Democracy Index 1954

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1954 — 154 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1954 — 154 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	86.8	+0.3	+69.8
2	🇩🇪 Germany	78.1	+1.6	+77.0
3	🇦🇺 Australia	76.7	+0.5	+7.0
4	🇫🇮 Finland	76.7	0.0	+33.0
5	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	73.8	+0.3	+68.8
6	🇳🇴 Norway	72.8	+1.4	+64.8
7	🇸🇪 Sweden	72.4	0.0	+10.0
8	🇳🇱 Netherlands	70.4	0.0	+58.0
9	🇮🇸 Iceland	70.1	+0.3	+2.3
10	🇯🇵 Japan	69.8	0.0	+52.1
11	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	69.8	0.0	+11.4
12	🇳🇿 New Zealand	69.6	+0.7	+1.7
13	🇮🇪 Ireland	66.9	−0.1	+3.0
14	🇨🇦 Canada	66.2	+0.4	+11.4
15	🇺🇾 Uruguay	66.1	0.0	+6.3
16	🇧🇪 Belgium	64.6	+0.6	+48.1
17	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	62.4	+6.2	+37.1
18	🇦🇹 Austria	62.4	0.0	—
19	🇫🇷 France	60.1	−2.9	+54.2
20	🇨🇭 Switzerland	56.1	0.0	+1.7
21	🇮🇹 Italy	55.6	+0.4	+46.2
22	🇺🇸 United States of America	51.6	+0.1	+6.0
23	🇮🇳 India	50.6	0.0	+34.9
24	🇲🇹 Malta	50.5	0.0	+33.6
25	🇮🇱 Israel	50.2	+1.2	—
26	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	49.5	−0.2	+20.6
27	🇸🇷 Suriname	40.7	0.0	+25.3
28	🇯🇲 Jamaica	33.7	+3.7	+11.8
29	🇲🇺 Mauritius	30.9	+0.5	+17.1
30	🇬🇷 Greece	29.6	+1.7	+24.9
31	🇨🇱 Chile	29.4	−0.1	+1.1
32	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	28.1	0.0	+21.7
33	🇧🇧 Barbados	27.7	+0.1	+8.6
34	🇵🇭 Philippines	27.3	+0.9	+20.6
35	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	27.3	0.0	+4.5
36	🇧🇷 Brazil	25.8	−0.1	+20.8
37	🇹🇷 Türkiye	23.0	0.0	+12.4
38	🇱🇧 Lebanon	22.1	+0.4	+2.5
39	🇬🇭 Ghana	21.4	+0.8	+11.2
40	🇵🇦 Panama	20.0	0.0	+3.8
41	🇮🇩 Indonesia	19.7	0.0	+17.2
42	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	19.2	0.0	+14.1
43	🇫🇯 Fiji	19.0	0.0	+0.3
44	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	18.6	0.0	+0.6
45	🇦🇷 Argentina	18.3	−0.2	+8.2
46	🇪🇨 Ecuador	18.1	+0.2	+8.4
47	🇸🇬 Singapore	17.8	0.0	+11.5
48	🇯🇴 Jordan	17.4	−0.4	+2.0
49	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	17.4	0.0	+2.9
50	🇮🇶 Iraq	16.9	−0.5	+0.4
51	South Yemen	16.7	0.0	+3.9
52	🇵🇰 Pakistan	15.7	−0.3	—
53	🇬🇾 Guyana	15.7	−3.5	−2.4
54	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	15.3	0.0	+0.1
55	🇸🇨 Seychelles	15.0	0.0	+6.3
56	🇰🇷 South Korea	14.6	−0.2	+12.9
57	🇲🇾 Malaysia	14.0	0.0	+6.1
58	🇸🇾 Syria	13.9	+2.9	+5.1
59	🇬🇲 The Gambia	13.9	0.0	+2.3
60	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	13.0	0.0	—
61	🇭🇳 Honduras	12.7	+0.6	—
62	🇱🇦 Laos	12.7	−0.1	+6.4
63	🇳🇬 Nigeria	12.4	+0.8	+2.2
64	🇸🇳 Senegal	11.8	0.0	+6.6
65	🇬🇹 Guatemala	11.8	−7.0	+4.2
66	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	11.7	+0.2	+7.4
67	🇨🇺 Cuba	11.5	+0.1	−19.7
68	🇱🇾 Libya	11.1	+0.4	—
69	Somaliland	11.1	+0.2	+0.3
70	🇰🇼 Kuwait	11.1	0.0	+0.3
71	🇭🇹 Haiti	10.9	0.0	+1.2
72	🇱🇷 Liberia	10.8	0.0	−1.3
73	🇺🇬 Uganda	10.7	+0.1	+0.8
74	🇿🇲 Zambia	10.6	0.0	+0.4
75	🇵🇱 Poland	10.5	0.0	+0.2
76	Zanzibar	10.5	0.0	+0.2
77	🇲🇽 Mexico	10.4	+0.9	+1.0
78	🇸🇩 Sudan	10.4	+1.5	+6.2
79	🇹🇭 Thailand	10.4	0.0	−1.7
80	🇧🇹 Bhutan	10.4	+0.2	+2.5
81	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	10.3	0.0	+5.4
82	🇧🇼 Botswana	10.2	0.0	+0.4
83	🇿🇦 South Africa	10.1	−0.1	−3.1
84	🇧🇴 Bolivia	9.9	0.0	+4.8
85	🇨🇴 Colombia	9.8	−1.1	−9.2
86	🇷🇸 Serbia	9.7	0.0	+8.2
87	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	9.7	+0.1	+3.2
88	🇲🇱 Mali	9.4	0.0	+5.7
89	🇨🇾 Cyprus	9.4	0.0	−0.1
90	🇹🇿 Tanzania	9.3	−0.1	+0.3
91	🇱🇸 Lesotho	9.2	0.0	+1.2
92	🇩🇿 Algeria	9.1	−0.2	+0.2
93	Palestine/Gaza	9.1	0.0	—
94	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	8.9	+0.1	+2.3
95	🇪🇬 Egypt	8.8	−0.8	−8.4
96	🇻🇳 Vietnam	8.7	−0.3	—
97	🇲🇷 Mauritania	8.4	0.0	+2.0
98	🇪🇷 Eritrea	8.4	0.0	−0.6
99	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	8.3	0.0	+2.7
100	🇭🇺 Hungary	8.3	+0.8	−2.2
101	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	8.2	+0.3	−0.1
102	🇲🇬 Madagascar	7.5	0.0	+1.9
103	🇵🇹 Portugal	7.3	0.0	+0.1
104	🇧🇯 Benin	7.3	0.0	+3.1
105	🇸🇿 Eswatini	7.3	0.0	+0.3
106	🇳🇪 Niger	7.2	0.0	+0.5
107	🇰🇭 Cambodia	7.1	+2.6	+2.9
108	🇳🇵 Nepal	7.1	0.0	+5.2
109	🇸🇻 El Salvador	6.8	0.0	+1.8
110	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	6.6	−0.1	0.0
111	Republic of Vietnam	6.5	−0.1	+2.0
112	🇹🇩 Chad	6.4	0.0	+3.9
113	🇲🇻 Maldives	6.3	0.0	−0.7
114	🇸🇴 Somalia	6.3	−0.1	+0.7
115	German Democratic Republic	6.3	+0.1	—
116	🇮🇷 Iran	6.2	−2.8	−2.9
117	🇬🇦 Gabon	6.2	0.0	+4.0
118	🇪🇸 Spain	6.1	0.0	+0.4
119	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.7	0.0	−0.1
120	🇹🇼 Taiwan	5.6	+0.2	+1.9
121	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.6	+0.1	−6.2
122	🇵🇪 Peru	5.5	0.0	−10.2
123	🇦🇱 Albania	5.4	0.0	−0.4
124	🇧🇮 Burundi	5.4	0.0	+0.4
125	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.2	0.0	+1.6
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	0.0	−7.1
130	🇲🇦 Morocco	4.6	0.0	0.0
131	🇹🇬 Togo	4.6	0.0	+2.7
132	🇬🇳 Guinea	4.5	−0.1	+1.4
133	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.4	−0.8	+0.3
134	🇲🇼 Malawi	4.1	0.0	+0.1
135	🇨🇳 China	4.0	+1.1	−1.1
136	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.8	+0.5	+0.2
137	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	3.4	0.0	+0.1
138	🇹🇳 Tunisia	3.4	+0.1	+0.1
139	🇦🇴 Angola	3.4	0.0	0.0
140	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.3	0.0	0.0
141	🇷🇴 Romania	3.2	0.0	−1.6
142	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	3.0	0.0	+0.1
143	🇨🇿 Czechia	3.0	+0.4	+1.8
144	🇾🇪 Yemen	2.9	+0.6	+1.7
145	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	2.9	0.0	−0.5
146	🇩🇯 Djibouti	2.8	0.0	+0.8
147	🇷🇼 Rwanda	2.6	0.0	0.0
148	🇴🇲 Oman	2.5	0.0	0.0
149	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	2.4	0.0	0.0
150	🇷🇺 Russia	2.1	+0.6	+0.7
151	🇲🇿 Mozambique	2.0	0.0	0.0
152	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.7	0.0	—
153	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	1.5	0.0	+0.3
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 1954, with the highest score of 86.8 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1954?

In 1954, the top three of 154 ranked countries are Denmark (86.8), Germany (78.1), and Australia (76.7).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1954?

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 77.0 points over the past decade, standing at 78.1 (rank #2) in 1954.

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 1954 edition covers 154 countries.