Democracy Index 1970

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1970 — 154 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1970 — 154 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	87.6	0.0	+0.3
2	🇩🇪 Germany	81.1	+1.6	+2.6
3	🇦🇺 Australia	80.6	+1.6	+3.1
4	🇳🇴 Norway	80.4	+1.6	+3.5
5	🇳🇱 Netherlands	78.6	+0.6	+4.7
6	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	77.7	+0.8	+1.2
7	🇳🇿 New Zealand	76.8	+1.5	+3.7
8	🇧🇪 Belgium	76.7	+0.5	+1.7
9	🇫🇮 Finland	76.4	+0.1	−0.2
10	🇫🇷 France	75.0	+3.1	+11.7
11	🇯🇵 Japan	74.9	−0.1	0.0
12	🇨🇦 Canada	73.5	+0.9	+4.7
13	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	72.9	+0.7	+3.1
14	🇸🇪 Sweden	72.8	+0.1	+0.1
15	🇮🇸 Iceland	71.6	−0.1	+1.5
16	🇦🇹 Austria	71.4	+1.1	+2.5
17	🇮🇪 Ireland	71.1	+0.8	+3.4
18	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	65.3	+0.9	+2.4
19	🇮🇹 Italy	64.2	+1.8	+3.2
20	🇺🇸 United States of America	63.9	+3.2	+9.5
21	🇧🇧 Barbados	61.2	+0.8	+15.6
22	🇮🇱 Israel	59.4	+1.1	+6.6
23	🇨🇭 Switzerland	57.1	+0.3	+0.6
24	🇻🇪 Venezuela	55.5	+1.0	+4.0
25	🇲🇺 Mauritius	54.4	−1.1	+21.2
26	🇲🇹 Malta	51.8	0.0	+33.0
27	🇧🇼 Botswana	50.7	+1.9	+39.8
28	🇮🇳 India	49.3	−1.3	−2.1
29	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	48.4	+0.3	+11.1
30	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	47.9	−2.0	−2.2
31	🇨🇱 Chile	45.3	+1.4	+6.2
32	🇺🇾 Uruguay	44.0	−4.3	−22.4
33	🇸🇷 Suriname	43.0	+0.3	+0.4
34	🇯🇲 Jamaica	39.4	+0.8	+3.2
35	🇫🇯 Fiji	37.9	+6.7	+18.8
36	🇹🇷 Türkiye	36.9	−2.6	+23.6
37	🇬🇲 The Gambia	34.8	+4.9	+18.5
38	🇨🇾 Cyprus	34.6	+1.3	+13.4
39	🇬🇭 Ghana	32.2	+13.3	+5.3
40	🇸🇳 Senegal	29.5	+1.2	+5.1
41	🇸🇬 Singapore	26.9	+0.4	−2.6
42	🇰🇼 Kuwait	26.2	+0.1	+14.3
43	🇨🇴 Colombia	25.1	−0.2	+0.4
44	🇵🇭 Philippines	24.5	−2.4	−4.8
45	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	24.1	+0.5	+3.4
46	🇹🇿 Tanzania	23.9	−0.1	+12.2
47	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	22.8	+2.3	+7.1
48	🇱🇧 Lebanon	22.6	−0.3	+0.3
49	🇬🇾 Guyana	21.3	−0.7	−0.3
50	🇿🇲 Zambia	20.4	−0.2	+9.5
51	Republic of Vietnam	19.7	0.0	+3.2
52	🇸🇨 Seychelles	19.5	+1.4	+4.5
53	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	18.8	+0.6	+0.7
54	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	16.8	+1.6	+1.6
55	🇷🇼 Rwanda	16.7	−0.5	+9.6
56	🇯🇴 Jordan	16.0	+0.1	0.0
57	🇹🇳 Tunisia	14.8	0.0	+0.2
58	🇪🇬 Egypt	14.4	+0.5	+2.7
59	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.1	+0.1	+1.0
60	🇸🇿 Eswatini	13.6	0.0	+6.3
61	🇰🇷 South Korea	13.5	0.0	−8.8
62	🇵🇱 Poland	13.3	+0.1	−0.2
63	🇲🇾 Malaysia	13.3	−3.0	−8.4
64	🇲🇬 Madagascar	13.1	+0.2	+3.1
65	🇱🇦 Laos	13.0	0.0	−1.5
66	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	12.7	+1.1	−6.0
67	🇳🇪 Niger	12.7	−0.1	+0.9
68	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.3	+0.1	+0.4
69	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	12.1	0.0	−5.3
70	🇲🇷 Mauritania	11.7	+0.2	−2.8
71	🇷🇸 Serbia	11.7	0.0	+2.0
72	🇰🇪 Kenya	11.4	−1.3	+4.4
73	🇲🇦 Morocco	11.2	+2.6	+4.0
74	South Yemen	11.2	+1.9	−6.4
75	🇹🇭 Thailand	11.1	+0.5	+2.7
76	🇧🇯 Benin	11.1	−2.0	−8.4
77	🇱🇸 Lesotho	11.1	−3.4	+1.2
78	🇲🇽 Mexico	10.7	+0.1	+0.3
79	🇱🇷 Liberia	10.5	0.0	−0.1
80	🇬🇦 Gabon	10.2	+0.1	−0.4
81	🇲🇱 Mali	9.7	−0.2	−6.7
82	🇭🇺 Hungary	9.7	+0.2	+1.6
83	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	9.6	−0.1	+3.0
84	🇺🇬 Uganda	9.6	−0.2	−3.7
85	🇵🇰 Pakistan	9.5	+0.6	+1.4
86	🇿🇦 South Africa	9.3	0.0	−0.6
87	🇦🇷 Argentina	9.2	+0.8	−25.9
88	🇪🇨 Ecuador	9.0	−10.3	−9.4
89	🇲🇼 Malawi	8.8	0.0	+4.6
90	🇹🇩 Chad	8.8	−0.1	−1.6
91	🇳🇬 Nigeria	8.6	+0.1	−10.9
92	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	8.6	0.0	+0.3
93	🇰🇭 Cambodia	8.3	−6.7	−7.0
94	🇳🇵 Nepal	8.3	+0.1	−3.3
95	🇮🇷 Iran	8.3	0.0	+1.7
96	🇵🇹 Portugal	8.2	+0.4	+0.8
97	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	8.1	−0.1	+5.1
98	🇬🇹 Guatemala	8.0	−0.7	+0.2
99	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	7.8	+0.7	—
100	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	7.6	−0.2	−4.5
101	🇻🇳 Vietnam	7.2	0.0	−0.3
102	🇪🇸 Spain	7.2	+0.1	+0.6
103	🇨🇲 Cameroon	7.1	+0.1	—
104	🇹🇼 Taiwan	6.9	+0.8	+0.9
105	🇧🇷 Brazil	6.8	0.0	−20.2
106	🇲🇻 Maldives	6.8	−0.1	+0.3
107	🇵🇦 Panama	6.8	0.0	−14.2
108	🇧🇮 Burundi	6.7	+0.1	+0.4
109	🇬🇷 Greece	6.6	0.0	−24.2
110	🇸🇻 El Salvador	6.5	−0.1	−0.1
111	🇶🇦 Qatar	6.3	+0.7	+0.8
112	🇩🇿 Algeria	6.3	0.0	+2.8
113	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.2	−0.3	−1.7
114	German Democratic Republic	6.2	+0.2	−0.4
115	🇮🇩 Indonesia	6.0	−0.7	−4.9
116	🇰🇲 Comoros	6.0	+0.1	+0.2
117	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.8	0.0	+0.2
118	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.8	+0.2	+0.2
119	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.7	0.0	0.0
120	🇦🇱 Albania	5.4	0.0	0.0
121	🇭🇳 Honduras	5.4	0.0	−3.4
122	🇸🇩 Sudan	5.0	−0.5	+0.1
123	🇨🇿 Czechia	4.6	−0.8	−0.5
124	🇴🇲 Oman	4.4	+2.2	+1.9
125	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.2	0.0	+1.8
126	🇷🇴 Romania	4.2	0.0	+0.9
127	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	4.1	−0.1	+0.3
128	🇹🇬 Togo	4.0	0.0	−7.8
129	Zanzibar	4.0	0.0	−7.0
130	🇾🇪 Yemen	3.7	0.0	+0.4
131	🇵🇪 Peru	3.7	0.0	−22.1
132	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	3.6	+0.1	+0.2
133	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.6	+0.2	+0.2
134	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	3.6	0.0	−6.8
135	🇨🇳 China	3.6	+0.1	−0.1
136	🇬🇳 Guinea	3.5	−0.1	−1.2
137	🇦🇴 Angola	3.5	0.0	+0.1
138	🇩🇯 Djibouti	3.5	−0.1	+0.1
139	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	3.4	0.0	0.0
140	🇭🇹 Haiti	3.0	0.0	0.0
141	🇱🇾 Libya	3.0	−4.3	−10.0
142	🇧🇴 Bolivia	2.9	−1.3	−8.3
143	🇸🇾 Syria	2.7	−1.6	−3.4
144	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	2.7	−1.1	−7.5
145	🇨🇺 Cuba	2.5	0.0	−0.5
146	🇷🇺 Russia	2.4	+0.1	0.0
147	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	2.4	−3.3	−15.5
148	🇪🇷 Eritrea	2.4	−0.1	−4.8
149	🇲🇿 Mozambique	2.1	+0.1	0.0
150	🇸🇴 Somalia	2.0	−8.6	−22.0
151	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	2.0	−2.5	−1.6
152	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.5	0.0	0.0
153	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	1.4	0.0	−26.1
154	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	1.2	−0.1	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 1970, with the highest score of 87.6 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1970?

In 1970, the top three of 154 ranked countries are Denmark (87.6), Germany (81.1), and Australia (80.6).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1970?

Guinea-Bissau ranks #154 of 154 with a score of 1.2.

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

Botswana shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 39.8 points over the past decade, standing at 50.7 (rank #27) in 1970.

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 1970 edition covers 154 countries.