Democracy Index 1950

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1950 — 153 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1950 — 153 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	86.6	+0.1	+28.1
2	🇩🇪 Germany	76.5	+2.3	+75.4
3	🇫🇮 Finland	76.1	+1.4	+32.2
4	🇦🇺 Australia	74.4	+0.1	+8.3
5	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	73.1	+2.5	+68.2
6	🇸🇪 Sweden	71.9	+0.5	+9.7
7	🇳🇱 Netherlands	71.6	0.0	+55.9
8	🇳🇴 Norway	71.1	+0.5	+50.7
9	🇳🇿 New Zealand	70.2	−0.2	+2.3
10	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	69.9	+1.7	+11.5
11	🇮🇸 Iceland	69.2	+0.4	+3.9
12	🇮🇪 Ireland	66.6	+0.3	+3.2
13	🇺🇾 Uruguay	65.5	0.0	+23.5
14	🇨🇦 Canada	65.4	+2.6	+9.9
15	🇧🇪 Belgium	63.5	+1.6	+41.4
16	🇫🇷 France	62.9	+0.8	+50.8
17	🇦🇹 Austria	62.1	+0.6	—
18	🇨🇭 Switzerland	56.2	+0.1	+2.0
19	🇮🇹 Italy	54.8	0.0	+51.4
20	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	53.0	+1.1	+24.1
21	🇲🇹 Malta	50.7	0.0	+33.8
22	🇺🇸 United States of America	50.2	+0.6	+3.0
23	🇮🇱 Israel	49.4	+1.5	—
24	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	48.9	+27.8	+23.8
25	🇸🇷 Suriname	40.6	+14.5	+25.2
26	🇯🇵 Japan	36.5	+0.1	+18.0
27	🇨🇺 Cuba	30.5	−0.4	+1.4
28	🇲🇺 Mauritius	30.4	+0.2	+17.2
29	🇨🇱 Chile	29.2	+3.4	+0.9
30	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	27.0	+0.8	+4.4
31	🇧🇷 Brazil	26.2	+1.1	+21.2
32	🇮🇳 India	26.2	+10.8	+10.5
33	🇵🇭 Philippines	25.9	−0.2	+7.2
34	🇬🇷 Greece	23.8	+3.9	+19.2
35	🇯🇲 Jamaica	23.5	0.0	+5.7
36	🇬🇹 Guatemala	22.5	−0.1	+17.1
37	🇧🇧 Barbados	20.2	0.0	+1.4
38	🇱🇧 Lebanon	19.4	0.0	+3.5
39	🇦🇷 Argentina	19.3	−1.6	−5.6
40	🇫🇯 Fiji	19.0	+0.3	+0.3
41	🇬🇾 Guyana	18.9	+0.4	+0.8
42	🇪🇬 Egypt	18.8	+0.8	+1.6
43	🇪🇨 Ecuador	18.8	+0.3	+8.4
44	🇹🇷 Türkiye	18.8	+4.2	+8.4
45	🇮🇩 Indonesia	18.2	+3.7	+15.2
46	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	17.9	0.0	−0.1
47	🇵🇦 Panama	17.6	+0.8	+1.1
48	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	17.4	+0.1	+1.1
49	🇸🇾 Syria	17.1	+0.2	+11.0
50	🇸🇬 Singapore	17.0	+0.1	+3.1
51	South Yemen	16.6	+0.2	+3.8
52	🇯🇴 Jordan	16.5	+0.1	+1.1
53	🇵🇰 Pakistan	16.4	−0.1	—
54	🇮🇶 Iraq	16.4	+0.2	−0.3
55	🇸🇨 Seychelles	15.0	0.0	+6.3
56	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	15.0	−0.2	−0.2
57	🇰🇷 South Korea	14.6	−0.8	+12.7
58	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	14.4	−0.1	+0.5
59	🇲🇾 Malaysia	14.0	0.0	+3.1
60	🇬🇲 The Gambia	13.9	+0.2	+2.7
61	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	12.9	+0.2	—
62	🇱🇦 Laos	12.5	−0.2	+6.6
63	🇱🇷 Liberia	12.2	−0.9	−3.2
64	🇭🇳 Honduras	12.1	+4.2	—
65	🇸🇳 Senegal	11.9	+0.2	+6.7
66	🇮🇷 Iran	11.6	+1.6	+7.6
67	🇬🇭 Ghana	11.3	+0.5	+1.1
68	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	11.3	0.0	+6.2
69	🇰🇼 Kuwait	11.1	+0.3	+0.3
70	🇻🇳 Vietnam	11.0	−1.5	—
71	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	10.9	+0.3	+6.6
72	Somaliland	10.9	0.0	+0.3
73	🇳🇬 Nigeria	10.7	0.0	+0.5
74	🇹🇭 Thailand	10.6	−0.2	0.0
75	🇿🇲 Zambia	10.6	0.0	+0.4
76	🇵🇱 Poland	10.4	0.0	—
77	Zanzibar	10.3	0.0	0.0
78	🇿🇦 South Africa	10.2	−0.7	−3.0
79	🇧🇼 Botswana	10.2	0.0	+0.6
80	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	10.2	0.0	+5.3
81	🇺🇬 Uganda	10.0	0.0	+0.1
82	🇲🇽 Mexico	9.5	0.0	−0.1
83	🇩🇿 Algeria	9.5	0.0	+0.5
84	🇨🇾 Cyprus	9.4	−0.2	+0.7
85	🇲🇱 Mali	9.3	0.0	+5.6
86	Palestine/Gaza	9.1	+0.2	—
87	🇹🇿 Tanzania	9.0	0.0	0.0
88	🇱🇸 Lesotho	8.9	+0.9	+0.9
89	🇷🇸 Serbia	8.8	+0.7	−1.0
90	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	8.7	+0.8	+1.5
91	🇪🇷 Eritrea	8.5	−0.5	+4.8
92	🇲🇷 Mauritania	8.4	0.0	+2.0
93	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	8.3	0.0	0.0
94	🇧🇹 Bhutan	8.1	+0.2	+0.2
95	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	8.1	0.0	+2.5
96	🇲🇬 Madagascar	7.5	+0.1	+1.9
97	🇵🇹 Portugal	7.3	+0.1	+0.1
98	🇧🇴 Bolivia	7.3	+0.1	+0.2
99	🇸🇿 Eswatini	7.3	+0.3	+0.3
100	🇳🇪 Niger	7.2	0.0	+0.5
101	🇲🇻 Maldives	7.1	0.0	+1.0
102	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	6.9	+0.1	+0.2
103	🇭🇺 Hungary	6.8	−1.4	−15.4
104	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	6.6	−0.1	0.0
105	Republic of Vietnam	6.6	−0.1	+2.0
106	🇹🇩 Chad	6.4	+0.1	+4.0
107	🇬🇦 Gabon	6.2	+1.3	+4.0
108	German Democratic Republic	6.2	—	—
109	🇪🇸 Spain	6.1	+0.2	+1.4
110	🇸🇻 El Salvador	6.0	+0.6	+0.9
111	🇨🇴 Colombia	5.9	−1.9	−13.5
112	🇸🇩 Sudan	5.9	0.0	+1.6
113	🇭🇹 Haiti	5.7	−4.1	−3.8
114	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.7	+0.1	−0.1
115	🇸🇴 Somalia	5.6	0.0	+0.1
116	🇦🇱 Albania	5.4	+0.1	−0.5
117	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.4	−0.1	−7.6
118	🇰🇪 Kenya	5.3	0.0	+0.1
119	🇻🇪 Venezuela	5.3	−1.6	−5.9
120	🇵🇾 Paraguay	5.2	−0.1	+1.3
121	🇹🇼 Taiwan	5.1	+1.5	+1.4
122	🇶🇦 Qatar	5.1	+0.1	+0.1
123	🇧🇮 Burundi	5.0	0.0	0.0
124	🇬🇳 Guinea	4.9	0.0	+1.8
125	🇰🇲 Comoros	4.8	0.0	—
126	🇲🇦 Morocco	4.6	0.0	+0.1
127	🇹🇬 Togo	4.5	+0.1	+2.6
128	🇧🇯 Benin	4.4	0.0	+0.2
129	🇰🇭 Cambodia	4.4	−2.5	+0.2
130	🇵🇪 Peru	4.2	+1.0	−11.5
131	🇲🇼 Malawi	4.1	+0.1	+0.1
132	🇲🇳 Mongolia	3.8	0.0	+0.3
133	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	3.4	+0.1	+0.1
134	🇦🇴 Angola	3.4	0.0	0.0
135	🇨🇿 Czechia	3.4	−0.2	+2.2
136	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.4	−0.2	−0.2
137	🇹🇳 Tunisia	3.3	0.0	0.0
138	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.3	0.0	0.0
139	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	3.0	0.0	+0.6
140	🇷🇴 Romania	3.0	0.0	−3.4
141	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	2.9	−0.3	−0.5
142	🇨🇳 China	2.9	−3.0	−2.2
143	🇩🇯 Djibouti	2.8	0.0	+0.8
144	🇷🇼 Rwanda	2.6	0.0	+0.1
145	🇴🇲 Oman	2.5	+0.1	+0.1
146	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	2.4	0.0	+1.0
147	🇳🇵 Nepal	2.2	+0.3	+0.3
148	🇲🇿 Mozambique	2.0	0.0	0.0
149	🇾🇪 Yemen	1.8	0.0	+0.6
150	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.7	−0.1	—
151	🇷🇺 Russia	1.5	0.0	+0.1
152	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	1.5	+0.3	+0.4
153	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	1.2	0.0	0.0

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 1950, with the highest score of 86.6 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1950?

In 1950, the top three of 153 ranked countries are Denmark (86.6), Germany (76.5), and Finland (76.1).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1950?

Guinea-Bissau 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 75.4 points over the past decade, standing at 76.5 (rank #2) in 1950.

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 1950 edition covers 153 countries.