Democracy Index 1959

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1959 — 153 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1959 — 153 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	87.3	0.0	+0.8
2	🇩🇪 Germany	78.5	0.0	+4.3
3	🇦🇺 Australia	77.7	+0.1	+3.4
4	🇫🇮 Finland	76.5	+0.4	+1.8
5	🇳🇴 Norway	74.9	0.0	+4.3
6	🇯🇵 Japan	74.8	+0.5	+38.4
7	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	74.5	+0.7	+3.9
8	🇳🇱 Netherlands	72.8	+0.2	+1.2
9	🇸🇪 Sweden	72.1	0.0	+0.7
10	🇳🇿 New Zealand	71.1	0.0	+0.7
11	🇮🇸 Iceland	70.1	+0.1	+1.3
12	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	69.4	+0.1	+1.2
13	🇦🇹 Austria	68.4	−0.1	+6.9
14	🇮🇪 Ireland	67.3	+0.1	+1.0
15	🇺🇾 Uruguay	66.5	−0.4	+1.0
16	🇨🇦 Canada	66.4	−0.2	+3.6
17	🇧🇪 Belgium	64.8	0.0	+2.9
18	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	63.7	+1.2	+42.6
19	🇫🇷 France	63.0	0.0	+0.9
20	🇮🇹 Italy	59.5	+0.2	+4.7
21	🇨🇭 Switzerland	56.2	+0.1	+0.1
22	🇺🇸 United States of America	52.7	0.0	+3.1
23	🇮🇳 India	51.4	0.0	+36.0
24	🇮🇱 Israel	50.2	−0.9	+2.3
25	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	47.9	−0.7	−4.0
26	🇻🇪 Venezuela	47.5	+30.6	+40.6
27	🇸🇷 Suriname	42.6	+0.1	+16.5
28	🇨🇱 Chile	37.4	+5.8	+11.6
29	🇧🇧 Barbados	37.0	0.0	+16.8
30	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	36.5	0.0	+10.3
31	🇯🇲 Jamaica	35.5	−0.6	+12.0
32	🇦🇷 Argentina	34.7	+10.6	+13.8
33	🇲🇺 Mauritius	33.2	+1.9	+3.0
34	🇬🇷 Greece	30.8	−0.1	+10.9
35	🇸🇬 Singapore	29.3	+7.0	+12.4
36	🇬🇭 Ghana	28.8	−0.5	+18.0
37	🇵🇭 Philippines	28.4	0.0	+2.3
38	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	26.9	0.0	+12.4
39	🇧🇷 Brazil	26.5	+0.2	+1.4
40	🇵🇪 Peru	25.7	0.0	+22.5
41	🇨🇴 Colombia	23.9	+6.1	+16.1
42	🇲🇾 Malaysia	22.1	0.0	+8.1
43	🇬🇾 Guyana	21.8	0.0	+3.3
44	🇱🇧 Lebanon	20.9	+0.6	+1.5
45	🇵🇦 Panama	20.3	0.0	+3.5
46	🇹🇷 Türkiye	20.0	0.0	+5.4
47	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	19.2	0.0	+7.9
48	🇪🇨 Ecuador	19.1	+0.1	+0.6
49	🇫🇯 Fiji	19.0	0.0	+0.3
50	🇲🇹 Malta	18.8	−11.5	−31.9
51	South Yemen	18.8	0.0	+2.4
52	🇮🇩 Indonesia	17.8	−4.6	+3.3
53	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	17.5	−0.4	−0.4
54	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	17.4	0.0	+0.1
55	🇸🇴 Somalia	17.3	0.0	+11.7
56	Republic of Vietnam	16.6	0.0	+9.9
57	🇯🇴 Jordan	16.1	0.0	−0.3
58	🇱🇦 Laos	15.8	−0.6	+3.1
59	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	15.6	+0.8	+2.9
60	Somaliland	15.4	+0.1	+4.5
61	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	15.2	0.0	0.0
62	🇰🇭 Cambodia	15.1	0.0	+8.2
63	🇸🇨 Seychelles	15.0	0.0	0.0
64	🇰🇷 South Korea	14.6	0.0	−0.8
65	🇬🇲 The Gambia	14.0	0.0	+0.3
66	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	13.7	−0.6	+3.1
67	🇵🇱 Poland	13.5	0.0	+3.1
68	🇳🇵 Nepal	13.3	+6.1	+11.4
69	🇺🇬 Uganda	13.0	0.0	+3.0
70	🇱🇾 Libya	12.9	0.0	—
71	🇸🇳 Senegal	12.3	+0.3	+0.6
72	🇲🇷 Mauritania	11.8	+0.2	+3.4
73	🇧🇹 Bhutan	11.7	−0.1	+3.8
74	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	11.4	−0.1	+1.2
75	🇧🇴 Bolivia	11.2	0.0	+4.0
76	🇹🇿 Tanzania	11.1	+0.9	+2.1
77	🇰🇼 Kuwait	11.0	−0.1	+0.2
78	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	10.9	0.0	+4.2
79	🇹🇳 Tunisia	10.8	+0.5	+7.5
80	🇿🇲 Zambia	10.7	0.0	+0.1
81	Zanzibar	10.7	0.0	+0.4
82	🇱🇷 Liberia	10.5	+0.1	−2.6
83	🇧🇼 Botswana	10.4	+0.2	+0.2
84	🇲🇽 Mexico	10.3	−0.1	+0.8
85	🇪🇬 Egypt	10.3	−0.3	−7.7
86	🇿🇦 South Africa	10.2	0.0	−0.7
87	🇳🇪 Niger	10.0	+0.4	+2.8
88	🇹🇩 Chad	9.8	+0.7	+3.5
89	🇷🇸 Serbia	9.7	0.0	+1.6
90	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	9.7	0.0	+1.8
91	🇹🇬 Togo	9.5	+0.5	+5.1
92	🇲🇱 Mali	9.3	+0.9	0.0
93	🇱🇸 Lesotho	9.2	0.0	+1.2
94	🇪🇷 Eritrea	9.1	0.0	+0.1
95	🇲🇬 Madagascar	8.9	0.0	+1.5
96	🇨🇾 Cyprus	8.9	+0.6	−0.7
97	🇭🇳 Honduras	8.8	−0.1	+0.9
98	🇧🇯 Benin	8.8	+0.5	+4.4
99	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	8.8	0.0	+0.7
100	🇵🇰 Pakistan	8.3	−2.8	−8.2
101	🇹🇭 Thailand	8.3	−0.8	−2.5
102	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	8.3	0.0	0.0
103	🇬🇦 Gabon	8.0	0.0	+3.1
104	🇬🇹 Guatemala	7.9	0.0	−14.7
105	🇮🇶 Iraq	7.9	−4.9	−8.3
106	🇭🇺 Hungary	7.8	+0.3	−0.4
107	🇻🇳 Vietnam	7.6	−0.1	−4.9
108	🇵🇹 Portugal	7.3	0.0	+0.1
109	🇸🇿 Eswatini	7.3	0.0	+0.3
110	🇲🇦 Morocco	7.2	0.0	+2.6
111	Palestine/Gaza	6.9	−2.1	−2.0
112	🇸🇻 El Salvador	6.7	0.0	+1.3
113	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	6.6	0.0	−0.2
114	German Democratic Republic	6.6	0.0	—
115	🇰🇪 Kenya	6.5	0.0	+1.2
116	🇮🇷 Iran	6.5	+0.1	−3.5
117	🇸🇾 Syria	6.4	−2.8	−10.5
118	🇲🇻 Maldives	6.3	0.0	−0.8
119	🇨🇺 Cuba	6.3	−7.6	−24.6
120	🇪🇸 Spain	6.2	0.0	+0.3
121	🇬🇳 Guinea	5.7	+0.3	+0.8
122	🇧🇮 Burundi	5.6	+0.1	+0.6
123	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.6	−0.1	0.0
124	🇰🇲 Comoros	5.6	0.0	+0.8
125	🇹🇼 Taiwan	5.5	0.0	+1.9
126	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.5	0.0	0.0
127	🇦🇱 Albania	5.3	−0.1	0.0
128	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.2	0.0	+1.4
129	🇸🇩 Sudan	5.1	−9.7	−0.8
130	🇶🇦 Qatar	5.0	0.0	0.0
131	🇨🇿 Czechia	4.4	0.0	+0.8
132	🇲🇼 Malawi	4.1	0.0	+0.1
133	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.8	0.0	+0.2
134	🇨🇳 China	3.7	0.0	−2.2
135	🇩🇿 Algeria	3.5	0.0	−6.0
136	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.5	+0.1	+0.2
137	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	3.4	0.0	+0.1
138	🇦🇴 Angola	3.4	0.0	0.0
139	🇩🇯 Djibouti	3.4	0.0	+0.6
140	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	3.3	0.0	+0.9
141	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.3	−0.1	+0.1
142	🇷🇴 Romania	3.3	0.0	+0.3
143	🇭🇹 Haiti	3.0	−0.1	−6.8
144	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	3.0	0.0	0.0
145	🇷🇼 Rwanda	3.0	−0.3	+0.4
146	🇾🇪 Yemen	2.9	0.0	+1.1
147	🇵🇾 Paraguay	2.8	−1.3	−2.5
148	🇴🇲 Oman	2.5	0.0	+0.1
149	🇷🇺 Russia	2.4	0.0	+0.9
150	🇲🇿 Mozambique	2.0	0.0	0.0
151	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	1.9	+0.4	+0.7
152	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.6	0.0	−0.2
153	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	1.3	0.0	+0.1

Frequently asked questions

Which countries are the most liberal democracies?

Denmark ranks #1 of 153 countries on the V-Dem liberal democracy index index in 1959, with the highest score of 87.3 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1959?

In 1959, the top three of 153 ranked countries are Denmark (87.3), Germany (78.5), and Australia (77.7).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1959?

Guinea-Bissau ranks #153 of 153 with a score of 1.3.

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

Costa Rica shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 42.6 points over the past decade, standing at 63.7 (rank #18) in 1959.

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 1959 edition covers 153 countries.