Democracy Index 1974

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1974 — 156 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1974 — 156 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	88.0	0.0	+0.6
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	86.4	+0.5	+13.6
3	🇦🇺 Australia	81.5	−0.5	+3.1
4	🇩🇪 Germany	80.8	0.0	+0.9
5	🇳🇴 Norway	80.4	0.0	+2.0
6	🇨🇭 Switzerland	79.3	+0.4	+22.5
7	🇳🇱 Netherlands	79.1	0.0	+6.0
8	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.1	+0.4	+1.3
9	🇳🇿 New Zealand	77.2	+0.6	+2.1
10	🇧🇪 Belgium	77.0	−0.2	+1.1
11	🇫🇷 France	76.3	+0.3	+9.7
12	🇫🇮 Finland	76.0	+0.2	+0.3
13	🇯🇵 Japan	74.9	0.0	0.0
14	🇦🇹 Austria	74.4	+0.8	+5.5
15	🇨🇦 Canada	74.1	−0.9	+0.8
16	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	74.1	+0.7	+2.7
17	🇮🇪 Ireland	72.8	+1.7	+2.2
18	🇮🇸 Iceland	71.9	0.0	+1.8
19	🇺🇸 United States of America	69.6	+0.7	+12.4
20	🇮🇱 Israel	66.4	+4.8	+12.0
21	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	65.7	+0.2	+2.5
22	🇮🇹 Italy	64.5	0.0	+2.6
23	🇧🇧 Barbados	61.9	0.0	+15.4
24	🇻🇪 Venezuela	58.7	+2.5	+8.3
25	🇲🇺 Mauritius	54.1	+0.4	+14.3
26	🇧🇼 Botswana	50.9	+0.1	+33.6
27	🇲🇹 Malta	50.3	0.0	−3.0
28	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	47.1	0.0	+1.6
29	🇸🇷 Suriname	43.2	+0.6	+0.4
30	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	42.8	+0.1	−7.8
31	🇮🇳 India	42.5	−3.0	−7.4
32	🇫🇯 Fiji	42.0	0.0	+20.3
33	🇯🇲 Jamaica	39.5	−0.3	−1.7
34	🇹🇷 Türkiye	38.0	+7.0	+12.8
35	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	36.4	0.0	+13.3
36	🇨🇾 Cyprus	35.8	−0.5	+2.7
37	🇬🇲 The Gambia	33.6	0.0	+11.7
38	🇦🇷 Argentina	32.2	+4.5	−10.1
39	🇸🇳 Senegal	28.4	−0.5	+2.2
40	🇨🇴 Colombia	27.7	+1.6	+2.7
41	🇸🇬 Singapore	27.4	0.0	+0.8
42	🇰🇼 Kuwait	27.0	0.0	+2.2
43	🇹🇿 Tanzania	23.9	0.0	−4.0
44	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	23.7	+0.7	+4.4
45	🇱🇧 Lebanon	21.6	0.0	−1.4
46	🇵🇹 Portugal	20.7	+12.3	+13.3
47	🇬🇾 Guyana	20.0	−0.6	−1.0
48	🇸🇨 Seychelles	20.0	−1.7	+4.3
49	Republic of Vietnam	19.6	0.0	+13.1
50	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	19.4	+0.6	+1.3
51	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	19.1	+0.2	—
52	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	18.1	0.0	+2.9
53	🇲🇾 Malaysia	17.9	+0.9	−3.3
54	🇪🇬 Egypt	16.0	0.0	+2.6
55	🇹🇭 Thailand	16.0	+4.7	+7.6
56	🇯🇴 Jordan	15.8	0.0	−0.4
57	🇹🇳 Tunisia	14.8	0.0	−0.2
58	🇿🇲 Zambia	14.7	−1.2	−2.1
59	🇵🇰 Pakistan	14.4	+1.1	+1.7
60	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.0	0.0	−0.3
61	🇱🇷 Liberia	13.7	0.0	+3.2
62	🇵🇱 Poland	13.4	0.0	+0.3
63	🇱🇦 Laos	12.8	−0.1	+0.4
64	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	12.6	−2.5	−8.7
65	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.5	0.0	+0.5
66	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	12.0	0.0	−2.3
67	🇷🇸 Serbia	12.0	+0.3	+0.7
68	🇱🇸 Lesotho	11.8	0.0	+1.5
69	🇰🇪 Kenya	11.7	+0.3	−2.9
70	🇲🇷 Mauritania	11.7	0.0	−0.4
71	South Yemen	11.4	+0.2	−5.2
72	🇲🇽 Mexico	10.7	−0.1	+0.4
73	🇳🇪 Niger	10.4	−2.3	−2.8
74	🇷🇼 Rwanda	10.2	−4.4	−7.1
75	🇬🇦 Gabon	10.1	0.0	+2.5
76	🇰🇷 South Korea	9.9	+0.1	−3.7
77	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	9.9	−0.5	+1.3
78	🇭🇺 Hungary	9.8	0.0	+0.8
79	🇲🇱 Mali	9.7	0.0	−7.4
80	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	9.7	+0.2	−8.9
81	🇿🇦 South Africa	9.3	0.0	−0.1
82	🇳🇬 Nigeria	9.3	0.0	−9.6
83	🇬🇷 Greece	9.3	+2.7	−22.4
84	🇲🇦 Morocco	9.0	−4.8	−4.7
85	🇬🇭 Ghana	8.8	0.0	−12.9
86	🇰🇭 Cambodia	8.6	0.0	−6.5
87	🇲🇼 Malawi	8.6	0.0	−4.7
88	🇹🇩 Chad	8.6	0.0	−1.3
89	🇲🇬 Madagascar	8.4	0.0	−4.7
90	🇮🇷 Iran	8.3	0.0	+0.2
91	🇧🇯 Benin	8.2	0.0	−13.2
92	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	8.2	0.0	+2.0
93	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	8.1	−0.5	+4.7
94	🇳🇵 Nepal	8.0	0.0	−0.1
95	🇸🇿 Eswatini	8.0	−1.7	−1.6
96	🇬🇹 Guatemala	7.9	0.0	+2.3
97	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	7.8	0.0	—
98	🇰🇲 Comoros	7.5	−0.3	+1.7
99	🇵🇦 Panama	7.4	0.0	−11.7
100	🇶🇦 Qatar	7.3	0.0	+1.8
101	🇪🇸 Spain	7.3	0.0	+0.7
102	🇻🇳 Vietnam	7.2	0.0	0.0
103	🇨🇲 Cameroon	7.1	+0.1	0.0
104	🇹🇼 Taiwan	7.0	+0.2	+0.8
105	🇮🇩 Indonesia	7.0	+0.2	−3.3
106	🇲🇻 Maldives	6.9	+0.1	+0.6
107	🇾🇪 Yemen	6.8	+0.6	+2.4
108	🇸🇩 Sudan	6.8	+1.0	+0.1
109	🇧🇮 Burundi	6.7	+0.2	−6.6
110	🇧🇷 Brazil	6.6	−0.2	−6.3
111	🇪🇨 Ecuador	6.5	+0.2	+0.7
112	🇩🇿 Algeria	6.3	0.0	−2.8
113	German Democratic Republic	6.3	0.0	+0.3
114	🇭🇳 Honduras	6.2	0.0	+0.4
115	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.2	0.0	−0.3
116	Zanzibar	6.2	0.0	+2.8
117	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.8	0.0	0.0
118	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.8	+0.1	+0.1
119	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.8	0.0	+0.2
120	🇸🇻 El Salvador	5.5	−0.1	−1.3
121	🇦🇱 Albania	5.4	0.0	0.0
122	🇴🇲 Oman	5.4	+0.5	+3.0
123	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	5.1	−3.0	−4.1
124	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	4.9	+2.4	+3.6
125	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	4.8	0.0	—
126	🇨🇿 Czechia	4.5	0.0	−1.0
127	🇺🇾 Uruguay	4.4	−1.7	−59.9
128	🇦🇴 Angola	4.3	+0.1	+0.9
129	🇹🇬 Togo	4.3	0.0	−5.9
130	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.2	0.0	+0.3
131	🇷🇴 Romania	4.2	0.0	+0.1
132	🇵🇭 Philippines	3.8	0.0	−25.4
133	🇸🇾 Syria	3.8	0.0	−2.5
134	🇨🇳 China	3.6	0.0	−0.1
135	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	3.6	+0.5	−5.5
136	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.6	0.0	−0.6
137	🇭🇹 Haiti	3.5	0.0	+0.5
138	🇵🇪 Peru	3.5	−0.1	−29.7
139	🇬🇳 Guinea	3.5	0.0	−0.3
140	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.4	0.0	0.0
141	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	3.4	0.0	—
142	🇩🇯 Djibouti	3.3	+0.1	−0.1
143	🇨🇱 Chile	3.2	−15.9	−39.5
144	🇱🇾 Libya	3.2	+0.5	−10.4
145	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.1	−0.1	−9.5
146	🇲🇿 Mozambique	3.0	−0.4	+1.0
147	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	2.8	−0.8	−0.7
148	🇷🇺 Russia	2.5	0.0	+0.2
149	🇨🇺 Cuba	2.5	0.0	−0.1
150	🇸🇴 Somalia	2.0	0.0	−21.6
151	🇧🇴 Bolivia	1.7	0.0	−6.9
152	🇺🇬 Uganda	1.7	0.0	−20.8
153	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	1.6	+0.2	0.0
154	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	−0.1
155	🇪🇷 Eritrea	1.3	−1.0	−1.2
156	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	0.8	0.0	−3.7

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 1974, with the highest score of 88.0 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1974?

In 1974, the top three of 156 ranked countries are Denmark (88.0), Sweden (86.4), and Australia (81.5).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1974?

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 59.9 points over the past decade, standing at 4.4 (rank #127) in 1974.

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 1974 edition covers 156 countries.