Democracy Index 1966

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1966 — 154 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1966 — 154 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	86.9	0.0	−0.1
2	🇩🇪 Germany	79.6	−0.4	+1.8
3	🇳🇴 Norway	78.7	−0.2	+5.1
4	🇦🇺 Australia	78.4	0.0	+0.8
5	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	76.8	0.0	+3.0
6	🇧🇪 Belgium	76.3	+0.1	+11.5
7	🇳🇱 Netherlands	76.0	+2.9	+4.1
8	🇫🇮 Finland	75.8	−0.4	+0.1
9	🇳🇿 New Zealand	75.2	+0.1	+4.6
10	🇯🇵 Japan	74.9	0.0	+1.3
11	🇨🇦 Canada	73.4	+0.2	+7.2
12	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	72.8	−0.1	+3.5
13	🇸🇪 Sweden	72.7	−0.1	+0.4
14	🇮🇸 Iceland	71.3	+1.2	+1.2
15	🇮🇪 Ireland	70.4	+0.1	+3.5
16	🇦🇹 Austria	70.0	+1.0	+1.0
17	🇫🇷 France	66.6	0.0	+4.6
18	🇺🇾 Uruguay	64.6	+0.5	−2.3
19	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	64.3	+1.1	+1.9
20	🇮🇹 Italy	61.9	0.0	+2.8
21	🇺🇸 United States of America	59.4	+2.4	+7.7
22	🇧🇧 Barbados	57.9	+11.4	+22.3
23	🇨🇭 Switzerland	56.8	0.0	+0.7
24	🇮🇱 Israel	55.0	+1.7	+4.7
25	🇲🇹 Malta	51.8	+0.1	+1.5
26	🇻🇪 Venezuela	51.0	0.0	+46.3
27	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	49.9	−0.3	+1.7
28	🇮🇳 India	48.8	−0.1	−1.8
29	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	45.8	+0.3	+16.9
30	🇨🇱 Chile	43.2	+0.1	+13.8
31	🇸🇷 Suriname	42.8	0.0	+0.5
32	🇯🇲 Jamaica	40.6	0.0	+4.5
33	🇲🇺 Mauritius	39.8	0.0	+8.9
34	🇹🇷 Türkiye	36.3	+10.4	+16.0
35	🇧🇼 Botswana	35.5	+16.3	+25.3
36	🇵🇪 Peru	33.6	0.0	+21.0
37	🇨🇾 Cyprus	33.2	0.0	+24.7
38	🇬🇲 The Gambia	29.2	+5.8	+15.2
39	🇬🇷 Greece	28.4	−3.0	−2.5
40	🇵🇭 Philippines	28.2	−0.6	+0.3
41	🇰🇼 Kuwait	27.6	+2.5	+16.5
42	🇸🇳 Senegal	26.3	+0.1	+14.5
43	🇸🇬 Singapore	25.8	0.0	+4.6
44	🇨🇴 Colombia	25.0	−0.1	+15.1
45	🇹🇿 Tanzania	24.2	−0.9	+14.8
46	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	23.5	0.0	+4.3
47	🇱🇧 Lebanon	23.0	0.0	+0.9
48	🇸🇴 Somalia	22.6	−0.5	+5.3
49	🇫🇯 Fiji	22.2	+0.5	+3.3
50	🇿🇲 Zambia	21.1	0.0	+10.5
51	🇲🇾 Malaysia	21.0	0.0	−0.9
52	🇱🇸 Lesotho	20.9	+5.9	+11.7
53	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	20.4	0.0	+10.7
54	🇦🇷 Argentina	20.1	−22.6	+9.8
55	🇬🇾 Guyana	19.7	−0.9	+4.0
56	🇵🇦 Panama	18.4	−0.1	−1.8
57	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	18.0	0.0	+0.6
58	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	17.7	−0.3	+8.7
59	🇷🇼 Rwanda	17.1	−0.1	+14.2
60	🇲🇱 Mali	16.6	0.0	+7.2
61	🇯🇴 Jordan	16.2	0.0	−1.7
62	🇸🇨 Seychelles	16.0	0.0	+1.0
63	South Yemen	15.6	−0.4	−3.2
64	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	15.2	0.0	−0.1
65	🇰🇭 Cambodia	15.1	0.0	0.0
66	🇰🇪 Kenya	14.9	−0.9	+9.6
67	🇺🇬 Uganda	14.9	−7.6	+3.7
68	🇹🇳 Tunisia	14.8	0.0	+8.2
69	🇪🇬 Egypt	14.2	0.0	+5.0
70	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.0	−0.3	+5.7
71	🇱🇾 Libya	13.7	+0.1	+0.8
72	🇰🇷 South Korea	13.5	0.0	−1.1
73	🇵🇱 Poland	13.1	0.0	+2.1
74	🇵🇰 Pakistan	13.0	+0.4	−2.5
75	🇲🇬 Madagascar	12.9	−0.1	+5.2
76	🇳🇪 Niger	12.8	−0.3	+5.1
77	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	12.6	−8.0	−0.6
78	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	12.4	−0.2	−6.2
79	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.0	0.0	+1.5
80	🇸🇿 Eswatini	11.8	+0.2	+4.5
81	🇲🇷 Mauritania	11.6	−0.2	+3.2
82	🇷🇸 Serbia	11.6	0.0	+1.8
83	🇱🇦 Laos	11.1	+0.1	−1.9
84	🇬🇭 Ghana	11.0	−9.5	−10.3
85	🇳🇬 Nigeria	11.0	−7.3	−1.6
86	🇧🇯 Benin	10.8	−11.2	+2.7
87	🇱🇷 Liberia	10.5	0.0	+0.1
88	🇧🇮 Burundi	10.4	−2.5	+5.0
89	Palestine/Gaza	10.4	0.0	+1.4
90	🇲🇽 Mexico	10.3	0.0	−0.2
91	🇸🇩 Sudan	10.2	−0.1	−4.1
92	🇹🇬 Togo	10.2	0.0	+4.1
93	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	9.7	+0.2	+3.1
94	🇿🇦 South Africa	9.3	−0.1	−0.8
95	🇹🇩 Chad	9.3	−0.3	+2.9
96	🇭🇺 Hungary	9.2	+0.1	+2.3
97	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	9.1	0.0	−1.2
98	🇬🇦 Gabon	9.1	−0.2	+2.9
99	🇲🇦 Morocco	8.8	−4.7	+2.4
100	🇲🇼 Malawi	8.6	−1.2	+4.5
101	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	8.6	0.0	+0.3
102	🇹🇭 Thailand	8.4	0.0	−2.3
103	🇳🇵 Nepal	8.2	0.0	+0.9
104	🇮🇷 Iran	8.1	0.0	+1.7
105	🇬🇹 Guatemala	7.8	+2.3	+1.3
106	🇮🇩 Indonesia	7.5	−1.4	−29.4
107	🇵🇹 Portugal	7.2	−0.2	−0.1
108	🇻🇳 Vietnam	7.2	0.0	−0.8
109	🇨🇲 Cameroon	7.0	−0.1	—
110	🇸🇻 El Salvador	6.8	0.0	+0.1
111	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.8	0.0	−11.7
112	🇧🇷 Brazil	6.7	0.0	−19.6
113	🇪🇸 Spain	6.7	+0.1	+0.7
114	Republic of Vietnam	6.7	+0.3	−8.8
115	🇪🇨 Ecuador	6.5	+0.4	−12.0
116	🇩🇿 Algeria	6.3	−1.4	+1.2
117	🇹🇼 Taiwan	6.2	0.0	+0.7
118	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	6.0	−1.4	+3.0
119	German Democratic Republic	6.0	0.0	−0.3
120	🇲🇻 Maldives	5.9	−0.4	−0.4
121	🇰🇲 Comoros	5.9	0.0	+1.0
122	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.8	0.0	+0.6
123	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.8	+0.1	+0.1
124	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.6	0.0	+0.1
125	🇭🇳 Honduras	5.5	−0.2	−3.2
126	🇶🇦 Qatar	5.5	0.0	+0.5
127	🇨🇿 Czechia	5.5	0.0	+2.2
128	🇦🇱 Albania	5.4	0.0	0.0
129	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	4.9	−4.6	+1.5
130	🇸🇾 Syria	4.8	−1.5	−15.0
131	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	4.6	0.0	+3.1
132	🇾🇪 Yemen	4.4	0.0	+1.5
133	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.3	+0.4	+0.1
134	🇷🇴 Romania	4.2	0.0	+1.0
135	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	4.2	0.0	+0.4
136	Zanzibar	4.0	0.0	−5.6
137	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	3.8	—	−8.0
138	🇬🇳 Guinea	3.7	0.0	−0.8
139	🇨🇳 China	3.6	−0.1	−0.4
140	🇧🇴 Bolivia	3.5	−0.5	−7.0
141	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	3.5	0.0	+0.2
142	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.4	0.0	0.0
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	🇭🇹 Haiti	3.0	0.0	−2.8
147	🇪🇷 Eritrea	2.5	0.0	−6.9
148	🇨🇺 Cuba	2.4	0.0	−11.6
149	🇷🇺 Russia	2.3	0.0	+0.1
150	🇴🇲 Oman	2.2	0.0	−0.3
151	🇲🇿 Mozambique	2.0	0.0	0.0
152	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.5	0.0	−0.2
153	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	1.4	−0.2	−26.7
154	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	1.3	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 1966, with the highest score of 86.9 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1966?

In 1966, the top three of 154 ranked countries are Denmark (86.9), Germany (79.6), and Norway (78.7).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1966?

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 46.3 points over the past decade, standing at 51.0 (rank #26) in 1966.

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 1966 edition covers 154 countries.