Democracy Index 1971

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1971 — 156 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1971 — 156 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	87.7	+0.1	+0.2
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	85.3	+12.5	+12.5
3	🇩🇪 Germany	81.0	−0.1	+2.1
4	🇦🇺 Australia	80.6	0.0	+3.1
5	🇳🇴 Norway	80.4	0.0	+3.4
6	🇳🇱 Netherlands	78.7	+0.1	+4.8
7	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	77.7	0.0	+1.2
8	🇳🇿 New Zealand	76.8	0.0	+3.6
9	🇧🇪 Belgium	76.7	0.0	+1.9
10	🇫🇮 Finland	76.4	0.0	−0.2
11	🇫🇷 France	75.5	+0.5	+12.2
12	🇯🇵 Japan	75.1	+0.2	0.0
13	🇨🇦 Canada	74.3	+0.8	+3.3
14	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	73.4	+0.5	+3.5
15	🇮🇸 Iceland	71.7	+0.1	+1.4
16	🇦🇹 Austria	71.6	+0.2	+2.7
17	🇮🇪 Ireland	71.1	0.0	+2.8
18	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	65.5	+0.2	+2.6
19	🇺🇸 United States of America	64.6	+0.7	+8.7
20	🇮🇹 Italy	64.1	−0.1	+3.2
21	🇧🇧 Barbados	61.2	0.0	+15.5
22	🇮🇱 Israel	59.4	0.0	+6.0
23	🇨🇭 Switzerland	57.4	+0.3	+0.9
24	🇻🇪 Venezuela	55.8	+0.3	+2.7
25	🇲🇺 Mauritius	53.8	−0.6	+20.6
26	🇨🇱 Chile	53.0	+7.7	+13.5
27	🇧🇼 Botswana	50.8	+0.1	+35.5
28	🇲🇹 Malta	50.3	−1.5	+31.5
29	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	47.3	−1.1	+9.9
30	🇮🇳 India	45.8	−3.5	−5.6
31	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	44.1	−3.8	−6.4
32	🇸🇷 Suriname	43.0	0.0	+0.4
33	🇺🇾 Uruguay	41.1	−2.9	−25.3
34	🇯🇲 Jamaica	39.4	0.0	+3.2
35	🇫🇯 Fiji	38.3	+0.4	+19.1
36	🇨🇾 Cyprus	35.6	+1.0	+2.4
37	🇬🇲 The Gambia	35.0	+0.2	+17.6
38	🇬🇭 Ghana	34.9	+2.7	+10.0
39	🇸🇳 Senegal	29.4	−0.1	+0.6
40	🇹🇷 Türkiye	28.3	−8.6	+16.8
41	🇰🇼 Kuwait	27.2	+1.0	+10.0
42	🇸🇬 Singapore	26.9	0.0	−2.6
43	🇨🇴 Colombia	25.8	+0.7	+0.9
44	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	24.1	0.0	+3.2
45	🇹🇿 Tanzania	24.0	+0.1	+4.6
46	🇸🇨 Seychelles	23.3	+3.8	+8.4
47	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	22.8	0.0	+7.1
48	🇱🇧 Lebanon	22.6	0.0	−0.7
49	🇬🇾 Guyana	21.3	0.0	−0.2
50	🇵🇭 Philippines	21.2	−3.3	−8.1
51	Republic of Vietnam	19.6	−0.1	+3.0
52	🇿🇲 Zambia	19.5	−0.9	+8.5
53	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	18.8	0.0	+0.7
54	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	18.1	+1.3	+2.9
55	🇷🇼 Rwanda	16.6	−0.1	+5.2
56	🇪🇬 Egypt	16.2	+1.8	+5.2
57	🇯🇴 Jordan	16.1	+0.1	+0.1
58	🇹🇳 Tunisia	14.8	0.0	+0.2
59	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.0	−0.1	−0.2
60	🇲🇦 Morocco	14.0	+2.8	+6.3
61	🇰🇷 South Korea	13.5	0.0	+1.3
62	🇵🇱 Poland	13.3	0.0	+0.1
63	🇸🇿 Eswatini	13.3	−0.3	+6.0
64	🇲🇾 Malaysia	13.3	0.0	−8.6
65	🇲🇬 Madagascar	13.2	+0.1	+2.1
66	🇱🇦 Laos	13.0	0.0	+0.6
67	🇳🇪 Niger	12.6	−0.1	−0.7
68	🇱🇷 Liberia	12.6	+2.1	+2.0
69	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	12.5	−0.2	−9.0
70	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.3	0.0	+0.3
71	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	12.0	−0.1	−5.4
72	🇲🇷 Mauritania	11.7	0.0	+1.0
73	🇷🇸 Serbia	11.7	0.0	+2.0
74	🇰🇪 Kenya	11.4	0.0	+4.1
75	South Yemen	11.2	0.0	−6.4
76	🇹🇭 Thailand	10.9	−0.2	+2.5
77	🇲🇽 Mexico	10.7	0.0	+0.3
78	🇧🇯 Benin	10.6	−0.5	−11.7
79	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	10.4	—	—
80	🇱🇸 Lesotho	10.3	−0.8	+0.3
81	🇬🇦 Gabon	10.1	−0.1	−1.3
82	🇭🇺 Hungary	9.8	+0.1	+1.6
83	🇲🇱 Mali	9.7	0.0	−7.5
84	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	9.6	0.0	+3.0
85	🇭🇳 Honduras	9.5	+4.1	+0.8
86	🇦🇷 Argentina	9.4	+0.2	−26.6
87	🇿🇦 South Africa	9.3	0.0	+0.1
88	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	9.1	+1.5	−4.9
89	🇳🇬 Nigeria	8.8	+0.2	−10.8
90	🇪🇨 Ecuador	8.8	−0.2	−9.3
91	🇹🇩 Chad	8.8	0.0	−2.8
92	🇲🇼 Malawi	8.6	−0.2	+2.6
93	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	8.6	0.0	+0.2
94	🇳🇵 Nepal	8.3	0.0	+2.6
95	🇮🇷 Iran	8.3	0.0	+1.5
96	🇵🇹 Portugal	8.2	0.0	+0.8
97	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	8.2	+0.1	+4.3
98	🇬🇹 Guatemala	7.9	−0.1	0.0
99	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	7.8	0.0	—
100	🇶🇦 Qatar	7.3	+1.0	+1.8
101	🇻🇳 Vietnam	7.2	0.0	+0.1
102	🇪🇸 Spain	7.2	0.0	+0.6
103	🇾🇪 Yemen	7.1	+3.4	+3.8
104	🇵🇰 Pakistan	7.1	−2.4	−1.0
105	🇨🇲 Cameroon	6.9	−0.2	−0.2
106	🇧🇷 Brazil	6.8	0.0	−20.5
107	🇹🇼 Taiwan	6.8	−0.1	+0.8
108	🇰🇭 Cambodia	6.8	−1.5	−8.5
109	🇲🇻 Maldives	6.8	0.0	+0.3
110	🇵🇦 Panama	6.8	0.0	−14.4
111	🇧🇮 Burundi	6.6	−0.1	−1.2
112	🇬🇷 Greece	6.6	0.0	−24.1
113	🇸🇻 El Salvador	6.5	0.0	+1.3
114	🇩🇿 Algeria	6.3	0.0	+2.8
115	🇮🇩 Indonesia	6.2	+0.2	−4.3
116	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.2	0.0	−1.5
117	German Democratic Republic	6.2	0.0	+0.2
118	🇰🇲 Comoros	6.0	0.0	+0.2
119	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.8	0.0	0.0
120	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.8	0.0	+0.3
121	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.7	0.0	0.0
122	🇦🇱 Albania	5.4	0.0	0.0
123	🇸🇩 Sudan	5.2	+0.2	+0.3
124	🇴🇲 Oman	4.9	+0.5	+2.4
125	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	4.8	—	—
126	🇨🇿 Czechia	4.6	0.0	−0.8
127	🇹🇬 Togo	4.3	+0.3	−8.1
128	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.2	0.0	+0.9
129	🇷🇴 Romania	4.2	0.0	+0.1
130	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	4.1	0.0	+0.3
131	Zanzibar	4.0	0.0	−7.9
132	🇸🇾 Syria	3.8	+1.1	−3.0
133	🇵🇪 Peru	3.7	0.0	−21.9
134	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	3.6	0.0	+0.1
135	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	3.6	0.0	−8.1
136	🇨🇳 China	3.6	0.0	−0.1
137	🇺🇬 Uganda	3.5	−6.1	−10.1
138	🇬🇳 Guinea	3.5	0.0	−0.5
139	🇦🇴 Angola	3.5	0.0	+0.1
140	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.4	−0.2	0.0
141	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	3.4	0.0	0.0
142	🇭🇹 Haiti	3.3	+0.3	+0.3
143	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.2	+0.5	−11.6
144	🇩🇯 Djibouti	3.2	−0.3	−0.2
145	🇱🇾 Libya	2.7	−0.3	−10.3
146	🇷🇺 Russia	2.5	+0.1	+0.1
147	🇨🇺 Cuba	2.5	0.0	−0.2
148	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	2.4	0.0	−17.1
149	🇪🇷 Eritrea	2.4	0.0	−4.5
150	🇲🇿 Mozambique	2.1	0.0	+0.1
151	🇸🇴 Somalia	2.0	0.0	−22.0
152	🇧🇴 Bolivia	1.8	−1.1	−9.4
153	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.5	0.0	0.0
154	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	1.4	0.0	−26.1
155	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	1.2	0.0	0.0
156	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	1.0	−1.0	−2.6

Frequently asked questions

Which countries are the most liberal democracies?

Denmark ranks #1 of 156 countries on the V-Dem liberal democracy index index in 1971, with the highest score of 87.7 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1971?

In 1971, the top three of 156 ranked countries are Denmark (87.7), Sweden (85.3), and Germany (81.0).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1971?

Equatorial Guinea ranks #156 of 156 with a score of 1.0.

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

Botswana shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 35.5 points over the past decade, standing at 50.8 (rank #27) in 1971.

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 1971 edition covers 156 countries.