Democracy Index 1953

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1953 — 154 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1953 — 154 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	86.5	+0.1	+47.1
2	🇫🇮 Finland	76.7	+0.5	+33.1
3	🇩🇪 Germany	76.5	+1.3	+75.4
4	🇦🇺 Australia	76.2	+1.3	+7.0
5	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	73.5	0.0	+68.7
6	🇸🇪 Sweden	72.4	+0.3	+10.0
7	🇳🇴 Norway	71.4	+0.1	+63.4
8	🇳🇱 Netherlands	70.4	−0.6	+57.9
9	🇯🇵 Japan	69.8	+14.9	+52.1
10	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	69.8	0.0	+11.4
11	🇮🇸 Iceland	69.8	+0.4	+4.0
12	🇳🇿 New Zealand	68.9	0.0	+1.0
13	🇮🇪 Ireland	67.0	0.0	+3.3
14	🇺🇾 Uruguay	66.1	+0.4	+6.4
15	🇨🇦 Canada	65.8	+0.4	+11.0
16	🇧🇪 Belgium	64.0	0.0	+50.0
17	🇫🇷 France	63.0	0.0	+57.0
18	🇦🇹 Austria	62.4	+0.1	—
19	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	56.2	+5.9	+31.1
20	🇨🇭 Switzerland	56.1	0.0	+1.9
21	🇮🇹 Italy	55.2	+0.4	+52.0
22	🇺🇸 United States of America	51.5	−0.7	+5.9
23	🇮🇳 India	50.6	+4.5	+34.9
24	🇲🇹 Malta	50.5	0.0	+33.6
25	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	49.7	−1.3	+20.8
26	🇮🇱 Israel	49.0	−0.9	—
27	🇸🇷 Suriname	40.7	0.0	+25.3
28	🇲🇺 Mauritius	30.4	0.0	+16.9
29	🇯🇲 Jamaica	30.0	+6.4	+12.2
30	🇨🇱 Chile	29.5	+0.4	+1.2
31	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	28.1	+2.1	+21.7
32	🇬🇷 Greece	27.9	+2.4	+23.3
33	🇧🇧 Barbados	27.6	0.0	+8.8
34	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	27.3	0.0	+4.5
35	🇵🇭 Philippines	26.4	+0.2	+21.4
36	🇧🇷 Brazil	25.9	+0.1	+20.9
37	🇹🇷 Türkiye	23.0	+0.5	+12.4
38	🇱🇧 Lebanon	21.7	+2.7	+4.6
39	🇬🇭 Ghana	20.6	0.0	+10.4
40	🇵🇦 Panama	20.0	+3.9	+3.8
41	🇮🇩 Indonesia	19.7	+0.2	+17.2
42	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	19.2	0.0	+14.1
43	🇬🇾 Guyana	19.2	−1.1	+1.1
44	🇫🇯 Fiji	19.0	0.0	+0.3
45	🇬🇹 Guatemala	18.8	−3.4	+13.4
46	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	18.6	+0.6	+0.6
47	🇦🇷 Argentina	18.5	−0.2	+3.3
48	🇪🇨 Ecuador	17.9	−0.4	+7.6
49	🇯🇴 Jordan	17.8	+0.2	+2.4
50	🇸🇬 Singapore	17.8	0.0	+11.5
51	🇮🇶 Iraq	17.4	+1.0	+0.9
52	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	17.4	0.0	+3.1
53	South Yemen	16.7	0.0	+3.9
54	🇵🇰 Pakistan	16.0	0.0	—
55	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	15.3	0.0	+0.1
56	🇸🇨 Seychelles	15.0	+0.2	+6.3
57	🇰🇷 South Korea	14.8	+0.6	+13.1
58	🇲🇾 Malaysia	14.0	0.0	+6.1
59	🇬🇲 The Gambia	13.9	0.0	+2.3
60	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	13.0	0.0	—
61	🇱🇦 Laos	12.8	−0.2	+6.8
62	🇭🇳 Honduras	12.1	0.0	—
63	🇸🇳 Senegal	11.8	−0.1	+6.6
64	🇳🇬 Nigeria	11.6	+0.8	+1.4
65	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	11.5	+0.1	+7.2
66	🇨🇺 Cuba	11.4	−7.9	−19.2
67	🇰🇼 Kuwait	11.1	0.0	+0.3
68	🇸🇾 Syria	11.0	+0.7	+3.8
69	🇨🇴 Colombia	10.9	−1.5	−8.1
70	🇭🇹 Haiti	10.9	0.0	+1.2
71	Somaliland	10.9	0.0	+0.1
72	🇱🇷 Liberia	10.8	0.0	−4.5
73	🇱🇾 Libya	10.7	+0.2	—
74	🇺🇬 Uganda	10.6	0.0	+0.7
75	🇿🇲 Zambia	10.6	−0.1	+0.3
76	🇵🇱 Poland	10.5	−0.1	—
77	Zanzibar	10.5	+0.2	+0.2
78	🇹🇭 Thailand	10.4	0.0	−0.4
79	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	10.3	0.0	+5.4
80	🇿🇦 South Africa	10.2	0.0	−3.0
81	🇧🇹 Bhutan	10.2	+1.6	+2.3
82	🇧🇼 Botswana	10.2	0.0	+0.4
83	🇧🇴 Bolivia	9.9	+1.9	+5.4
84	🇷🇸 Serbia	9.7	+0.4	+8.2
85	🇪🇬 Egypt	9.6	−7.7	−7.6
86	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	9.6	0.0	+3.1
87	🇲🇽 Mexico	9.5	0.0	+0.2
88	🇲🇱 Mali	9.4	0.0	+5.7
89	🇹🇿 Tanzania	9.4	+0.4	+0.4
90	🇨🇾 Cyprus	9.4	−0.1	0.0
91	🇩🇿 Algeria	9.3	−0.3	+0.4
92	🇱🇸 Lesotho	9.2	0.0	+1.2
93	Palestine/Gaza	9.1	0.0	—
94	🇻🇳 Vietnam	9.0	−0.5	—
95	🇮🇷 Iran	9.0	−4.0	+0.5
96	🇸🇩 Sudan	8.9	+3.0	+4.6
97	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	8.8	+0.2	+2.2
98	🇲🇷 Mauritania	8.4	−0.1	+2.0
99	🇪🇷 Eritrea	8.4	+0.9	−0.6
100	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	8.3	+0.1	+2.7
101	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	7.9	−0.4	−0.4
102	🇲🇬 Madagascar	7.5	0.0	+1.9
103	🇭🇺 Hungary	7.5	+0.6	−12.7
104	🇵🇹 Portugal	7.3	0.0	+0.1
105	🇧🇯 Benin	7.3	−0.4	+3.1
106	🇸🇿 Eswatini	7.3	0.0	+0.3
107	🇳🇪 Niger	7.2	0.0	+0.5
108	🇳🇵 Nepal	7.1	+0.1	+5.2
109	🇸🇻 El Salvador	6.8	0.0	+1.7
110	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	6.7	0.0	+0.1
111	Republic of Vietnam	6.6	0.0	+2.1
112	🇹🇩 Chad	6.4	0.0	+3.9
113	🇸🇴 Somalia	6.4	0.0	+0.8
114	🇲🇻 Maldives	6.3	−0.8	−0.7
115	🇬🇦 Gabon	6.2	0.0	+4.0
116	German Democratic Republic	6.2	0.0	—
117	🇪🇸 Spain	6.1	0.0	+0.5
118	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.7	0.0	−0.1
119	🇵🇪 Peru	5.5	−0.1	−10.2
120	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.5	+0.1	−8.2
121	🇦🇱 Albania	5.4	0.0	0.0
122	🇹🇼 Taiwan	5.4	0.0	+1.7
123	🇧🇮 Burundi	5.4	+0.2	+0.4
124	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.2	+0.1	+1.6
125	🇵🇾 Paraguay	5.2	0.0	+1.4
126	🇰🇪 Kenya	5.1	0.0	−0.1
127	🇶🇦 Qatar	5.1	0.0	+0.1
128	🇰🇲 Comoros	4.9	0.0	—
129	🇻🇪 Venezuela	4.7	−0.3	−7.1
130	🇬🇳 Guinea	4.6	+0.5	+1.5
131	🇲🇦 Morocco	4.6	0.0	+0.1
132	🇹🇬 Togo	4.6	+0.1	+2.7
133	🇰🇭 Cambodia	4.5	−1.5	+0.3
134	🇲🇼 Malawi	4.1	0.0	+0.1
135	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	3.4	0.0	+0.1
136	🇦🇴 Angola	3.4	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	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.3	0.0	−0.3
140	🇷🇴 Romania	3.2	+0.2	−3.2
141	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	3.0	0.0	−0.4
142	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	2.9	0.0	−0.5
143	🇨🇳 China	2.9	0.0	−2.2
144	🇩🇯 Djibouti	2.8	0.0	+0.8
145	🇷🇼 Rwanda	2.6	0.0	+0.1
146	🇨🇿 Czechia	2.6	−0.7	+1.4
147	🇴🇲 Oman	2.5	0.0	0.0
148	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	2.4	0.0	0.0
149	🇾🇪 Yemen	2.3	+0.5	+1.1
150	🇲🇿 Mozambique	2.0	0.0	0.0
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 1953, with the highest score of 86.5 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1953?

In 1953, the top three of 154 ranked countries are Denmark (86.5), Finland (76.7), and Germany (76.5).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1953?

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 #3) in 1953.

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 1953 edition covers 154 countries.