Democracy Index 1956

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1956 — 154 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1956 — 154 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	87.0	0.0	+1.1
2	🇩🇪 Germany	77.8	−0.3	—
3	🇦🇺 Australia	77.6	+0.6	+3.6
4	🇫🇮 Finland	75.7	−1.0	+10.7
5	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	73.8	+0.3	+8.7
6	🇯🇵 Japan	73.6	+0.5	+46.1
7	🇳🇴 Norway	73.6	+0.5	+3.6
8	🇸🇪 Sweden	72.3	−0.1	+1.8
9	🇳🇱 Netherlands	71.9	+2.2	+24.2
10	🇳🇿 New Zealand	70.6	0.0	+0.9
11	🇮🇸 Iceland	70.1	0.0	+1.2
12	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	69.3	−0.2	+1.4
13	🇦🇹 Austria	69.0	+6.3	+7.3
14	🇮🇪 Ireland	66.9	0.0	+1.2
15	🇺🇾 Uruguay	66.9	+0.7	+3.8
16	🇨🇦 Canada	66.2	0.0	+5.0
17	🇧🇪 Belgium	64.8	0.0	+18.7
18	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	62.4	0.0	+37.0
19	🇫🇷 France	62.0	+0.6	+35.3
20	🇮🇹 Italy	59.1	+3.5	+24.4
21	🇨🇭 Switzerland	56.1	0.0	−0.1
22	🇺🇸 United States of America	51.7	+0.6	+1.1
23	🇮🇳 India	50.6	0.0	+34.1
24	🇮🇱 Israel	50.3	−0.1	—
25	🇲🇹 Malta	50.3	0.0	+33.5
26	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	48.2	−1.6	+19.0
27	🇸🇷 Suriname	42.3	0.0	+26.3
28	🇮🇩 Indonesia	36.9	+16.2	+24.4
29	🇯🇲 Jamaica	36.1	+1.6	+13.0
30	🇧🇧 Barbados	35.6	+0.5	+15.6
31	🇬🇷 Greece	30.9	+0.3	+16.2
32	🇲🇺 Mauritius	30.9	0.0	+16.9
33	🇨🇱 Chile	29.4	0.0	+2.0
34	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	28.9	+1.5	+2.8
35	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	28.1	0.0	+16.9
36	🇵🇭 Philippines	27.9	0.0	+4.3
37	🇧🇷 Brazil	26.3	+0.1	+8.5
38	🇱🇧 Lebanon	22.1	0.0	+2.5
39	🇲🇾 Malaysia	21.9	+3.2	+10.7
40	🇬🇭 Ghana	21.3	0.0	+10.8
41	🇸🇬 Singapore	21.2	+0.9	+6.3
42	🇹🇷 Türkiye	20.3	−1.5	+6.6
43	🇵🇦 Panama	20.2	+0.2	+8.9
44	🇸🇾 Syria	19.8	0.0	+12.2
45	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	19.2	0.0	+7.9
46	🇫🇯 Fiji	18.9	−0.1	+0.2
47	South Yemen	18.8	+0.4	+5.8
48	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	18.6	0.0	+0.6
49	🇪🇨 Ecuador	18.5	−0.1	+8.7
50	🇮🇶 Iraq	18.5	0.0	+2.4
51	🇯🇴 Jordan	17.9	+0.3	+2.4
52	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	17.4	0.0	+0.1
53	🇸🇴 Somalia	17.3	+10.8	+11.7
54	🇬🇾 Guyana	15.7	0.0	−2.8
55	🇵🇰 Pakistan	15.5	−0.1	—
56	Republic of Vietnam	15.5	+9.2	+10.7
57	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	15.3	0.0	+0.1
58	🇰🇭 Cambodia	15.1	+5.5	+10.7
59	🇸🇨 Seychelles	15.0	0.0	+6.2
60	🇰🇷 South Korea	14.6	−0.1	+8.3
61	🇸🇩 Sudan	14.3	+3.6	+10.1
62	🇬🇲 The Gambia	14.0	0.0	+1.9
63	🇨🇺 Cuba	14.0	+0.3	−17.1
64	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	13.2	0.0	—
65	🇱🇦 Laos	13.0	0.0	+4.8
66	🇱🇾 Libya	12.9	+0.6	—
67	🇵🇪 Peru	12.6	+7.1	−11.9
68	🇳🇬 Nigeria	12.6	0.0	+2.3
69	🇸🇳 Senegal	11.8	0.0	+0.2
70	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	11.8	+0.1	+6.6
71	🇺🇬 Uganda	11.2	+0.4	+1.2
72	Somaliland	11.2	+0.1	+0.4
73	🇰🇼 Kuwait	11.1	+0.1	+0.3
74	🇵🇱 Poland	11.0	+0.5	+0.6
75	🇹🇭 Thailand	10.7	+0.1	−2.2
76	🇿🇲 Zambia	10.6	0.0	+0.4
77	🇲🇽 Mexico	10.5	0.0	+1.0
78	🇧🇴 Bolivia	10.5	+0.8	+6.2
79	🇧🇹 Bhutan	10.5	0.0	+2.6
80	🇱🇷 Liberia	10.4	0.0	−1.1
81	🇦🇷 Argentina	10.3	−4.7	−12.4
82	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	10.3	0.0	+5.2
83	🇧🇼 Botswana	10.2	0.0	+0.1
84	🇿🇦 South Africa	10.1	0.0	−3.1
85	🇨🇴 Colombia	9.9	0.0	−8.2
86	🇷🇸 Serbia	9.8	0.0	+2.5
87	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	9.7	0.0	+1.9
88	Zanzibar	9.6	+0.1	−0.7
89	🇲🇱 Mali	9.4	0.0	+5.5
90	🇹🇿 Tanzania	9.4	0.0	+0.4
91	🇪🇷 Eritrea	9.4	+1.0	+0.4
92	🇪🇬 Egypt	9.2	+0.5	−8.7
93	🇱🇸 Lesotho	9.2	0.0	+1.2
94	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	9.0	0.0	+2.4
95	Palestine/Gaza	9.0	0.0	—
96	🇭🇳 Honduras	8.7	+0.7	+1.7
97	🇨🇾 Cyprus	8.5	−0.2	−1.1
98	🇲🇷 Mauritania	8.4	0.0	+1.4
99	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	8.3	0.0	+1.7
100	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	8.3	0.0	0.0
101	🇧🇯 Benin	8.1	+0.8	+3.8
102	🇻🇳 Vietnam	8.0	−0.2	−3.9
103	🇳🇪 Niger	7.7	+0.5	+0.6
104	🇲🇬 Madagascar	7.7	+0.2	+1.6
105	🇵🇹 Portugal	7.3	0.0	+0.1
106	🇳🇵 Nepal	7.3	+0.2	+5.4
107	🇸🇿 Eswatini	7.3	0.0	+0.3
108	🇭🇺 Hungary	6.9	−0.6	−7.5
109	🇸🇻 El Salvador	6.7	0.0	+0.4
110	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	6.6	0.0	−0.1
111	🇹🇳 Tunisia	6.6	+3.2	+3.3
112	🇬🇹 Guatemala	6.5	+1.0	−15.9
113	🇮🇷 Iran	6.4	−0.9	−3.6
114	🇲🇦 Morocco	6.4	+1.9	+1.8
115	🇹🇩 Chad	6.4	0.0	+3.8
116	🇲🇻 Maldives	6.3	0.0	−0.8
117	German Democratic Republic	6.3	0.0	—
118	🇬🇦 Gabon	6.2	0.0	+1.4
119	🇹🇬 Togo	6.1	+1.5	+3.6
120	🇪🇸 Spain	6.0	−0.1	+0.1
121	🇭🇹 Haiti	5.8	−5.1	−2.1
122	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.7	0.0	−0.1
123	🇹🇼 Taiwan	5.5	0.0	+2.4
124	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.5	0.0	−0.6
125	🇦🇱 Albania	5.4	0.0	+1.6
126	🇧🇮 Burundi	5.4	0.0	+0.4
127	🇰🇪 Kenya	5.3	+0.2	+0.1
128	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.2	0.0	+1.5
129	🇩🇿 Algeria	5.1	−4.1	−4.1
130	🇶🇦 Qatar	5.0	0.0	0.0
131	🇰🇲 Comoros	4.9	0.0	+0.8
132	🇻🇪 Venezuela	4.7	0.0	−10.8
133	🇬🇳 Guinea	4.5	0.0	+1.0
134	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.2	0.0	+0.1
135	🇲🇼 Malawi	4.1	0.0	+0.1
136	🇨🇳 China	4.0	0.0	−0.9
137	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.8	0.0	+0.2
138	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.4	+0.5	0.0
139	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	3.4	0.0	+0.1
140	🇦🇴 Angola	3.4	0.0	0.0
141	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.4	0.0	+0.1
142	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	3.3	+0.5	+0.9
143	🇨🇿 Czechia	3.3	+0.3	−9.0
144	🇷🇴 Romania	3.2	0.0	−2.4
145	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	3.0	0.0	0.0
146	🇾🇪 Yemen	2.9	0.0	+1.7
147	🇷🇼 Rwanda	2.9	+0.1	+0.3
148	🇩🇯 Djibouti	2.8	0.0	+0.1
149	🇴🇲 Oman	2.5	0.0	0.0
150	🇷🇺 Russia	2.2	+0.1	+0.7
151	🇲🇿 Mozambique	2.0	0.0	0.0
152	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.7	0.0	+1.0
153	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	1.5	0.0	+0.3
154	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	1.3	+0.1	+0.1

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 1956, with the highest score of 87.0 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1956?

In 1956, the top three of 154 ranked countries are Denmark (87.0), Germany (77.8), and Australia (77.6).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1956?

Guinea-Bissau ranks #154 of 154 with a score of 1.3.

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

Japan shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 46.1 points over the past decade, standing at 73.6 (rank #6) in 1956.

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 1956 edition covers 154 countries.