Democracy Index 1957

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1957 — 154 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1957 — 154 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	87.2	+0.2	+0.9
2	🇩🇪 Germany	78.6	+0.8	—
3	🇦🇺 Australia	77.6	0.0	+3.4
4	🇫🇮 Finland	75.6	−0.1	+11.3
5	🇳🇴 Norway	74.5	+0.9	+4.5
6	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	73.8	0.0	+4.8
7	🇯🇵 Japan	73.6	0.0	+38.2
8	🇳🇱 Netherlands	72.6	+0.7	+3.4
9	🇸🇪 Sweden	72.2	−0.1	+1.5
10	🇳🇿 New Zealand	70.7	+0.1	+0.3
11	🇮🇸 Iceland	70.0	−0.1	+1.2
12	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	69.3	0.0	+1.1
13	🇦🇹 Austria	68.5	−0.5	+7.4
14	🇮🇪 Ireland	67.0	+0.1	+1.3
15	🇺🇾 Uruguay	66.9	0.0	+2.0
16	🇨🇦 Canada	66.3	+0.1	+5.1
17	🇧🇪 Belgium	64.9	+0.1	+16.8
18	🇫🇷 France	62.8	+0.8	+3.2
19	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	62.4	0.0	+37.0
20	🇮🇹 Italy	59.1	0.0	+9.9
21	🇨🇭 Switzerland	56.1	0.0	−0.1
22	🇺🇸 United States of America	52.1	+0.4	+0.4
23	🇮🇳 India	51.3	+0.7	+37.1
24	🇮🇱 Israel	51.1	+0.8	—
25	🇲🇹 Malta	50.3	0.0	+26.7
26	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	48.7	+0.5	+15.0
27	🇸🇷 Suriname	42.5	+0.2	+26.5
28	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	36.5	+7.6	+10.3
29	🇯🇲 Jamaica	36.1	0.0	+12.6
30	🇧🇧 Barbados	35.7	+0.1	+15.6
31	🇮🇩 Indonesia	31.6	−5.3	+19.1
32	🇬🇭 Ghana	31.1	+9.8	+20.4
33	🇲🇺 Mauritius	31.1	+0.2	+17.1
34	🇬🇷 Greece	31.0	+0.1	+11.4
35	🇨🇱 Chile	29.7	+0.3	+2.9
36	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	28.1	0.0	+15.9
37	🇵🇭 Philippines	27.9	0.0	+1.7
38	🇧🇷 Brazil	26.3	0.0	+1.3
39	🇵🇪 Peru	25.1	+12.5	+0.3
40	🇲🇾 Malaysia	21.4	−0.5	+9.8
41	🇸🇬 Singapore	21.2	0.0	+6.3
42	🇱🇧 Lebanon	21.1	−1.0	+1.7
43	🇵🇦 Panama	20.3	+0.1	+6.3
44	🇹🇷 Türkiye	20.3	0.0	+5.7
45	🇸🇾 Syria	19.8	0.0	+5.0
46	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	19.2	0.0	+7.9
47	🇫🇯 Fiji	19.0	+0.1	+0.3
48	South Yemen	18.8	0.0	+2.4
49	🇪🇨 Ecuador	18.7	+0.2	+7.0
50	🇮🇶 Iraq	18.5	0.0	+2.3
51	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	18.3	−0.3	+0.3
52	🇬🇾 Guyana	17.8	+2.1	−0.8
53	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	17.4	0.0	+0.1
54	🇸🇴 Somalia	17.3	0.0	+11.7
55	🇯🇴 Jordan	16.8	−1.1	+1.1
56	Republic of Vietnam	16.6	+1.1	+10.8
57	🇵🇰 Pakistan	15.7	+0.2	0.0
58	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	15.3	0.0	+0.1
59	🇰🇭 Cambodia	15.2	+0.1	+10.2
60	🇸🇨 Seychelles	15.0	0.0	+6.2
61	🇱🇦 Laos	14.7	+1.7	+4.3
62	🇰🇷 South Korea	14.6	0.0	+8.4
63	🇸🇩 Sudan	14.5	+0.2	+10.2
64	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	14.5	+1.3	+4.0
65	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	14.0	+2.2	+3.4
66	🇬🇲 The Gambia	14.0	0.0	+1.5
67	🇨🇺 Cuba	13.8	−0.2	−17.4
68	🇵🇱 Poland	13.4	+2.4	+2.6
69	🇪🇬 Egypt	13.2	+4.0	−4.7
70	🇳🇬 Nigeria	12.9	+0.3	+2.2
71	🇱🇾 Libya	12.9	0.0	—
72	🇸🇳 Senegal	12.0	+0.2	+0.4
73	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	12.0	+1.7	+1.8
74	🇦🇷 Argentina	11.7	+1.4	−8.8
75	Somaliland	11.6	+0.4	+0.7
76	🇧🇴 Bolivia	11.3	+0.8	+4.1
77	🇺🇬 Uganda	11.2	0.0	+1.2
78	🇧🇹 Bhutan	11.2	+0.7	+3.3
79	🇰🇼 Kuwait	11.1	0.0	+0.3
80	🇲🇷 Mauritania	10.8	+2.4	+2.5
81	🇿🇲 Zambia	10.6	0.0	+0.4
82	🇲🇽 Mexico	10.5	0.0	+1.0
83	🇲🇱 Mali	10.4	+1.0	+1.2
84	🇱🇷 Liberia	10.4	0.0	−0.8
85	🇨🇴 Colombia	10.2	+0.3	−7.6
86	🇹🇭 Thailand	10.2	−0.5	−1.2
87	🇧🇼 Botswana	10.2	0.0	+0.1
88	🇿🇦 South Africa	10.1	0.0	−2.5
89	Zanzibar	10.1	+0.5	−0.2
90	🇷🇸 Serbia	9.8	0.0	+2.7
91	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	9.7	0.0	+1.8
92	🇹🇿 Tanzania	9.5	+0.1	+0.5
93	🇳🇪 Niger	9.4	+1.7	+2.0
94	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	9.3	+0.3	+2.7
95	🇱🇸 Lesotho	9.2	0.0	+1.2
96	🇪🇷 Eritrea	9.2	−0.2	+0.2
97	Palestine/Gaza	9.0	0.0	—
98	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	8.9	+0.6	+0.8
99	🇲🇬 Madagascar	8.9	+1.2	+1.5
100	🇭🇳 Honduras	8.6	−0.1	+1.5
101	🇹🇩 Chad	8.5	+2.1	+2.2
102	🇨🇾 Cyprus	8.4	−0.1	−1.2
103	🇧🇯 Benin	8.3	+0.2	+4.0
104	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	8.3	0.0	0.0
105	🇻🇳 Vietnam	7.9	−0.1	−7.1
106	🇹🇳 Tunisia	7.7	+1.1	+4.4
107	🇵🇹 Portugal	7.3	0.0	+0.1
108	🇸🇿 Eswatini	7.3	0.0	+0.3
109	🇳🇵 Nepal	7.1	−0.2	+5.2
110	🇲🇦 Morocco	7.1	+0.7	+2.5
111	🇬🇦 Gabon	7.1	+0.9	+2.3
112	🇭🇺 Hungary	7.1	+0.2	−7.3
113	🇹🇬 Togo	7.0	+0.9	+2.6
114	🇬🇹 Guatemala	6.8	+0.3	−16.7
115	🇸🇻 El Salvador	6.7	0.0	+0.4
116	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	6.6	0.0	−0.1
117	🇰🇪 Kenya	6.5	+1.2	+1.3
118	🇮🇷 Iran	6.4	0.0	−3.6
119	German Democratic Republic	6.4	+0.1	—
120	🇲🇻 Maldives	6.3	0.0	−0.8
121	🇪🇸 Spain	6.0	0.0	+0.1
122	🇬🇳 Guinea	5.7	+1.2	+0.8
123	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.7	0.0	−0.1
124	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.6	+0.1	+0.5
125	🇰🇲 Comoros	5.6	+0.7	+1.4
126	🇹🇼 Taiwan	5.5	0.0	+2.2
127	🇦🇱 Albania	5.4	0.0	+0.2
128	🇧🇮 Burundi	5.4	0.0	+0.4
129	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.2	0.0	+1.4
130	🇶🇦 Qatar	5.0	0.0	0.0
131	🇻🇪 Venezuela	4.9	+0.2	−14.8
132	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.2	0.0	+0.7
133	🇲🇼 Malawi	4.1	0.0	+0.1
134	🇨🇳 China	3.8	−0.2	−2.1
135	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.8	0.0	+0.2
136	🇩🇿 Algeria	3.5	−1.6	−5.7
137	🇨🇿 Czechia	3.5	+0.2	−9.6
138	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.4	0.0	+0.3
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	🇩🇯 Djibouti	3.4	+0.6	+0.6
143	🇭🇹 Haiti	3.3	−2.5	−6.5
144	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	3.3	0.0	+0.9
145	🇷🇴 Romania	3.3	+0.1	−1.6
146	🇷🇼 Rwanda	3.1	+0.2	+0.5
147	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	3.0	0.0	0.0
148	🇾🇪 Yemen	2.9	0.0	+1.7
149	🇴🇲 Oman	2.5	0.0	+0.1
150	🇷🇺 Russia	2.4	+0.2	+0.9
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	0.0	+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 1957, with the highest score of 87.2 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1957?

In 1957, the top three of 154 ranked countries are Denmark (87.2), Germany (78.6), and Australia (77.6).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1957?

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 38.2 points over the past decade, standing at 73.6 (rank #7) in 1957.

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 1957 edition covers 154 countries.