Democracy Index 1965

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1965 — 153 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1965 — 153 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	86.9	−0.5	−0.1
2	🇩🇪 Germany	80.0	+0.1	+1.9
3	🇳🇴 Norway	78.9	+0.5	+5.8
4	🇦🇺 Australia	78.4	0.0	+1.4
5	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	76.8	0.0	+3.3
6	🇧🇪 Belgium	76.2	+0.3	+11.4
7	🇫🇮 Finland	76.2	+0.5	−0.5
8	🇳🇿 New Zealand	75.1	0.0	+4.5
9	🇯🇵 Japan	74.9	0.0	+1.8
10	🇨🇦 Canada	73.2	−0.1	+7.0
11	🇳🇱 Netherlands	73.1	0.0	+3.4
12	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	72.9	+1.5	+3.4
13	🇸🇪 Sweden	72.8	0.0	+0.4
14	🇮🇪 Ireland	70.3	−0.3	+3.4
15	🇮🇸 Iceland	70.1	0.0	0.0
16	🇦🇹 Austria	69.0	+0.1	+6.3
17	🇫🇷 France	66.6	0.0	+5.2
18	🇺🇾 Uruguay	64.1	−0.2	−2.1
19	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	63.2	0.0	+0.8
20	🇮🇹 Italy	61.9	0.0	+6.3
21	🇺🇸 United States of America	57.0	−0.2	+5.9
22	🇨🇭 Switzerland	56.8	0.0	+0.7
23	🇮🇱 Israel	53.3	−1.1	+2.9
24	🇲🇹 Malta	51.7	−1.6	+1.4
25	🇻🇪 Venezuela	51.0	+0.6	+46.3
26	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	50.2	−0.4	+0.4
27	🇮🇳 India	48.9	−1.0	−1.7
28	🇧🇧 Barbados	46.5	0.0	+11.4
29	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	45.5	0.0	+18.1
30	🇨🇱 Chile	43.1	+0.4	+13.7
31	🇸🇷 Suriname	42.8	0.0	+0.5
32	🇦🇷 Argentina	42.7	+0.4	+27.7
33	🇯🇲 Jamaica	40.6	−0.6	+6.1
34	🇲🇺 Mauritius	39.8	0.0	+8.9
35	🇵🇪 Peru	33.6	+0.4	+28.1
36	🇨🇾 Cyprus	33.2	+0.1	+24.5
37	🇬🇷 Greece	31.4	−0.3	+0.8
38	🇵🇭 Philippines	28.8	−0.4	+0.9
39	🇸🇳 Senegal	26.2	0.0	+14.4
40	🇹🇷 Türkiye	25.9	+0.7	+4.1
41	🇸🇬 Singapore	25.8	−0.8	+5.5
42	🇨🇴 Colombia	25.1	+0.1	+15.2
43	🇹🇿 Tanzania	25.1	−2.8	+15.7
44	🇰🇼 Kuwait	25.1	+0.3	+14.1
45	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	23.5	+0.4	+4.3
46	🇬🇲 The Gambia	23.4	+1.5	+9.4
47	🇸🇴 Somalia	23.1	−0.5	+16.6
48	🇱🇧 Lebanon	23.0	0.0	+0.9
49	🇺🇬 Uganda	22.5	0.0	+11.7
50	🇧🇯 Benin	22.0	+0.6	+14.7
51	🇫🇯 Fiji	21.7	0.0	+2.7
52	🇿🇲 Zambia	21.1	+4.3	+10.5
53	🇲🇾 Malaysia	21.0	−0.2	+2.3
54	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	20.6	−0.7	+7.4
55	🇬🇾 Guyana	20.6	−0.4	+4.9
56	🇬🇭 Ghana	20.5	−1.2	−0.8
57	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	20.4	+1.1	+10.7
58	🇧🇼 Botswana	19.2	+1.9	+9.0
59	🇵🇦 Panama	18.5	−0.6	−1.5
60	🇳🇬 Nigeria	18.3	−0.6	+5.7
61	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	18.0	−0.6	+9.0
62	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	18.0	−0.1	+0.6
63	🇷🇼 Rwanda	17.2	−0.1	+14.4
64	🇲🇱 Mali	16.6	−0.5	+7.2
65	🇯🇴 Jordan	16.2	0.0	−1.4
66	🇸🇨 Seychelles	16.0	+0.3	+1.0
67	South Yemen	16.0	−0.6	−2.4
68	🇰🇪 Kenya	15.8	+1.2	+10.7
69	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	15.2	0.0	−0.1
70	🇰🇭 Cambodia	15.1	0.0	+5.5
71	🇱🇸 Lesotho	15.0	+4.7	+5.8
72	🇹🇳 Tunisia	14.8	−0.2	+11.4
73	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.3	0.0	+6.0
74	🇪🇬 Egypt	14.2	+0.8	+5.5
75	🇱🇾 Libya	13.6	0.0	+1.3
76	🇰🇷 South Korea	13.5	−0.1	−1.2
77	🇲🇦 Morocco	13.5	−0.2	+9.0
78	🇵🇱 Poland	13.1	0.0	+2.6
79	🇳🇪 Niger	13.1	−0.1	+5.9
80	🇲🇬 Madagascar	13.0	−0.1	+5.5
81	🇧🇮 Burundi	12.9	−0.4	+7.5
82	🇵🇰 Pakistan	12.6	−0.1	−3.0
83	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	12.6	−1.7	−6.0
84	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.0	0.0	+1.5
85	🇲🇷 Mauritania	11.8	−0.3	+3.4
86	🇸🇿 Eswatini	11.6	+2.0	+4.3
87	🇷🇸 Serbia	11.6	+0.3	+1.8
88	🇱🇦 Laos	11.0	−1.4	−2.0
89	🇱🇷 Liberia	10.5	0.0	+0.1
90	Palestine/Gaza	10.4	0.0	+1.4
91	🇲🇽 Mexico	10.3	0.0	−0.2
92	🇸🇩 Sudan	10.3	+3.6	−0.4
93	🇹🇬 Togo	10.2	0.0	+5.6
94	🇲🇼 Malawi	9.8	−3.5	+5.7
95	🇹🇩 Chad	9.6	−0.3	+3.2
96	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	9.5	+0.3	+2.9
97	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	9.5	−3.1	+6.1
98	🇿🇦 South Africa	9.4	0.0	−0.7
99	🇬🇦 Gabon	9.3	+1.7	+3.1
100	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	9.1	0.0	−1.2
101	🇭🇺 Hungary	9.1	+0.1	+1.6
102	🇮🇩 Indonesia	8.9	−1.4	−11.8
103	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	8.6	0.0	+0.3
104	🇹🇭 Thailand	8.4	0.0	−2.2
105	🇳🇵 Nepal	8.2	+0.1	+1.1
106	🇮🇷 Iran	8.1	0.0	+0.8
107	🇩🇿 Algeria	7.7	−1.4	−1.5
108	🇵🇹 Portugal	7.4	0.0	+0.1
109	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	7.4	+1.2	+4.4
110	🇻🇳 Vietnam	7.2	0.0	−1.0
111	🇨🇲 Cameroon	7.1	0.0	—
112	🇸🇻 El Salvador	6.8	0.0	+0.1
113	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.8	+0.3	−11.7
114	🇧🇷 Brazil	6.7	−6.2	−19.5
115	🇪🇸 Spain	6.6	0.0	+0.5
116	Republic of Vietnam	6.4	−0.1	+0.1
117	🇲🇻 Maldives	6.3	0.0	0.0
118	🇸🇾 Syria	6.3	0.0	−13.5
119	🇹🇼 Taiwan	6.2	0.0	+0.7
120	🇪🇨 Ecuador	6.1	+0.3	−12.5
121	German Democratic Republic	6.0	0.0	−0.3
122	🇰🇲 Comoros	5.9	+0.1	+1.0
123	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.8	0.0	+0.6
124	🇭🇳 Honduras	5.7	−0.1	−2.3
125	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.7	0.0	0.0
126	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.6	0.0	+0.1
127	🇬🇹 Guatemala	5.5	−0.1	0.0
128	🇶🇦 Qatar	5.5	0.0	+0.5
129	🇨🇿 Czechia	5.5	0.0	+2.5
130	🇦🇱 Albania	5.4	0.0	0.0
131	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	4.6	+0.1	+3.1
132	🇾🇪 Yemen	4.4	0.0	+1.5
133	🇷🇴 Romania	4.2	+0.1	+1.0
134	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	4.2	0.0	+0.4
135	🇧🇴 Bolivia	4.0	−4.6	−5.7
136	Zanzibar	4.0	+0.6	−5.5
137	🇵🇾 Paraguay	3.9	0.0	−0.3
138	🇬🇳 Guinea	3.7	−0.1	−0.8
139	🇨🇳 China	3.7	0.0	−0.3
140	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	3.5	0.0	+0.7
141	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.4	0.0	+0.5
142	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	3.4	0.0	0.0
143	🇦🇴 Angola	3.4	0.0	0.0
144	🇩🇯 Djibouti	3.4	0.0	+0.6
145	🇭🇹 Haiti	3.0	0.0	−7.9
146	🇪🇷 Eritrea	2.5	0.0	−5.9
147	🇨🇺 Cuba	2.4	−0.2	−11.3
148	🇷🇺 Russia	2.3	0.0	+0.2
149	🇴🇲 Oman	2.2	−0.2	−0.3
150	🇲🇿 Mozambique	2.0	0.0	0.0
151	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	1.6	0.0	−26.5
152	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.5	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 1965, with the highest score of 86.9 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1965?

In 1965, the top three of 153 ranked countries are Denmark (86.9), Germany (80.0), and Norway (78.9).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1965?

Guinea-Bissau ranks #153 of 153 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 46.3 points over the past decade, standing at 51.0 (rank #25) in 1965.

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 1965 edition covers 153 countries.