Democracy Index 1962

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1962 — 154 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1962 — 154 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	87.5	0.0	+1.1
2	🇩🇪 Germany	79.4	+0.5	+4.2
3	🇦🇺 Australia	77.8	+0.3	+2.9
4	🇳🇴 Norway	77.1	+0.1	+5.8
5	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	76.5	0.0	+3.0
6	🇫🇮 Finland	75.8	−0.8	−0.4
7	🇧🇪 Belgium	75.7	+0.9	+11.7
8	🇯🇵 Japan	75.1	0.0	+20.2
9	🇳🇿 New Zealand	74.4	+1.2	+5.5
10	🇳🇱 Netherlands	73.9	0.0	+2.9
11	🇸🇪 Sweden	72.8	0.0	+0.7
12	🇨🇦 Canada	72.1	+1.1	+6.7
13	🇮🇸 Iceland	70.3	0.0	+0.9
14	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	69.9	0.0	+0.1
15	🇮🇪 Ireland	69.5	+1.2	+2.5
16	🇦🇹 Austria	68.9	0.0	+6.6
17	🇺🇾 Uruguay	66.4	0.0	+0.7
18	🇫🇷 France	63.6	+0.3	+0.6
19	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	63.2	+0.3	+12.9
20	🇮🇹 Italy	61.1	+0.2	+6.3
21	🇨🇭 Switzerland	56.5	0.0	+0.4
22	🇺🇸 United States of America	56.0	+0.1	+3.8
23	🇮🇱 Israel	53.7	+0.3	+3.8
24	🇻🇪 Venezuela	52.7	−0.4	+47.7
25	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	50.6	+0.1	−0.4
26	🇮🇳 India	50.1	−1.3	+4.0
27	🇧🇧 Barbados	46.8	+1.1	+19.2
28	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	44.2	+6.8	+16.9
29	🇸🇷 Suriname	42.6	0.0	+1.9
30	🇯🇲 Jamaica	40.3	+4.1	+16.7
31	🇲🇺 Mauritius	40.2	+7.0	+9.8
32	🇨🇱 Chile	39.6	+0.1	+10.5
33	🇨🇾 Cyprus	33.5	+0.3	+24.0
34	🇬🇷 Greece	30.4	−0.3	+4.9
35	🇸🇬 Singapore	29.5	0.0	+11.7
36	🇸🇳 Senegal	29.3	+0.5	+17.4
37	🇵🇭 Philippines	29.2	−0.1	+3.0
38	🇧🇷 Brazil	27.2	−0.1	+1.4
39	🇨🇴 Colombia	25.1	+0.2	+12.7
40	🇹🇿 Tanzania	24.5	+5.1	+15.5
41	🇸🇴 Somalia	24.1	+0.1	+17.7
42	🇱🇧 Lebanon	23.2	−0.1	+4.2
43	🇹🇷 Türkiye	23.1	+11.6	+0.6
44	🇬🇭 Ghana	22.7	−2.2	+2.1
45	🇲🇹 Malta	22.4	+3.6	−28.1
46	🇧🇯 Benin	22.3	0.0	+14.6
47	🇲🇾 Malaysia	21.8	−0.1	+7.8
48	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	21.3	−0.2	+8.3
49	🇵🇦 Panama	21.2	0.0	+5.1
50	🇰🇼 Kuwait	21.2	+4.0	+10.1
51	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	21.0	+0.1	+1.8
52	🇬🇾 Guyana	21.0	−0.5	+0.7
53	🇦🇷 Argentina	20.5	−15.5	+1.8
54	🇬🇲 The Gambia	20.3	+2.9	+6.4
55	🇳🇬 Nigeria	19.6	0.0	+8.8
56	🇫🇯 Fiji	19.2	0.0	+0.2
57	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	18.8	−0.7	+8.5
58	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	18.6	+4.6	+10.0
59	🇪🇨 Ecuador	18.5	+0.4	+0.2
60	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	18.1	0.0	+0.7
61	🇷🇼 Rwanda	17.7	+6.3	+15.1
62	🇲🇱 Mali	17.6	+0.4	+8.2
63	South Yemen	17.6	0.0	+0.9
64	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	17.4	0.0	−0.6
65	🇧🇼 Botswana	17.2	+1.9	+7.0
66	Republic of Vietnam	16.6	0.0	+10.0
67	🇯🇴 Jordan	16.3	+0.3	−1.3
68	🇺🇬 Uganda	15.9	+2.3	+5.3
69	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	15.7	0.0	+6.1
70	🇸🇾 Syria	15.6	+8.8	+5.3
71	🇰🇭 Cambodia	15.2	−0.1	+9.2
72	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	15.2	0.0	−0.1
73	🇸🇨 Seychelles	14.9	0.0	+0.1
74	🇹🇳 Tunisia	14.8	+0.2	+11.5
75	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	14.8	0.0	+11.5
76	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.3	+0.1	+6.1
77	🇵🇪 Peru	14.1	−11.5	+8.5
78	🇳🇪 Niger	13.2	−0.1	+6.0
79	🇵🇱 Poland	13.1	−0.1	+2.5
80	🇧🇮 Burundi	13.1	+5.3	+7.9
81	🇲🇬 Madagascar	13.1	+2.0	+5.6
82	🇱🇾 Libya	13.0	0.0	+2.5
83	🇱🇦 Laos	12.4	0.0	−0.6
84	🇲🇷 Mauritania	12.1	+1.4	+3.6
85	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.0	0.0	+3.4
86	Zanzibar	11.8	−0.1	+1.5
87	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	11.6	−0.1	+0.2
88	🇬🇦 Gabon	11.4	0.0	+5.2
89	🇧🇴 Bolivia	11.1	−0.1	+3.1
90	🇿🇲 Zambia	11.1	+0.1	+0.4
91	🇱🇸 Lesotho	11.0	+1.0	+1.8
92	🇱🇷 Liberia	10.6	0.0	−0.2
93	🇮🇩 Indonesia	10.5	0.0	−9.0
94	🇲🇽 Mexico	10.4	0.0	+0.9
95	🇰🇷 South Korea	10.3	−1.9	−3.9
96	🇹🇩 Chad	10.3	−1.3	+3.9
97	🇵🇰 Pakistan	10.1	+2.0	−5.9
98	🇹🇬 Togo	10.1	−2.3	+5.6
99	🇷🇸 Serbia	9.7	0.0	+0.4
100	🇪🇬 Egypt	9.6	−1.4	−7.7
101	Palestine/Gaza	9.5	+2.6	+0.4
102	🇿🇦 South Africa	9.4	+0.2	−0.8
103	🇲🇼 Malawi	9.1	+3.1	+5.0
104	🇭🇳 Honduras	8.9	+0.2	−3.2
105	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	8.5	+0.1	+0.2
106	🇭🇺 Hungary	8.5	+0.3	+1.6
107	🇹🇭 Thailand	8.4	0.0	−2.0
108	🇲🇦 Morocco	8.4	+0.7	+3.8
109	🇬🇹 Guatemala	7.7	−0.2	−14.5
110	🇮🇶 Iraq	7.6	−0.1	−8.8
111	🇵🇹 Portugal	7.4	0.0	+0.1
112	🇸🇿 Eswatini	7.3	0.0	0.0
113	🇰🇪 Kenya	7.2	−0.1	+2.1
114	🇻🇳 Vietnam	7.1	0.0	−2.4
115	🇮🇷 Iran	7.1	+0.3	−5.9
116	🇨🇲 Cameroon	7.1	0.0	—
117	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	6.6	0.0	−0.1
118	🇪🇸 Spain	6.6	0.0	+0.5
119	🇲🇻 Maldives	6.5	0.0	−0.6
120	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	6.3	+2.4	+3.3
121	🇸🇻 El Salvador	6.2	+1.0	−0.6
122	🇹🇼 Taiwan	6.1	+0.1	+0.7
123	German Democratic Republic	6.0	0.0	−0.2
124	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.8	0.0	+0.7
125	🇰🇲 Comoros	5.8	0.0	+0.9
126	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.7	0.0	0.0
127	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.6	+0.1	+0.2
128	🇶🇦 Qatar	5.5	0.0	+0.4
129	🇦🇱 Albania	5.4	0.0	0.0
130	🇨🇿 Czechia	5.4	0.0	+2.1
131	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	5.3	−22.2	−20.7
132	🇳🇵 Nepal	5.0	−0.7	−2.0
133	🇸🇩 Sudan	4.8	−0.1	−1.1
134	🇩🇿 Algeria	4.2	+0.7	−5.4
135	🇪🇷 Eritrea	4.2	−2.7	−3.3
136	🇷🇴 Romania	4.1	0.0	+1.1
137	🇬🇳 Guinea	4.0	0.0	−0.1
138	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	4.0	+0.2	+0.7
139	🇨🇳 China	3.7	0.0	+0.8
140	🇵🇾 Paraguay	3.7	+0.4	−1.5
141	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	3.6	0.0	+2.1
142	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	3.5	0.0	+1.1
143	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.4	0.0	+0.5
144	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	3.4	0.0	0.0
145	🇦🇴 Angola	3.4	0.0	0.0
146	🇩🇯 Djibouti	3.4	0.0	+0.6
147	🇾🇪 Yemen	3.3	0.0	+1.5
148	🇭🇹 Haiti	3.0	0.0	−7.9
149	🇨🇺 Cuba	2.5	−0.2	−16.8
150	🇴🇲 Oman	2.5	0.0	0.0
151	🇷🇺 Russia	2.3	−0.1	+0.8
152	🇲🇿 Mozambique	2.0	0.0	0.0
153	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.5	0.0	−0.2
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 1962, with the highest score of 87.5 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1962?

In 1962, the top three of 154 ranked countries are Denmark (87.5), Germany (79.4), and Australia (77.8).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1962?

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

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

Venezuela shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 47.7 points over the past decade, standing at 52.7 (rank #24) in 1962.

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 1962 edition covers 154 countries.