Democracy Index 1972

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1972 — 156 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1972 — 156 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	87.9	+0.2	+0.4
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	85.9	+0.6	+13.1
3	🇩🇪 Germany	81.0	0.0	+1.6
4	🇦🇺 Australia	80.5	−0.1	+2.7
5	🇳🇴 Norway	80.4	0.0	+3.3
6	🇳🇱 Netherlands	79.3	+0.6	+5.4
7	🇨🇭 Switzerland	78.9	+21.5	+22.4
8	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	77.7	0.0	+1.2
9	🇧🇪 Belgium	77.2	+0.5	+1.5
10	🇳🇿 New Zealand	76.9	+0.1	+2.5
11	🇫🇮 Finland	76.1	−0.3	+0.3
12	🇯🇵 Japan	75.3	+0.2	+0.2
13	🇫🇷 France	74.8	−0.7	+11.2
14	🇨🇦 Canada	74.4	+0.1	+2.3
15	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	73.4	0.0	+3.5
16	🇦🇹 Austria	72.3	+0.7	+3.4
17	🇮🇸 Iceland	71.9	+0.2	+1.6
18	🇮🇪 Ireland	71.1	0.0	+1.6
19	🇺🇸 United States of America	65.9	+1.3	+9.9
20	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	65.5	0.0	+2.3
21	🇮🇹 Italy	64.0	−0.1	+2.9
22	🇧🇧 Barbados	61.5	+0.3	+14.7
23	🇮🇱 Israel	61.2	+1.8	+7.5
24	🇻🇪 Venezuela	56.8	+1.0	+4.1
25	🇲🇺 Mauritius	54.0	+0.2	+13.8
26	🇨🇱 Chile	52.0	−1.0	+12.4
27	🇧🇼 Botswana	50.8	0.0	+33.6
28	🇲🇹 Malta	50.3	0.0	+27.9
29	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	46.8	−0.5	+2.6
30	🇮🇳 India	45.5	−0.3	−4.6
31	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	43.1	−1.0	−7.5
32	🇸🇷 Suriname	43.0	0.0	+0.4
33	🇫🇯 Fiji	39.8	+1.5	+20.6
34	🇯🇲 Jamaica	39.5	+0.1	−0.8
35	🇨🇾 Cyprus	35.9	+0.3	+2.4
36	🇬🇲 The Gambia	33.9	−1.1	+13.6
37	🇺🇾 Uruguay	33.7	−7.4	−32.7
38	🇸🇳 Senegal	29.6	+0.2	+0.3
39	🇹🇷 Türkiye	29.1	+0.8	+6.0
40	🇰🇼 Kuwait	27.4	+0.2	+6.2
41	🇸🇬 Singapore	27.1	+0.2	−2.4
42	🇨🇴 Colombia	26.1	+0.3	+1.0
43	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	24.9	+0.8	+3.9
44	🇹🇿 Tanzania	23.8	−0.2	−0.7
45	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	22.8	0.0	+7.1
46	🇱🇧 Lebanon	21.9	−0.7	−1.3
47	🇸🇨 Seychelles	21.7	−1.6	+6.8
48	🇬🇾 Guyana	21.0	−0.3	0.0
49	Republic of Vietnam	19.6	0.0	+3.0
50	🇿🇲 Zambia	19.4	−0.1	+8.3
51	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	18.8	0.0	+0.7
52	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	18.1	0.0	+2.9
53	🇲🇾 Malaysia	17.0	+3.7	−4.8
54	🇷🇼 Rwanda	16.8	+0.2	−0.9
55	🇪🇬 Egypt	16.0	−0.2	+6.4
56	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	16.0	+5.6	—
57	🇯🇴 Jordan	15.8	−0.3	−0.5
58	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	15.1	+2.6	−6.2
59	🇹🇳 Tunisia	14.8	0.0	0.0
60	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.0	0.0	−0.3
61	🇲🇦 Morocco	14.0	0.0	+5.6
62	🇱🇷 Liberia	13.7	+1.1	+3.1
63	🇵🇱 Poland	13.4	+0.1	+0.3
64	🇸🇿 Eswatini	13.2	−0.1	+5.9
65	🇱🇦 Laos	12.9	−0.1	+0.5
66	🇳🇪 Niger	12.6	0.0	−0.6
67	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.5	+0.2	+0.5
68	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	12.0	0.0	−5.4
69	🇲🇷 Mauritania	11.8	+0.1	−0.3
70	🇷🇸 Serbia	11.7	0.0	+2.0
71	🇰🇪 Kenya	11.4	0.0	+4.2
72	🇵🇰 Pakistan	11.2	+4.1	+1.1
73	South Yemen	11.2	0.0	−6.4
74	🇬🇭 Ghana	11.1	−23.8	−11.6
75	🇲🇽 Mexico	10.8	+0.1	+0.4
76	🇭🇳 Honduras	10.8	+1.3	+1.9
77	🇰🇷 South Korea	10.6	−2.9	+0.3
78	🇱🇸 Lesotho	10.3	0.0	−0.7
79	🇬🇦 Gabon	10.1	0.0	−1.3
80	🇹🇭 Thailand	9.9	−1.0	+1.5
81	🇭🇺 Hungary	9.8	0.0	+1.3
82	🇲🇱 Mali	9.7	0.0	−7.9
83	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	9.5	−0.1	+2.9
84	🇦🇷 Argentina	9.4	0.0	−11.1
85	🇳🇬 Nigeria	9.4	+0.6	−10.2
86	🇿🇦 South Africa	9.3	0.0	−0.1
87	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	9.0	−0.1	−9.6
88	🇲🇬 Madagascar	8.9	−4.3	−4.2
89	🇧🇯 Benin	8.8	−1.8	−13.5
90	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	8.7	+0.1	+0.2
91	🇲🇼 Malawi	8.6	0.0	−0.5
92	🇹🇩 Chad	8.6	−0.2	−1.7
93	🇮🇷 Iran	8.3	0.0	+1.2
94	🇵🇹 Portugal	8.2	0.0	+0.8
95	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	8.2	0.0	+1.9
96	🇳🇵 Nepal	7.9	−0.4	+2.9
97	🇬🇹 Guatemala	7.9	0.0	+0.2
98	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	7.8	0.0	—
99	🇰🇭 Cambodia	7.5	+0.7	−7.7
100	🇪🇨 Ecuador	7.3	−1.5	−11.2
101	🇶🇦 Qatar	7.3	0.0	+1.8
102	🇪🇸 Spain	7.3	+0.1	+0.7
103	🇰🇲 Comoros	7.3	+1.3	+1.5
104	🇻🇳 Vietnam	7.2	0.0	+0.1
105	🇵🇦 Panama	7.2	+0.4	−14.0
106	🇨🇲 Cameroon	7.1	+0.2	0.0
107	🇧🇷 Brazil	6.8	0.0	−20.4
108	🇮🇩 Indonesia	6.8	+0.6	−3.7
109	🇲🇻 Maldives	6.8	0.0	+0.3
110	🇹🇼 Taiwan	6.7	−0.1	+0.6
111	🇬🇷 Greece	6.6	0.0	−23.8
112	🇵🇭 Philippines	6.5	−14.7	−22.7
113	🇧🇮 Burundi	6.5	−0.1	−6.6
114	🇩🇿 Algeria	6.3	0.0	+2.1
115	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.2	0.0	−1.4
116	🇾🇪 Yemen	6.1	−1.0	+2.8
117	German Democratic Republic	6.1	−0.1	+0.1
118	🇸🇻 El Salvador	6.0	−0.5	−0.2
119	🇸🇩 Sudan	5.8	+0.6	+1.0
120	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.8	0.0	0.0
121	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.8	0.0	+0.2
122	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.7	0.0	0.0
123	🇦🇱 Albania	5.4	0.0	0.0
124	🇴🇲 Oman	4.9	0.0	+2.4
125	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	4.8	0.0	—
126	🇨🇿 Czechia	4.4	−0.2	−1.0
127	🇹🇬 Togo	4.3	0.0	−5.8
128	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.2	0.0	+0.5
129	🇷🇴 Romania	4.2	0.0	+0.1
130	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	4.1	0.0	+0.1
131	🇸🇾 Syria	4.0	+0.2	−11.6
132	Zanzibar	4.0	0.0	−7.8
133	🇵🇪 Peru	3.7	0.0	−10.4
134	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	3.6	0.0	+0.1
135	🇨🇳 China	3.6	0.0	−0.1
136	🇭🇹 Haiti	3.5	+0.2	+0.5
137	🇬🇳 Guinea	3.5	0.0	−0.5
138	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	3.5	+0.1	+0.1
139	🇦🇴 Angola	3.5	0.0	+0.1
140	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	3.4	−0.2	−8.2
141	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.2	0.0	−11.6
142	🇩🇯 Djibouti	3.2	0.0	−0.2
143	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.1	−0.3	−0.3
144	🇱🇾 Libya	2.7	0.0	−10.3
145	🇷🇺 Russia	2.5	0.0	+0.2
146	🇨🇺 Cuba	2.5	0.0	0.0
147	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	2.4	0.0	−16.4
148	🇪🇷 Eritrea	2.4	0.0	−1.8
149	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	2.3	+1.1	+1.0
150	🇺🇬 Uganda	2.1	−1.4	−13.8
151	🇲🇿 Mozambique	2.0	−0.1	0.0
152	🇸🇴 Somalia	2.0	0.0	−22.1
153	🇧🇴 Bolivia	1.7	−0.1	−9.4
154	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.5	0.0	0.0
155	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	1.4	0.0	−3.9
156	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	0.8	−0.2	−2.8

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 1972, with the highest score of 87.9 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1972?

In 1972, the top three of 156 ranked countries are Denmark (87.9), Sweden (85.9), and Germany (81.0).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1972?

Equatorial Guinea ranks #156 of 156 with a score of 0.8.

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

Botswana shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 33.6 points over the past decade, standing at 50.8 (rank #27) in 1972.

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 1972 edition covers 156 countries.