Democracy Index 1951

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1951 — 154 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1951 — 154 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	86.4	−0.2	+31.9
2	🇩🇪 Germany	76.5	0.0	+75.4
3	🇫🇮 Finland	76.2	+0.1	+32.2
4	🇦🇺 Australia	74.2	−0.2	+7.7
5	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	73.3	+0.2	+68.5
6	🇸🇪 Sweden	71.9	0.0	+9.5
7	🇳🇱 Netherlands	71.6	0.0	+59.1
8	🇳🇴 Norway	71.3	+0.2	+54.3
9	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	69.9	0.0	+11.5
10	🇮🇸 Iceland	69.2	0.0	+3.9
11	🇳🇿 New Zealand	67.3	−2.9	−0.6
12	🇮🇪 Ireland	66.6	0.0	+3.2
13	🇺🇾 Uruguay	65.7	+0.2	+23.7
14	🇨🇦 Canada	65.4	0.0	+10.6
15	🇧🇪 Belgium	64.0	+0.5	+49.8
16	🇫🇷 France	63.0	+0.1	+57.0
17	🇦🇹 Austria	62.2	+0.1	—
18	🇨🇭 Switzerland	56.2	0.0	+2.0
19	🇮🇹 Italy	54.8	0.0	+51.4
20	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	53.0	0.0	+24.1
21	🇺🇸 United States of America	52.2	+2.0	+5.7
22	🇲🇹 Malta	50.5	−0.2	+33.6
23	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	50.1	+1.2	+24.9
24	🇮🇱 Israel	49.6	+0.2	—
25	🇸🇷 Suriname	40.7	+0.1	+25.3
26	🇯🇵 Japan	36.6	+0.1	+18.2
27	🇲🇺 Mauritius	30.4	0.0	+17.2
28	🇨🇱 Chile	29.4	+0.2	+1.1
29	🇨🇺 Cuba	29.1	−1.4	−1.8
30	🇮🇳 India	28.6	+2.4	+12.9
31	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	27.4	+0.4	+4.8
32	🇵🇭 Philippines	26.0	+0.1	+10.8
33	🇧🇷 Brazil	25.8	−0.4	+20.8
34	🇬🇷 Greece	24.4	+0.6	+20.1
35	🇯🇲 Jamaica	23.5	0.0	+5.7
36	🇹🇷 Türkiye	22.5	+3.7	+12.4
37	🇬🇹 Guatemala	22.4	−0.1	+17.0
38	🇧🇧 Barbados	22.3	+2.1	+3.5
39	🇬🇭 Ghana	20.2	+8.9	+10.0
40	🇮🇩 Indonesia	19.5	+1.3	+16.5
41	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	19.2	+7.9	+14.1
42	🇱🇧 Lebanon	19.1	−0.3	+3.2
43	🇫🇯 Fiji	19.0	0.0	+0.3
44	🇬🇾 Guyana	18.9	0.0	+0.8
45	🇪🇬 Egypt	18.8	0.0	+1.6
46	🇦🇷 Argentina	18.8	−0.5	−6.2
47	🇪🇨 Ecuador	18.8	0.0	+8.5
48	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	18.0	+0.1	0.0
49	🇸🇬 Singapore	17.8	+0.8	+3.9
50	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	17.4	0.0	+2.6
51	South Yemen	16.6	0.0	+3.8
52	🇵🇦 Panama	16.5	−1.1	+1.3
53	🇮🇶 Iraq	16.4	0.0	−0.1
54	🇯🇴 Jordan	16.4	−0.1	+1.0
55	🇵🇰 Pakistan	16.2	−0.2	—
56	🇸🇾 Syria	15.6	−1.5	+9.5
57	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	15.5	+1.1	+1.8
58	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	15.3	+0.3	+0.1
59	🇸🇨 Seychelles	14.8	−0.2	+6.1
60	🇰🇷 South Korea	14.2	−0.4	+12.5
61	🇬🇲 The Gambia	14.0	+0.1	+2.8
62	🇲🇾 Malaysia	14.0	0.0	+5.2
63	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	12.9	0.0	—
64	🇱🇦 Laos	12.9	+0.4	+6.8
65	🇮🇷 Iran	12.5	+0.9	+7.5
66	🇨🇴 Colombia	12.4	+6.5	−6.8
67	🇭🇳 Honduras	12.1	0.0	—
68	🇸🇳 Senegal	11.9	0.0	+6.7
69	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	11.1	+0.2	+6.8
70	🇰🇼 Kuwait	11.1	0.0	+0.3
71	🇱🇷 Liberia	11.0	−1.2	−4.4
72	🇭🇹 Haiti	10.9	+5.2	+1.3
73	Somaliland	10.9	0.0	+0.2
74	🇳🇬 Nigeria	10.7	0.0	+0.5
75	🇹🇭 Thailand	10.7	+0.1	−0.1
76	🇿🇲 Zambia	10.7	+0.1	+0.4
77	🇵🇱 Poland	10.6	+0.2	—
78	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	10.3	+0.1	+5.4
79	Zanzibar	10.3	0.0	0.0
80	🇿🇦 South Africa	10.2	0.0	−3.0
81	🇺🇬 Uganda	10.2	+0.2	+0.3
82	🇧🇼 Botswana	10.2	0.0	+0.4
83	🇻🇳 Vietnam	9.6	−1.4	—
84	🇲🇽 Mexico	9.5	0.0	+0.2
85	🇩🇿 Algeria	9.5	0.0	+0.6
86	🇨🇾 Cyprus	9.5	+0.1	+0.9
87	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	9.4	+0.7	+2.9
88	🇲🇱 Mali	9.3	0.0	+5.6
89	🇷🇸 Serbia	9.2	+0.4	+5.6
90	Palestine/Gaza	9.1	0.0	—
91	🇹🇿 Tanzania	9.0	0.0	0.0
92	🇱🇸 Lesotho	8.9	0.0	+0.9
93	🇪🇷 Eritrea	8.5	0.0	+4.1
94	🇲🇷 Mauritania	8.4	0.0	+2.0
95	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	8.3	0.0	0.0
96	🇧🇹 Bhutan	8.1	0.0	+0.2
97	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	8.1	0.0	+2.5
98	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	7.9	+1.3	+1.3
99	🇱🇾 Libya	7.6	—	+6.7
100	🇲🇬 Madagascar	7.5	0.0	+1.9
101	🇵🇹 Portugal	7.3	0.0	+0.1
102	🇸🇿 Eswatini	7.3	0.0	+0.3
103	🇳🇪 Niger	7.2	0.0	+0.5
104	🇲🇻 Maldives	7.1	0.0	+0.1
105	🇸🇻 El Salvador	6.9	+0.9	+1.8
106	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	6.9	0.0	+0.2
107	🇭🇺 Hungary	6.9	+0.1	−13.9
108	Republic of Vietnam	6.6	0.0	+2.0
109	🇹🇩 Chad	6.4	0.0	+4.0
110	🇸🇴 Somalia	6.4	+0.8	+0.9
111	🇧🇴 Bolivia	6.3	−1.0	−0.9
112	🇬🇦 Gabon	6.2	0.0	+4.0
113	German Democratic Republic	6.2	0.0	—
114	🇪🇸 Spain	6.1	0.0	+1.3
115	🇸🇩 Sudan	5.9	0.0	+1.6
116	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.7	0.0	−0.1
117	🇵🇪 Peru	5.6	+1.4	−10.1
118	🇰🇭 Cambodia	5.6	+1.2	+1.4
119	🇳🇵 Nepal	5.5	+3.3	+3.6
120	🇦🇱 Albania	5.4	0.0	−0.6
121	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.4	0.0	−8.0
122	🇰🇪 Kenya	5.3	0.0	+0.1
123	🇹🇼 Taiwan	5.2	+0.1	+1.5
124	🇧🇮 Burundi	5.2	+0.2	+0.2
125	🇵🇾 Paraguay	5.2	0.0	+1.7
126	🇻🇪 Venezuela	5.1	−0.2	−6.6
127	🇶🇦 Qatar	5.1	0.0	+0.1
128	🇬🇳 Guinea	4.9	0.0	+1.8
129	🇰🇲 Comoros	4.9	+0.1	—
130	🇲🇦 Morocco	4.6	0.0	+0.1
131	🇹🇬 Togo	4.5	0.0	+2.6
132	🇧🇯 Benin	4.4	0.0	+0.2
133	🇲🇼 Malawi	4.1	0.0	+0.1
134	🇲🇳 Mongolia	4.0	+0.2	+0.4
135	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	3.4	0.0	+0.1
136	🇦🇴 Angola	3.4	0.0	0.0
137	🇨🇿 Czechia	3.4	0.0	+2.2
138	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.4	0.0	−0.2
139	🇹🇳 Tunisia	3.3	0.0	0.0
140	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.3	0.0	0.0
141	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	3.0	0.0	+0.5
142	🇷🇴 Romania	3.0	0.0	−3.2
143	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	2.9	0.0	−0.5
144	🇨🇳 China	2.9	0.0	−2.2
145	🇩🇯 Djibouti	2.8	0.0	+0.8
146	🇷🇼 Rwanda	2.6	0.0	+0.1
147	🇴🇲 Oman	2.5	0.0	0.0
148	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	2.4	0.0	+0.5
149	🇲🇿 Mozambique	2.0	0.0	0.0
150	🇾🇪 Yemen	1.8	0.0	+0.6
151	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.7	0.0	—
152	🇷🇺 Russia	1.5	0.0	+0.1
153	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	1.5	0.0	+0.4
154	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	1.2	0.0	0.0

Frequently asked questions

Which countries are the most liberal democracies?

Denmark ranks #1 of 154 countries on the V-Dem liberal democracy index index in 1951, with the highest score of 86.4 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1951?

In 1951, the top three of 154 ranked countries are Denmark (86.4), Germany (76.5), and Finland (76.2).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1951?

Guinea-Bissau ranks #154 of 154 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 1951.

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 1951 edition covers 154 countries.