Democracy Index 1960

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1960 — 153 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1960 — 153 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	87.3	0.0	+0.7
2	🇩🇪 Germany	78.5	0.0	+2.0
3	🇦🇺 Australia	77.5	−0.2	+3.1
4	🇳🇴 Norway	76.9	+2.0	+5.8
5	🇫🇮 Finland	76.6	+0.1	+0.5
6	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	76.5	+2.0	+3.4
7	🇧🇪 Belgium	75.0	+10.2	+11.5
8	🇯🇵 Japan	74.9	+0.1	+38.4
9	🇳🇱 Netherlands	73.9	+1.1	+2.3
10	🇳🇿 New Zealand	73.1	+2.0	+2.9
11	🇸🇪 Sweden	72.7	+0.6	+0.8
12	🇮🇸 Iceland	70.1	0.0	+0.9
13	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	69.8	+0.4	−0.1
14	🇦🇹 Austria	68.9	+0.5	+6.8
15	🇨🇦 Canada	68.8	+2.4	+3.4
16	🇮🇪 Ireland	67.7	+0.4	+1.1
17	🇺🇾 Uruguay	66.4	−0.1	+0.9
18	🇫🇷 France	63.3	+0.3	+0.4
19	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	62.9	−0.8	+14.0
20	🇮🇹 Italy	61.0	+1.5	+6.2
21	🇨🇭 Switzerland	56.5	+0.3	+0.3
22	🇺🇸 United States of America	54.4	+1.7	+4.2
23	🇮🇱 Israel	52.8	+2.6	+3.4
24	🇻🇪 Venezuela	51.5	+4.0	+46.2
25	🇮🇳 India	51.4	0.0	+25.2
26	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	50.1	+2.2	−2.9
27	🇧🇧 Barbados	45.6	+8.6	+25.4
28	🇸🇷 Suriname	42.6	0.0	+2.0
29	🇨🇱 Chile	39.1	+1.7	+9.9
30	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	37.3	+0.8	+10.3
31	🇯🇲 Jamaica	36.2	+0.7	+12.7
32	🇦🇷 Argentina	35.1	+0.4	+15.8
33	🇲🇺 Mauritius	33.2	0.0	+2.8
34	🇬🇷 Greece	30.8	0.0	+7.0
35	🇸🇬 Singapore	29.5	+0.2	+12.5
36	🇵🇭 Philippines	29.3	+0.9	+3.4
37	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	27.5	+0.6	+13.1
38	🇧🇷 Brazil	27.0	+0.5	+0.8
39	🇬🇭 Ghana	26.9	−1.9	+15.6
40	🇵🇪 Peru	25.8	+0.1	+21.6
41	🇨🇴 Colombia	24.7	+0.8	+18.8
42	🇸🇳 Senegal	24.4	+12.1	+12.5
43	🇸🇴 Somalia	24.0	+6.7	+18.4
44	🇰🇷 South Korea	22.3	+7.7	+7.7
45	🇱🇧 Lebanon	22.3	+1.4	+2.9
46	🇲🇾 Malaysia	21.7	−0.4	+7.7
47	🇬🇾 Guyana	21.6	−0.2	+2.7
48	🇨🇾 Cyprus	21.2	+12.3	+11.8
49	🇵🇦 Panama	21.0	+0.7	+3.4
50	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	20.7	+1.5	+9.4
51	🇳🇬 Nigeria	19.5	—	+8.8
52	🇧🇯 Benin	19.5	+10.7	+15.1
53	🇫🇯 Fiji	19.1	+0.1	+0.1
54	🇲🇹 Malta	18.8	0.0	−31.9
55	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	18.7	+3.1	+5.8
56	🇪🇨 Ecuador	18.4	−0.7	−0.4
57	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	18.1	+0.7	+0.7
58	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	17.9	+6.5	+7.7
59	South Yemen	17.6	−1.2	+1.0
60	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	17.4	−0.1	−0.5
61	Republic of Vietnam	16.5	−0.1	+9.9
62	🇲🇱 Mali	16.4	+7.1	+7.1
63	🇬🇲 The Gambia	16.3	+2.3	+2.4
64	🇯🇴 Jordan	16.0	−0.1	−0.5
65	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	15.7	+6.0	+7.0
66	🇰🇭 Cambodia	15.3	+0.2	+10.9
67	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	15.2	0.0	+0.2
68	🇸🇨 Seychelles	15.0	0.0	0.0
69	🇹🇳 Tunisia	14.6	+3.8	+11.3
70	🇲🇷 Mauritania	14.5	+2.7	+6.1
71	🇱🇦 Laos	14.5	−1.3	+2.0
72	🇵🇱 Poland	13.5	0.0	+3.1
73	🇺🇬 Uganda	13.3	+0.3	+3.3
74	🇹🇷 Türkiye	13.3	−6.7	−5.5
75	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	13.1	+4.3	+5.0
76	🇱🇾 Libya	13.0	+0.1	—
77	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	12.1	+1.2	+5.5
78	🇧🇹 Bhutan	11.9	+0.2	+3.8
79	🇰🇼 Kuwait	11.9	+0.9	+0.8
80	🇳🇪 Niger	11.8	+1.8	+4.6
81	🇹🇬 Togo	11.8	+2.3	+7.3
82	🇪🇬 Egypt	11.7	+1.4	−7.1
83	🇹🇿 Tanzania	11.7	+0.6	+2.7
84	🇳🇵 Nepal	11.6	−1.7	+9.4
85	🇧🇴 Bolivia	11.2	0.0	+3.9
86	Zanzibar	11.0	+0.3	+0.7
87	🇮🇩 Indonesia	10.9	−6.9	−7.3
88	🇿🇲 Zambia	10.9	+0.2	+0.3
89	🇧🇼 Botswana	10.9	+0.5	+0.7
90	🇱🇷 Liberia	10.6	+0.1	−1.6
91	🇬🇦 Gabon	10.6	+2.6	+4.4
92	🇲🇽 Mexico	10.4	+0.1	+0.9
93	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	10.4	−3.3	−0.5
94	🇹🇩 Chad	10.4	+0.6	+4.0
95	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	10.2	+6.7	+6.9
96	🇲🇬 Madagascar	10.0	+1.1	+2.5
97	🇿🇦 South Africa	9.9	−0.3	−0.3
98	🇱🇸 Lesotho	9.9	+0.7	+1.0
99	🇷🇸 Serbia	9.7	0.0	+0.9
100	🇭🇳 Honduras	8.8	0.0	−3.3
101	🇹🇭 Thailand	8.4	+0.1	−2.2
102	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	8.3	0.0	0.0
103	🇵🇰 Pakistan	8.1	−0.2	−8.3
104	🇭🇺 Hungary	8.1	+0.3	+1.3
105	🇮🇶 Iraq	7.9	0.0	−8.5
106	🇬🇹 Guatemala	7.8	−0.1	−14.7
107	🇻🇳 Vietnam	7.5	−0.1	−3.5
108	🇵🇹 Portugal	7.4	+0.1	+0.1
109	🇸🇿 Eswatini	7.3	0.0	0.0
110	🇲🇦 Morocco	7.2	0.0	+2.6
111	🇪🇷 Eritrea	7.2	−1.9	−1.3
112	🇷🇼 Rwanda	7.1	+4.1	+4.5
113	🇰🇪 Kenya	7.0	+0.5	+1.7
114	Palestine/Gaza	6.9	0.0	−2.2
115	🇸🇻 El Salvador	6.6	−0.1	+0.6
116	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	6.6	0.0	−0.3
117	🇮🇷 Iran	6.6	+0.1	−5.0
118	🇪🇸 Spain	6.6	+0.4	+0.5
119	German Democratic Republic	6.6	0.0	+0.4
120	🇲🇻 Maldives	6.5	+0.2	−0.6
121	🇧🇮 Burundi	6.3	+0.7	+1.3
122	🇸🇾 Syria	6.1	−0.3	−11.0
123	🇹🇼 Taiwan	6.0	+0.5	+0.9
124	🇰🇲 Comoros	5.8	+0.2	+1.0
125	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.7	+0.1	0.0
126	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.6	+0.4	+1.8
127	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.6	+0.1	+0.2
128	🇶🇦 Qatar	5.5	+0.5	+0.4
129	🇦🇱 Albania	5.4	+0.1	0.0
130	🇨🇿 Czechia	5.1	+0.7	+1.7
131	🇸🇩 Sudan	4.9	−0.2	−1.0
132	🇬🇳 Guinea	4.7	−1.0	−0.2
133	🇲🇼 Malawi	4.2	+0.1	+0.1
134	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.8	0.0	+0.4
135	🇨🇳 China	3.7	0.0	+0.8
136	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	3.6	+1.7	+2.1
137	🇩🇿 Algeria	3.5	0.0	−6.0
138	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	3.4	+0.1	+1.0
139	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.4	+0.1	+0.5
140	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	3.4	0.0	0.0
141	🇦🇴 Angola	3.4	0.0	0.0
142	🇩🇯 Djibouti	3.4	0.0	+0.6
143	🇾🇪 Yemen	3.3	+0.4	+1.5
144	🇷🇴 Romania	3.3	0.0	+0.3
145	🇭🇹 Haiti	3.0	0.0	−2.7
146	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	3.0	0.0	0.0
147	🇨🇺 Cuba	3.0	−3.3	−27.5
148	🇴🇲 Oman	2.5	0.0	0.0
149	🇷🇺 Russia	2.4	0.0	+0.9
150	🇵🇾 Paraguay	2.4	−0.4	−2.8
151	🇲🇿 Mozambique	2.1	+0.1	+0.1
152	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.5	−0.1	−0.2
153	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	1.2	−0.1	0.0

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 1960, with the highest score of 87.3 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1960?

In 1960, the top three of 153 ranked countries are Denmark (87.3), Germany (78.5), and Australia (77.5).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1960?

Guinea-Bissau ranks #153 of 153 with a score of 1.2.

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

Venezuela shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 46.2 points over the past decade, standing at 51.5 (rank #24) in 1960.

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 1960 edition covers 153 countries.