Democracy Index 1961

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1961 — 154 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1961 — 154 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	87.5	+0.2	+1.1
2	🇩🇪 Germany	78.9	+0.4	+2.4
3	🇦🇺 Australia	77.5	0.0	+3.3
4	🇳🇴 Norway	77.0	+0.1	+5.7
5	🇫🇮 Finland	76.6	0.0	+0.4
6	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	76.5	0.0	+3.2
7	🇯🇵 Japan	75.1	+0.2	+38.5
8	🇧🇪 Belgium	74.8	−0.2	+10.8
9	🇳🇱 Netherlands	73.9	0.0	+2.3
10	🇳🇿 New Zealand	73.2	+0.1	+5.9
11	🇸🇪 Sweden	72.8	+0.1	+0.9
12	🇨🇦 Canada	71.0	+2.2	+5.6
13	🇮🇸 Iceland	70.3	+0.2	+1.1
14	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	69.9	+0.1	0.0
15	🇦🇹 Austria	68.9	0.0	+6.7
16	🇮🇪 Ireland	68.3	+0.6	+1.7
17	🇺🇾 Uruguay	66.4	0.0	+0.7
18	🇫🇷 France	63.3	0.0	+0.3
19	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	62.9	0.0	+12.8
20	🇮🇹 Italy	60.9	−0.1	+6.1
21	🇨🇭 Switzerland	56.5	0.0	+0.3
22	🇺🇸 United States of America	55.9	+1.5	+3.7
23	🇮🇱 Israel	53.4	+0.6	+3.8
24	🇻🇪 Venezuela	53.1	+1.6	+48.0
25	🇮🇳 India	51.4	0.0	+22.8
26	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	50.5	+0.4	−2.5
27	🇧🇧 Barbados	45.7	+0.1	+23.4
28	🇸🇷 Suriname	42.6	0.0	+1.9
29	🇨🇱 Chile	39.5	+0.4	+10.1
30	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	37.4	+0.1	+10.0
31	🇯🇲 Jamaica	36.2	0.0	+12.7
32	🇦🇷 Argentina	36.0	+0.9	+17.2
33	🇨🇾 Cyprus	33.2	+12.0	+23.7
34	🇲🇺 Mauritius	33.2	0.0	+2.8
35	🇬🇷 Greece	30.7	−0.1	+6.3
36	🇸🇬 Singapore	29.5	0.0	+11.7
37	🇵🇭 Philippines	29.3	0.0	+3.3
38	🇸🇳 Senegal	28.8	+4.4	+16.9
39	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	27.5	0.0	+12.0
40	🇧🇷 Brazil	27.3	+0.3	+1.5
41	🇵🇪 Peru	25.6	−0.2	+20.0
42	🇬🇭 Ghana	24.9	−2.0	+4.7
43	🇨🇴 Colombia	24.9	+0.2	+12.5
44	🇸🇴 Somalia	24.0	0.0	+17.6
45	🇱🇧 Lebanon	23.3	+1.0	+4.2
46	🇧🇯 Benin	22.3	+2.8	+17.9
47	🇲🇾 Malaysia	21.9	+0.2	+7.9
48	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	21.5	+2.8	+8.6
49	🇬🇾 Guyana	21.5	−0.1	+2.6
50	🇵🇦 Panama	21.2	+0.2	+4.7
51	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	20.9	+0.2	+1.7
52	🇳🇬 Nigeria	19.6	+0.1	+8.9
53	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	19.5	+1.6	+9.2
54	🇹🇿 Tanzania	19.4	+7.7	+10.4
55	🇫🇯 Fiji	19.2	+0.1	+0.2
56	🇲🇹 Malta	18.8	0.0	−31.7
57	🇪🇨 Ecuador	18.1	−0.3	−0.7
58	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	18.1	0.0	+0.7
59	South Yemen	17.6	0.0	+1.0
60	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	17.4	0.0	−0.6
61	🇬🇲 The Gambia	17.4	+1.1	+3.4
62	🇲🇱 Mali	17.2	+0.8	+7.9
63	🇰🇼 Kuwait	17.2	+5.3	+6.1
64	Republic of Vietnam	16.6	+0.1	+10.0
65	🇯🇴 Jordan	16.0	0.0	−0.4
66	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	15.7	0.0	+6.3
67	🇰🇭 Cambodia	15.3	0.0	+9.7
68	🇧🇼 Botswana	15.3	+4.4	+5.1
69	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	15.2	0.0	−0.1
70	🇸🇨 Seychelles	14.9	−0.1	+0.1
71	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	14.8	+4.6	+11.5
72	🇹🇳 Tunisia	14.6	0.0	+11.3
73	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.2	+1.1	+6.1
74	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	14.0	+1.9	+6.1
75	🇺🇬 Uganda	13.6	+0.3	+3.4
76	🇳🇪 Niger	13.3	+1.5	+6.1
77	🇵🇱 Poland	13.2	−0.3	+2.6
78	🇱🇾 Libya	13.0	0.0	+5.4
79	🇱🇦 Laos	12.4	−2.1	−0.5
80	🇹🇬 Togo	12.4	+0.6	+7.9
81	🇰🇷 South Korea	12.2	−10.1	−2.0
82	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.0	+0.1	+3.9
83	Zanzibar	11.9	+0.9	+1.6
84	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	11.7	+1.3	+0.6
85	🇹🇩 Chad	11.6	+1.2	+5.2
86	🇹🇷 Türkiye	11.5	−1.8	−11.0
87	🇬🇦 Gabon	11.4	+0.8	+5.2
88	🇷🇼 Rwanda	11.4	+4.3	+8.8
89	🇧🇴 Bolivia	11.2	0.0	+4.9
90	🇲🇬 Madagascar	11.1	+1.1	+3.6
91	🇪🇬 Egypt	11.0	−0.7	−7.8
92	🇿🇲 Zambia	11.0	+0.1	+0.3
93	🇲🇷 Mauritania	10.7	−3.8	+2.3
94	🇱🇷 Liberia	10.6	0.0	−0.4
95	🇮🇩 Indonesia	10.5	−0.4	−9.0
96	🇲🇽 Mexico	10.4	0.0	+0.9
97	🇱🇸 Lesotho	10.0	+0.1	+1.1
98	🇷🇸 Serbia	9.7	0.0	+0.5
99	🇿🇦 South Africa	9.2	−0.7	−1.0
100	🇭🇳 Honduras	8.7	−0.1	−3.4
101	🇹🇭 Thailand	8.4	0.0	−2.3
102	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	8.4	+0.1	+0.1
103	🇭🇺 Hungary	8.2	+0.1	+1.3
104	🇵🇰 Pakistan	8.1	0.0	−8.1
105	🇬🇹 Guatemala	7.9	+0.1	−14.5
106	🇧🇮 Burundi	7.8	+1.5	+2.6
107	🇮🇶 Iraq	7.7	−0.2	−8.7
108	🇲🇦 Morocco	7.7	+0.5	+3.1
109	🇵🇹 Portugal	7.4	0.0	+0.1
110	🇰🇪 Kenya	7.3	+0.3	+2.0
111	🇸🇿 Eswatini	7.3	0.0	0.0
112	🇻🇳 Vietnam	7.1	−0.4	−2.5
113	🇨🇲 Cameroon	7.1	—	—
114	🇪🇷 Eritrea	6.9	−0.3	−1.6
115	Palestine/Gaza	6.9	0.0	−2.2
116	🇮🇷 Iran	6.8	+0.2	−5.7
117	🇸🇾 Syria	6.8	+0.7	−8.8
118	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	6.6	0.0	−0.3
119	🇪🇸 Spain	6.6	0.0	+0.5
120	🇲🇻 Maldives	6.5	0.0	−0.6
121	🇹🇼 Taiwan	6.0	0.0	+0.8
122	🇲🇼 Malawi	6.0	+1.8	+1.9
123	German Democratic Republic	6.0	−0.6	−0.2
124	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.8	+0.2	+1.8
125	🇰🇲 Comoros	5.8	0.0	+0.9
126	🇳🇵 Nepal	5.7	−5.9	+0.2
127	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.7	0.0	0.0
128	🇶🇦 Qatar	5.5	0.0	+0.4
129	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.5	−0.1	+0.1
130	🇦🇱 Albania	5.4	0.0	0.0
131	🇨🇿 Czechia	5.4	+0.3	+2.0
132	🇸🇻 El Salvador	5.2	−1.4	−1.7
133	🇸🇩 Sudan	4.9	0.0	−1.0
134	🇷🇴 Romania	4.1	+0.8	+1.1
135	🇬🇳 Guinea	4.0	−0.7	−0.9
136	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	3.9	+0.9	+0.9
137	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.8	0.0	+0.4
138	🇨🇳 China	3.7	0.0	+0.8
139	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	3.6	0.0	+2.1
140	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	3.5	+0.1	+1.1
141	🇩🇿 Algeria	3.5	0.0	−6.0
142	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.4	0.0	+0.5
143	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	3.4	0.0	0.0
144	🇦🇴 Angola	3.4	0.0	0.0
145	🇩🇯 Djibouti	3.4	0.0	+0.6
146	🇾🇪 Yemen	3.3	0.0	+1.5
147	🇵🇾 Paraguay	3.3	+0.9	−1.9
148	🇭🇹 Haiti	3.0	0.0	−7.9
149	🇨🇺 Cuba	2.7	−0.3	−26.4
150	🇴🇲 Oman	2.5	0.0	0.0
151	🇷🇺 Russia	2.4	0.0	+0.9
152	🇲🇿 Mozambique	2.0	−0.1	0.0
153	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.5	0.0	−0.2
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 1961, with the highest score of 87.5 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1961?

In 1961, the top three of 154 ranked countries are Denmark (87.5), Germany (78.9), and Australia (77.5).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1961?

Guinea-Bissau ranks #154 of 154 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 48.0 points over the past decade, standing at 53.1 (rank #24) in 1961.

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 1961 edition covers 154 countries.