Democracy Index 1973

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1973 — 156 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1973 — 156 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	88.0	+0.1	+0.4
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	85.9	0.0	+13.1
3	🇦🇺 Australia	82.0	+1.5	+3.3
4	🇩🇪 Germany	80.8	−0.2	+0.9
5	🇳🇴 Norway	80.4	0.0	+3.3
6	🇳🇱 Netherlands	79.1	−0.2	+5.7
7	🇨🇭 Switzerland	78.9	0.0	+22.4
8	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	77.7	0.0	+0.7
9	🇧🇪 Belgium	77.2	0.0	+1.3
10	🇳🇿 New Zealand	76.6	−0.3	+1.3
11	🇫🇷 France	76.0	+1.2	+9.4
12	🇫🇮 Finland	75.8	−0.3	0.0
13	🇨🇦 Canada	75.0	+0.6	+1.7
14	🇯🇵 Japan	74.9	−0.4	−0.2
15	🇦🇹 Austria	73.6	+1.3	+4.7
16	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	73.4	0.0	+3.5
17	🇮🇸 Iceland	71.9	0.0	+1.7
18	🇮🇪 Ireland	71.1	0.0	+1.5
19	🇺🇸 United States of America	68.9	+3.0	+11.9
20	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	65.5	0.0	+2.3
21	🇮🇹 Italy	64.5	+0.5	+2.7
22	🇧🇧 Barbados	61.9	+0.4	+15.4
23	🇮🇱 Israel	61.6	+0.4	+7.9
24	🇻🇪 Venezuela	56.2	−0.6	+3.7
25	🇲🇺 Mauritius	53.7	−0.3	+13.4
26	🇧🇼 Botswana	50.8	0.0	+33.5
27	🇲🇹 Malta	50.3	0.0	+0.1
28	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	47.1	+0.3	+2.0
29	🇮🇳 India	45.5	0.0	−4.4
30	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	42.7	−0.4	−7.9
31	🇸🇷 Suriname	42.6	−0.4	−0.2
32	🇫🇯 Fiji	42.0	+2.2	+20.6
33	🇯🇲 Jamaica	39.8	+0.3	−1.4
34	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	36.4	+11.5	+15.4
35	🇨🇾 Cyprus	36.3	+0.4	+3.0
36	🇬🇲 The Gambia	33.6	−0.3	+11.7
37	🇹🇷 Türkiye	31.0	+1.9	+6.5
38	🇸🇳 Senegal	28.9	−0.7	−0.3
39	🇦🇷 Argentina	27.7	+18.3	+5.1
40	🇸🇬 Singapore	27.4	+0.3	−2.6
41	🇰🇼 Kuwait	27.0	−0.4	+2.2
42	🇨🇴 Colombia	26.1	0.0	+1.0
43	🇹🇿 Tanzania	23.9	+0.1	−4.3
44	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	23.0	+0.2	+7.3
45	🇸🇨 Seychelles	21.7	0.0	+6.6
46	🇱🇧 Lebanon	21.6	−0.3	−1.6
47	🇬🇾 Guyana	20.6	−0.4	−0.4
48	Republic of Vietnam	19.6	0.0	+4.4
49	🇨🇱 Chile	19.1	−32.9	−21.2
50	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	18.9	+2.9	—
51	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	18.8	0.0	+0.7
52	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	18.1	0.0	+2.9
53	🇲🇾 Malaysia	17.0	0.0	−4.8
54	🇪🇬 Egypt	16.0	0.0	+5.9
55	🇿🇲 Zambia	15.9	−3.5	+4.2
56	🇯🇴 Jordan	15.8	0.0	−0.5
57	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	15.1	0.0	−6.2
58	🇹🇳 Tunisia	14.8	0.0	0.0
59	🇷🇼 Rwanda	14.6	−2.2	−3.0
60	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.0	0.0	−0.3
61	🇲🇦 Morocco	13.8	−0.2	+1.6
62	🇱🇷 Liberia	13.7	0.0	+3.1
63	🇵🇱 Poland	13.4	0.0	+0.3
64	🇵🇰 Pakistan	13.3	+2.1	+1.3
65	🇱🇦 Laos	12.9	0.0	+0.5
66	🇳🇪 Niger	12.7	+0.1	−0.5
67	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.5	0.0	+0.5
68	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	12.0	0.0	−5.2
69	🇱🇸 Lesotho	11.8	+1.5	+1.5
70	🇲🇷 Mauritania	11.7	−0.1	−0.4
71	🇷🇸 Serbia	11.7	0.0	+0.4
72	🇰🇪 Kenya	11.4	0.0	−0.4
73	🇹🇭 Thailand	11.3	+1.4	+2.9
74	South Yemen	11.2	0.0	−6.0
75	🇲🇽 Mexico	10.8	0.0	+0.4
76	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	10.4	+1.7	+1.9
77	🇬🇦 Gabon	10.1	0.0	−1.3
78	🇰🇷 South Korea	9.8	−0.8	−1.0
79	🇭🇺 Hungary	9.8	0.0	+1.5
80	🇲🇱 Mali	9.7	0.0	−7.6
81	🇸🇿 Eswatini	9.7	−3.5	+2.3
82	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	9.5	+0.5	−9.1
83	🇿🇦 South Africa	9.3	0.0	−0.1
84	🇳🇬 Nigeria	9.3	−0.1	−10.3
85	🇬🇭 Ghana	8.8	−2.3	−13.7
86	🇰🇭 Cambodia	8.6	+1.1	−6.5
87	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	8.6	+5.1	+5.2
88	🇲🇼 Malawi	8.6	0.0	−2.4
89	🇹🇩 Chad	8.6	0.0	−1.3
90	🇵🇹 Portugal	8.4	+0.2	+1.0
91	🇲🇬 Madagascar	8.4	−0.5	−4.7
92	🇮🇷 Iran	8.3	0.0	+1.1
93	🇧🇯 Benin	8.2	−0.6	−14.1
94	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	8.2	0.0	−12.0
95	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	8.1	−1.4	+1.0
96	🇳🇵 Nepal	8.0	+0.1	0.0
97	🇬🇹 Guatemala	7.9	0.0	+1.9
98	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	7.8	0.0	—
99	🇰🇲 Comoros	7.8	+0.5	+2.0
100	🇵🇦 Panama	7.4	+0.2	−13.8
101	🇶🇦 Qatar	7.3	0.0	+1.8
102	🇪🇸 Spain	7.3	0.0	+0.7
103	🇻🇳 Vietnam	7.2	0.0	+0.1
104	🇨🇲 Cameroon	7.0	−0.1	−0.1
105	🇧🇷 Brazil	6.8	0.0	−20.1
106	🇹🇼 Taiwan	6.8	+0.1	+0.7
107	🇮🇩 Indonesia	6.8	0.0	−3.5
108	🇲🇻 Maldives	6.8	0.0	+0.6
109	🇬🇷 Greece	6.6	0.0	−24.1
110	🇧🇮 Burundi	6.5	0.0	−6.9
111	🇪🇨 Ecuador	6.3	−1.0	+0.6
112	🇩🇿 Algeria	6.3	0.0	−2.9
113	German Democratic Republic	6.3	+0.2	+0.3
114	🇾🇪 Yemen	6.2	+0.1	+2.0
115	🇭🇳 Honduras	6.2	−4.6	−1.6
116	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.2	0.0	+0.8
117	Zanzibar	6.2	+2.2	−9.3
118	🇺🇾 Uruguay	6.1	−27.6	−58.8
119	🇸🇩 Sudan	5.8	0.0	+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	🇸🇻 El Salvador	5.6	−0.4	−1.2
124	🇦🇱 Albania	5.4	0.0	0.0
125	🇴🇲 Oman	4.9	0.0	+2.5
126	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	4.8	0.0	—
127	🇨🇿 Czechia	4.5	+0.1	−1.0
128	🇹🇬 Togo	4.3	0.0	−5.7
129	🇦🇴 Angola	4.2	+0.7	+0.8
130	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.2	0.0	+0.3
131	🇷🇴 Romania	4.2	0.0	+0.1
132	🇵🇭 Philippines	3.8	−2.7	−25.4
133	🇸🇾 Syria	3.8	−0.2	−6.8
134	🇵🇪 Peru	3.6	−0.1	−14.4
135	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	3.6	0.0	+0.1
136	🇨🇳 China	3.6	0.0	−0.1
137	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.6	−0.5	−0.6
138	🇭🇹 Haiti	3.5	0.0	+0.5
139	🇬🇳 Guinea	3.5	0.0	−0.3
140	🇲🇿 Mozambique	3.4	+1.4	+1.4
141	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.4	+0.3	0.0
142	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	3.4	0.0	−7.2
143	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.2	0.0	−10.3
144	🇩🇯 Djibouti	3.2	0.0	−0.2
145	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	3.1	+0.7	−13.9
146	🇱🇾 Libya	2.7	0.0	−11.0
147	🇷🇺 Russia	2.5	0.0	+0.2
148	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	2.5	+0.2	+1.3
149	🇨🇺 Cuba	2.5	0.0	−0.1
150	🇪🇷 Eritrea	2.3	−0.1	−0.2
151	🇸🇴 Somalia	2.0	0.0	−22.1
152	🇧🇴 Bolivia	1.7	0.0	−9.3
153	🇺🇬 Uganda	1.7	−0.4	−21.0
154	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	1.4	0.0	−0.4
155	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	−0.1	−0.1
156	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	0.8	0.0	−2.9

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 1973, with the highest score of 88.0 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1973?

In 1973, the top three of 156 ranked countries are Denmark (88.0), Sweden (85.9), and Australia (82.0).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1973?

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

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

Uruguay shows the largest 10-year shift: its score declined by 58.8 points over the past decade, standing at 6.1 (rank #118) in 1973.

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 1973 edition covers 156 countries.