🇭 Cambodia	6.9	−2.5	+2.7
107	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	6.8	+0.1	+0.1
108	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	6.7	0.0	+0.1
109	Republic of Vietnam	6.7	+0.9	+2.1
110	🇹🇩 Chad	6.3	0.0	+3.9
111	🇸🇩 Sudan	5.9	+1.5	+1.6
112	🇪🇸 Spain	5.9	0.0	−5.1
113	🇨🇳 China	5.9	−3.1	+0.8
114	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.6	0.0	−0.2
115	🇸🇴 Somalia	5.6	0.0	+0.2
116	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.5	−0.3	−4.8
117	🇸🇻 El Salvador	5.4	−0.8	+0.9
118	🇦🇱 Albania	5.3	+0.1	−2.8
119	🇰🇪 Kenya	5.3	0.0	+0.1
120	🇵🇾 Paraguay	5.3	+0.4	−2.8
121	🇧🇮 Burundi	5.0	0.0	+0.1
122	🇶🇦 Qatar	5.0	0.0	0.0
123	🇬🇳 Guinea	4.9	0.0	+1.8
124	🇬🇦 Gabon	4.9	+0.1	+2.7
125	🇰🇲 Comoros	4.8	+0.1	—
126	🇲🇦 Morocco	4.6	0.0	+0.1
127	🇧🇯 Benin	4.4	0.0	+0.2
128	🇹🇬 Togo	4.4	0.0	+2.5
129	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	4.3	+0.3	—
130	🇲🇼 Malawi	4.0	0.0	0.0
131	🇲🇳 Mongolia	3.8	0.0	+1.3
132	🇹🇼 Taiwan	3.6	+0.4	0.0
133	🇨🇿 Czechia	3.6	−1.2	−4.7
134	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.6	0.0	0.0
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	🇵🇪 Peru	3.2	−8.8	−3.9
140	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.2	0.0	−0.2
141	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	3.0	0.0	+0.6
142	🇷🇴 Romania	3.0	−0.3	−4.0
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	🇾🇪 Yemen	1.8	+0.6	+0.6
150	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.8	+1.2	—
151	🇷🇺 Russia	1.5	0.0	+0.1
152	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	1.2	0.0	0.0
153	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	1.2	0.0	+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 1949, with the highest score of 86.5 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1949?

In 1949, the top three of 153 ranked countries are Denmark (86.5), Finland (74.7), and Australia (74.3).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1949?

Equatorial Guinea ranks #153 of 153 with a score of 1.2.

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

Germany shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 73.1 points over the past decade, standing at 74.2 (rank #4) in 1949.

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 1949 edition covers 153 countries.