Democracy Index 1975

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1975 — 156 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1975 — 156 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	88.0	0.0	+1.1
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	87.0	+0.6	+14.2
3	🇦🇺 Australia	81.4	−0.1	+3.0
4	🇩🇪 Germany	80.8	0.0	+0.8
5	🇳🇴 Norway	80.4	0.0	+1.5
6	🇨🇭 Switzerland	79.8	+0.5	+23.0
7	🇳🇱 Netherlands	79.1	0.0	+6.0
8	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.1	0.0	+1.3
9	🇫🇷 France	77.2	+0.9	+10.6
10	🇳🇿 New Zealand	77.2	0.0	+2.1
11	🇧🇪 Belgium	76.9	−0.1	+0.7
12	🇫🇮 Finland	76.2	+0.2	0.0
13	🇯🇵 Japan	74.9	0.0	0.0
14	🇦🇹 Austria	74.3	−0.1	+5.3
15	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	74.2	+0.1	+1.3
16	🇨🇦 Canada	74.0	−0.1	+0.8
17	🇮🇪 Ireland	72.8	0.0	+2.5
18	🇮🇸 Iceland	72.0	+0.1	+1.9
19	🇺🇸 United States of America	71.6	+2.0	+14.6
20	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	70.2	+4.5	+7.0
21	🇮🇱 Israel	66.4	0.0	+13.1
22	🇮🇹 Italy	65.1	+0.6	+3.2
23	🇧🇧 Barbados	61.9	0.0	+15.4
24	🇬🇷 Greece	60.1	+50.8	+28.7
25	🇻🇪 Venezuela	58.5	−0.2	+7.5
26	🇲🇺 Mauritius	54.1	0.0	+14.3
27	🇧🇼 Botswana	51.1	+0.2	+31.9
28	🇲🇹 Malta	50.3	0.0	−1.4
29	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	46.9	−0.2	+1.4
30	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	45.1	+8.7	+21.6
31	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	43.3	+0.5	−6.9
32	🇫🇯 Fiji	42.0	0.0	+20.3
33	🇨🇾 Cyprus	41.9	+6.1	+8.7
34	🇯🇲 Jamaica	39.6	+0.1	−1.0
35	🇹🇷 Türkiye	38.0	0.0	+12.1
36	🇸🇷 Suriname	33.7	−9.5	−9.1
37	🇬🇲 The Gambia	33.6	0.0	+10.2
38	🇨🇴 Colombia	30.0	+2.3	+4.9
39	🇦🇷 Argentina	29.0	−3.2	−13.7
40	🇮🇳 India	28.6	−13.9	−20.3
41	🇸🇳 Senegal	28.4	0.0	+2.2
42	🇸🇬 Singapore	27.5	+0.1	+1.7
43	🇰🇼 Kuwait	27.0	0.0	+1.9
44	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	24.8	+1.1	+4.4
45	🇹🇿 Tanzania	23.9	0.0	−1.2
46	🇵🇹 Portugal	23.3	+2.6	+15.9
47	🇱🇧 Lebanon	20.5	−1.1	−2.5
48	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	20.2	+2.1	+5.0
49	🇬🇾 Guyana	20.0	0.0	−0.6
50	🇸🇨 Seychelles	19.8	−0.2	+3.8
51	Republic of Vietnam	19.6	0.0	+13.2
52	🇹🇭 Thailand	19.4	+3.4	+11.0
53	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	19.4	0.0	+1.4
54	🇲🇾 Malaysia	19.4	+1.5	−1.6
55	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	18.4	+10.3	+15.0
56	🇪🇬 Egypt	16.0	0.0	+1.8
57	🇹🇳 Tunisia	14.8	0.0	0.0
58	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	14.8	+4.9	+6.2
59	🇿🇲 Zambia	14.7	0.0	−6.4
60	🇵🇰 Pakistan	14.3	−0.1	+1.7
61	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.0	0.0	−0.3
62	🇱🇷 Liberia	13.7	0.0	+3.2
63	🇵🇱 Poland	13.6	+0.2	+0.5
64	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	12.5	−6.6	—
65	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.5	0.0	+0.5
66	🇷🇸 Serbia	12.2	+0.2	+0.6
67	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	12.1	+0.1	−0.5
68	🇱🇸 Lesotho	11.8	0.0	−3.2
69	🇰🇪 Kenya	11.7	0.0	−4.1
70	🇲🇷 Mauritania	11.7	0.0	−0.1
71	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	11.6	−1.0	−9.0
72	South Yemen	11.4	0.0	−4.6
73	🇯🇴 Jordan	11.1	−4.7	−5.1
74	🇲🇽 Mexico	10.8	+0.1	+0.5
75	🇷🇼 Rwanda	10.2	0.0	−7.0
76	🇬🇦 Gabon	10.1	0.0	+0.8
77	🇲🇱 Mali	9.9	+0.2	−6.7
78	🇰🇷 South Korea	9.9	0.0	−3.6
79	🇭🇺 Hungary	9.8	0.0	+0.7
80	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	9.7	0.0	−8.3
81	🇪🇸 Spain	9.5	+2.2	+2.9
82	🇿🇦 South Africa	9.4	+0.1	0.0
83	🇳🇬 Nigeria	9.2	−0.1	−9.1
84	🇲🇦 Morocco	8.9	−0.1	−4.6
85	🇬🇭 Ghana	8.8	0.0	−11.7
86	🇲🇼 Malawi	8.6	0.0	−1.2
87	🇳🇪 Niger	8.5	−1.9	−4.6
88	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	8.3	+0.1	+0.9
89	🇧🇯 Benin	8.1	−0.1	−13.9
90	🇮🇷 Iran	8.1	−0.2	0.0
91	🇲🇬 Madagascar	8.1	−0.3	−4.9
92	🇬🇹 Guatemala	8.0	+0.1	+2.5
93	🇸🇿 Eswatini	8.0	0.0	−3.6
94	🇸🇩 Sudan	7.9	+1.1	−2.4
95	🇳🇵 Nepal	7.9	−0.1	−0.3
96	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	7.8	0.0	—
97	🇰🇲 Comoros	7.5	0.0	+1.6
98	🇹🇼 Taiwan	7.4	+0.4	+1.2
99	🇵🇦 Panama	7.4	0.0	−11.1
100	🇶🇦 Qatar	7.3	0.0	+1.8
101	🇱🇦 Laos	7.3	−5.5	−3.7
102	🇻🇳 Vietnam	7.1	−0.1	−0.1
103	🇨🇲 Cameroon	7.1	0.0	0.0
104	🇲🇻 Maldives	6.9	0.0	+0.6
105	🇧🇷 Brazil	6.8	+0.2	+0.1
106	🇮🇩 Indonesia	6.8	−0.2	−2.1
107	🇧🇮 Burundi	6.8	+0.1	−6.1
108	🇪🇨 Ecuador	6.5	0.0	+0.4
109	🇩🇿 Algeria	6.3	0.0	−1.4
110	German Democratic Republic	6.3	0.0	+0.3
111	🇭🇳 Honduras	6.2	0.0	+0.5
112	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.2	0.0	−0.6
113	🇹🇩 Chad	6.2	−2.4	−3.4
114	Zanzibar	6.2	0.0	+2.2
115	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.8	0.0	0.0
116	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.8	0.0	+0.1
117	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.8	0.0	+0.2
118	🇸🇻 El Salvador	5.5	0.0	−1.3
119	🇦🇱 Albania	5.4	0.0	0.0
120	🇾🇪 Yemen	5.4	−1.4	+1.0
121	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	5.4	+0.5	+4.1
122	🇴🇲 Oman	5.3	−0.1	+3.1
123	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	5.1	0.0	−4.4
124	🇨🇿 Czechia	5.1	+0.6	−0.4
125	🇲🇿 Mozambique	4.9	+1.9	+2.9
126	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	4.8	0.0	—
127	🇺🇾 Uruguay	4.4	0.0	−59.7
128	🇹🇬 Togo	4.3	0.0	−5.9
129	🇦🇴 Angola	4.2	−0.1	+0.8
130	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.2	0.0	+0.3
131	🇷🇴 Romania	4.2	0.0	0.0
132	🇵🇭 Philippines	3.8	0.0	−25.0
133	🇵🇪 Peru	3.7	+0.2	−29.9
134	🇸🇾 Syria	3.7	−0.1	−2.6
135	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.7	+0.1	−0.5
136	🇬🇳 Guinea	3.6	+0.1	−0.1
137	🇨🇳 China	3.6	0.0	−0.1
138	🇭🇹 Haiti	3.5	0.0	+0.5
139	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	3.5	−0.1	−5.6
140	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.4	0.0	0.0
141	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	3.4	0.0	—
142	🇩🇯 Djibouti	3.3	0.0	−0.1
143	🇨🇱 Chile	3.2	0.0	−39.9
144	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.1	0.0	−6.4
145	🇷🇺 Russia	2.5	0.0	+0.2
146	🇱🇾 Libya	2.5	−0.7	−11.1
147	🇨🇺 Cuba	2.5	0.0	+0.1
148	🇸🇴 Somalia	2.0	0.0	−21.1
149	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	1.9	+0.3	+0.3
150	🇧🇴 Bolivia	1.7	0.0	−2.3
151	🇺🇬 Uganda	1.7	0.0	−20.8
152	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	1.5	−1.3	−2.0
153	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	−0.1
154	🇪🇷 Eritrea	1.1	−0.2	−1.4
155	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	0.8	0.0	−3.8
156	🇰🇭 Cambodia	0.6	−8.0	−14.5

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 1975, with the highest score of 88.0 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1975?

In 1975, the top three of 156 ranked countries are Denmark (88.0), Sweden (87.0), and Australia (81.4).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1975?

Cambodia ranks #156 of 156 with a score of 0.6.

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

Uruguay shows the largest 10-year shift: its score declined by 59.7 points over the past decade, standing at 4.4 (rank #127) in 1975.

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 1975 edition covers 156 countries.