Democracy Index 1955

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1955 — 154 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1955 — 154 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	87.0	+0.2	+69.9
2	🇩🇪 Germany	78.1	0.0	—
3	🇦🇺 Australia	77.0	+0.3	+7.3
4	🇫🇮 Finland	76.7	0.0	+18.5
5	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	73.5	−0.3	+48.2
6	🇯🇵 Japan	73.1	+3.3	+53.2
7	🇳🇴 Norway	73.1	+0.3	+52.5
8	🇸🇪 Sweden	72.4	0.0	+8.6
9	🇳🇿 New Zealand	70.6	+1.0	+2.7
10	🇮🇸 Iceland	70.1	0.0	+1.8
11	🇳🇱 Netherlands	69.7	−0.7	+55.0
12	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	69.5	−0.3	+9.9
13	🇮🇪 Ireland	66.9	0.0	+2.8
14	🇨🇦 Canada	66.2	0.0	+10.3
15	🇺🇾 Uruguay	66.2	+0.1	+5.9
16	🇧🇪 Belgium	64.8	+0.2	+36.7
17	🇦🇹 Austria	62.7	+0.3	+6.6
18	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	62.4	0.0	+37.1
19	🇫🇷 France	61.4	+1.3	+43.5
20	🇨🇭 Switzerland	56.1	0.0	+1.0
21	🇮🇹 Italy	55.6	0.0	+43.7
22	🇺🇸 United States of America	51.1	−0.5	+4.3
23	🇮🇳 India	50.6	0.0	+34.4
24	🇮🇱 Israel	50.4	+0.2	—
25	🇲🇹 Malta	50.3	−0.2	+32.4
26	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	49.8	+0.3	+20.9
27	🇸🇷 Suriname	42.3	+1.6	+26.9
28	🇧🇧 Barbados	35.1	+7.4	+15.7
29	🇯🇲 Jamaica	34.5	+0.8	+11.7
30	🇲🇺 Mauritius	30.9	0.0	+17.1
31	🇬🇷 Greece	30.6	+1.0	+22.6
32	🇨🇱 Chile	29.4	0.0	+0.8
33	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	28.1	0.0	+20.2
34	🇵🇭 Philippines	27.9	+0.6	+20.9
35	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	27.4	+0.1	+4.3
36	🇧🇷 Brazil	26.2	+0.4	+18.5
37	🇱🇧 Lebanon	22.1	0.0	+2.5
38	🇹🇷 Türkiye	21.8	−1.2	+11.0
39	🇬🇭 Ghana	21.3	−0.1	+11.0
40	🇮🇩 Indonesia	20.7	+1.0	+11.6
41	🇸🇬 Singapore	20.3	+2.5	+14.0
42	🇵🇦 Panama	20.0	0.0	+5.5
43	🇸🇾 Syria	19.8	+5.9	+11.0
44	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	19.2	0.0	+12.6
45	🇫🇯 Fiji	19.0	0.0	+0.3
46	🇲🇾 Malaysia	18.7	+4.7	+10.7
47	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	18.6	0.0	+0.7
48	🇪🇨 Ecuador	18.6	+0.5	+8.2
49	🇮🇶 Iraq	18.5	+1.6	+2.5
50	South Yemen	18.4	+1.7	+5.6
51	🇯🇴 Jordan	17.6	+0.2	+2.2
52	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	17.4	0.0	+2.6
53	🇬🇾 Guyana	15.7	0.0	−2.8
54	🇵🇰 Pakistan	15.6	−0.1	—
55	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	15.3	0.0	+0.1
56	🇦🇷 Argentina	15.0	−3.3	+4.0
57	🇸🇨 Seychelles	15.0	0.0	+6.3
58	🇰🇷 South Korea	14.7	+0.1	+11.6
59	🇬🇲 The Gambia	14.0	+0.1	+2.5
60	🇨🇺 Cuba	13.7	+2.2	−17.5
61	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	13.2	+0.2	—
62	🇱🇦 Laos	13.0	+0.3	+6.7
63	🇳🇬 Nigeria	12.6	+0.2	+2.4
64	🇱🇾 Libya	12.3	+1.2	—
65	🇸🇳 Senegal	11.8	0.0	+6.0
66	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	11.7	0.0	+7.4
67	Somaliland	11.1	0.0	+0.3
68	🇰🇼 Kuwait	11.0	−0.1	+0.2
69	🇭🇹 Haiti	10.9	0.0	+1.6
70	🇺🇬 Uganda	10.8	+0.1	+0.9
71	🇸🇩 Sudan	10.7	+0.3	+6.5
72	🇹🇭 Thailand	10.6	+0.2	−1.7
73	🇿🇲 Zambia	10.6	0.0	+0.4
74	🇲🇽 Mexico	10.5	+0.1	+1.1
75	🇵🇱 Poland	10.5	0.0	+0.2
76	🇧🇹 Bhutan	10.5	+0.1	+2.6
77	🇱🇷 Liberia	10.4	−0.4	−1.1
78	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	10.3	0.0	+5.3
79	🇧🇼 Botswana	10.2	0.0	+0.3
80	🇿🇦 South Africa	10.1	0.0	−3.1
81	🇨🇴 Colombia	9.9	+0.1	−10.1
82	🇷🇸 Serbia	9.8	+0.1	+6.2
83	🇧🇴 Bolivia	9.7	−0.2	+3.3
84	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	9.7	0.0	+3.2
85	🇰🇭 Cambodia	9.6	+2.5	+5.4
86	Zanzibar	9.5	−1.0	−0.8
87	🇲🇱 Mali	9.4	0.0	+5.6
88	🇹🇿 Tanzania	9.4	+0.1	+0.4
89	🇱🇸 Lesotho	9.2	0.0	+1.2
90	🇩🇿 Algeria	9.2	+0.1	+0.3
91	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	9.0	+0.1	+2.4
92	Palestine/Gaza	9.0	−0.1	—
93	🇪🇬 Egypt	8.7	−0.1	−9.2
94	🇨🇾 Cyprus	8.7	−0.7	−0.8
95	🇲🇷 Mauritania	8.4	0.0	+1.8
96	🇪🇷 Eritrea	8.4	0.0	−0.6
97	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	8.3	0.0	+2.5
98	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	8.3	+0.1	0.0
99	🇻🇳 Vietnam	8.2	−0.5	+2.6
100	🇭🇳 Honduras	8.0	−4.7	+1.0
101	🇲🇬 Madagascar	7.5	0.0	+1.9
102	🇭🇺 Hungary	7.5	−0.8	+0.6
103	🇵🇹 Portugal	7.3	0.0	+0.1
104	🇧🇯 Benin	7.3	0.0	+3.1
105	🇮🇷 Iran	7.3	+1.1	−2.8
106	🇸🇿 Eswatini	7.3	0.0	+0.3
107	🇳🇪 Niger	7.2	0.0	+0.3
108	🇳🇵 Nepal	7.1	0.0	+5.2
109	🇸🇻 El Salvador	6.7	−0.1	+0.7
110	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	6.6	0.0	0.0
111	🇸🇴 Somalia	6.5	+0.2	+0.9
112	🇹🇩 Chad	6.4	0.0	+3.9
113	🇲🇻 Maldives	6.3	0.0	−0.8
114	German Democratic Republic	6.3	0.0	—
115	Republic of Vietnam	6.3	−0.2	+1.7
116	🇬🇦 Gabon	6.2	0.0	+4.0
117	🇪🇸 Spain	6.1	0.0	+0.4
118	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.7	0.0	−0.1
119	🇵🇪 Peru	5.5	0.0	−15.1
120	🇹🇼 Taiwan	5.5	−0.1	+1.7
121	🇬🇹 Guatemala	5.5	−6.3	−14.0
122	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.5	−0.1	+1.5
123	🇦🇱 Albania	5.4	0.0	+2.5
124	🇧🇮 Burundi	5.4	0.0	+0.4
125	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.2	0.0	+1.5
126	🇰🇪 Kenya	5.1	0.0	−0.1
127	🇶🇦 Qatar	5.0	−0.1	0.0
128	🇰🇲 Comoros	4.9	0.0	—
129	🇻🇪 Venezuela	4.7	0.0	−8.4
130	🇹🇬 Togo	4.6	0.0	+2.6
131	🇬🇳 Guinea	4.5	0.0	+1.4
132	🇲🇦 Morocco	4.5	−0.1	−0.1
133	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.2	−0.2	+0.1
134	🇲🇼 Malawi	4.1	0.0	+0.1
135	🇨🇳 China	4.0	0.0	−1.1
136	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.8	0.0	+0.2
137	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	3.4	0.0	+0.1
138	🇹🇳 Tunisia	3.4	0.0	+0.1
139	🇦🇴 Angola	3.4	0.0	0.0
140	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.4	+0.1	+0.1
141	🇷🇴 Romania	3.2	0.0	−3.0
142	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	3.0	0.0	+0.1
143	🇨🇿 Czechia	3.0	0.0	−2.9
144	🇾🇪 Yemen	2.9	0.0	+1.7
145	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	2.9	0.0	−0.5
146	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	2.8	+0.4	+0.4
147	🇩🇯 Djibouti	2.8	0.0	+0.8
148	🇷🇼 Rwanda	2.8	+0.2	+0.2
149	🇴🇲 Oman	2.5	0.0	0.0
150	🇷🇺 Russia	2.1	0.0	+0.7
151	🇲🇿 Mozambique	2.0	0.0	0.0
152	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.7	0.0	−0.6
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 1955, with the highest score of 87.0 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1955?

In 1955, the top three of 154 ranked countries are Denmark (87.0), Germany (78.1), and Australia (77.0).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1955?

Guinea-Bissau ranks #154 of 154 with a score of 1.2.

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

Denmark shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 69.9 points over the past decade, standing at 87.0 (rank #1) in 1955.

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 1955 edition covers 154 countries.