Democracy Index 1976

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1976 — 155 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1976 — 155 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	87.1	+0.1	+14.4
3	🇦🇺 Australia	81.3	−0.1	+2.9
4	🇩🇪 Germany	80.9	+0.1	+1.3
5	🇳🇴 Norway	80.4	0.0	+1.7
6	🇨🇭 Switzerland	79.7	−0.1	+22.9
7	🇳🇱 Netherlands	79.1	0.0	+3.1
8	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.1	0.0	+1.3
9	🇳🇿 New Zealand	77.8	+0.6	+2.6
10	🇫🇷 France	77.2	0.0	+10.6
11	🇧🇪 Belgium	77.1	+0.2	+0.8
12	🇫🇮 Finland	76.9	+0.7	+1.1
13	🇦🇹 Austria	75.2	+0.9	+5.2
14	🇯🇵 Japan	74.9	0.0	0.0
15	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	74.2	0.0	+1.4
16	🇨🇦 Canada	74.1	+0.1	+0.7
17	🇮🇪 Ireland	72.8	0.0	+2.4
18	🇺🇸 United States of America	72.6	+1.0	+13.2
19	🇮🇸 Iceland	72.0	0.0	+0.7
20	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	71.4	+1.2	+7.1
21	🇬🇷 Greece	70.0	+9.9	+41.6
22	🇮🇱 Israel	66.6	+0.2	+11.6
23	🇮🇹 Italy	66.1	+1.0	+4.2
24	🇧🇧 Barbados	62.2	+0.3	+4.3
25	🇸🇷 Suriname	61.7	+28.0	+18.9
26	🇻🇪 Venezuela	59.0	+0.5	+8.0
27	🇲🇺 Mauritius	56.0	+1.9	+16.2
28	🇧🇼 Botswana	51.5	+0.4	+16.0
29	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	50.0	+3.1	+4.2
30	🇲🇹 Malta	49.8	−0.5	−2.0
31	🇵🇹 Portugal	45.5	+22.2	+38.3
32	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	45.1	0.0	+21.6
33	🇨🇾 Cyprus	44.4	+2.5	+11.2
34	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	43.3	0.0	−6.6
35	🇫🇯 Fiji	42.0	0.0	+19.8
36	🇯🇲 Jamaica	39.7	+0.1	−0.9
37	🇹🇷 Türkiye	38.3	+0.3	+2.0
38	🇬🇲 The Gambia	33.6	0.0	+4.4
39	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	32.0	+11.8	+16.8
40	🇨🇴 Colombia	30.4	+0.4	+5.4
41	🇸🇳 Senegal	29.1	+0.7	+2.8
42	🇸🇬 Singapore	27.3	−0.2	+1.5
43	🇮🇳 India	26.5	−2.1	−22.3
44	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	25.8	+1.0	+5.4
45	🇹🇿 Tanzania	23.9	0.0	−0.3
46	🇸🇨 Seychelles	21.8	+2.0	+5.8
47	🇬🇾 Guyana	19.9	−0.1	+0.2
48	🇱🇧 Lebanon	19.5	−1.0	−3.5
49	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	19.5	+0.1	+1.5
50	🇲🇾 Malaysia	19.4	0.0	−1.6
51	🇪🇬 Egypt	16.3	+0.3	+2.1
52	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	15.9	+1.1	+7.3
53	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	15.7	−2.7	+12.3
54	🇹🇳 Tunisia	15.0	+0.2	+0.2
55	🇿🇲 Zambia	14.7	0.0	−6.4
56	🇵🇰 Pakistan	14.4	+0.1	+1.4
57	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.0	0.0	0.0
58	🇱🇷 Liberia	13.7	0.0	+3.2
59	🇵🇱 Poland	13.3	−0.3	+0.2
60	🇹🇭 Thailand	13.0	−6.4	+4.6
61	🇰🇼 Kuwait	12.8	−14.2	−14.8
62	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.5	0.0	+0.5
63	🇷🇸 Serbia	12.2	0.0	+0.6
64	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	12.1	0.0	−0.3
65	🇰🇪 Kenya	11.8	+0.1	−3.1
66	🇱🇸 Lesotho	11.8	0.0	−9.1
67	🇲🇷 Mauritania	11.7	0.0	+0.1
68	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	11.6	0.0	−1.0
69	South Yemen	11.4	0.0	−4.2
70	🇲🇽 Mexico	11.2	+0.4	+0.9
71	🇯🇴 Jordan	11.1	0.0	−5.1
72	🇪🇸 Spain	10.9	+1.4	+4.2
73	🇷🇼 Rwanda	10.2	0.0	−6.9
74	🇬🇦 Gabon	10.1	0.0	+1.0
75	🇲🇱 Mali	9.9	0.0	−6.7
76	🇰🇷 South Korea	9.8	−0.1	−3.7
77	🇰🇲 Comoros	9.8	+2.3	+3.9
78	🇭🇺 Hungary	9.8	0.0	+0.6
79	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	9.7	0.0	−8.0
80	🇳🇬 Nigeria	9.5	+0.3	−1.5
81	🇿🇦 South Africa	9.4	0.0	+0.1
82	🇲🇬 Madagascar	9.2	+1.1	−3.7
83	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	9.0	−3.5	—
84	🇲🇦 Morocco	9.0	+0.1	+0.2
85	🇬🇭 Ghana	8.8	0.0	−2.2
86	🇳🇪 Niger	8.5	0.0	−4.3
87	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	8.3	0.0	+2.3
88	🇧🇯 Benin	8.1	0.0	−2.7
89	🇮🇷 Iran	8.1	0.0	0.0
90	🇸🇿 Eswatini	8.1	+0.1	−3.7
91	🇹🇼 Taiwan	8.0	+0.6	+1.8
92	🇳🇵 Nepal	8.0	+0.1	−0.2
93	🇲🇼 Malawi	8.0	−0.6	−0.6
94	🇸🇩 Sudan	7.9	0.0	−2.3
95	🇬🇹 Guatemala	7.9	−0.1	+0.1
96	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	7.8	0.0	—
97	🇧🇮 Burundi	7.6	+0.8	−2.8
98	🇵🇦 Panama	7.4	0.0	−11.0
99	🇶🇦 Qatar	7.3	0.0	+1.8
100	🇻🇳 Vietnam	7.1	0.0	−0.1
101	🇨🇲 Cameroon	7.1	0.0	+0.1
102	🇧🇷 Brazil	7.0	+0.2	+0.3
103	🇲🇻 Maldives	6.9	0.0	+1.0
104	🇮🇩 Indonesia	6.8	0.0	−0.7
105	🇱🇦 Laos	6.8	−0.5	−4.3
106	🇦🇷 Argentina	6.6	−22.4	−13.5
107	🇪🇨 Ecuador	6.6	+0.1	+0.1
108	🇩🇿 Algeria	6.4	+0.1	+0.1
109	🇭🇳 Honduras	6.3	+0.1	+0.8
110	German Democratic Republic	6.3	0.0	+0.3
111	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.2	0.0	−0.6
112	Zanzibar	6.2	0.0	+2.2
113	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.8	0.0	0.0
114	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.8	0.0	0.0
115	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.8	0.0	+0.2
116	🇴🇲 Oman	5.7	+0.4	+3.5
117	🇦🇱 Albania	5.6	+0.2	+0.2
118	🇸🇻 El Salvador	5.5	0.0	−1.3
119	🇨🇿 Czechia	5.5	+0.4	0.0
120	🇾🇪 Yemen	5.4	0.0	+1.0
121	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	5.4	0.0	+4.1
122	🇲🇿 Mozambique	5.2	+0.3	+3.2
123	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	5.1	0.0	−4.6
124	🇹🇩 Chad	5.1	−1.1	−4.2
125	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	4.7	−0.1	—
126	🇦🇴 Angola	4.6	+0.4	+1.2
127	🇺🇾 Uruguay	4.3	−0.1	−60.3
128	🇹🇬 Togo	4.3	0.0	−5.9
129	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.2	0.0	−0.1
130	🇷🇴 Romania	4.2	0.0	0.0
131	🇵🇪 Peru	3.9	+0.2	−29.7
132	🇵🇭 Philippines	3.8	0.0	−24.4
133	🇸🇾 Syria	3.8	+0.1	−1.0
134	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.7	0.0	−0.5
135	🇬🇳 Guinea	3.6	0.0	−0.1
136	🇨🇳 China	3.6	0.0	0.0
137	🇭🇹 Haiti	3.5	0.0	+0.5
138	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	3.5	0.0	−5.6
139	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.4	0.0	0.0
140	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	3.4	0.0	−0.4
141	🇩🇯 Djibouti	3.3	0.0	−0.1
142	🇨🇱 Chile	3.2	0.0	−40.0
143	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.1	0.0	−1.8
144	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	2.7	+0.8	+1.3
145	🇨🇺 Cuba	2.7	+0.2	+0.3
146	🇷🇺 Russia	2.5	0.0	+0.2
147	🇱🇾 Libya	2.5	0.0	−11.2
148	🇸🇴 Somalia	2.0	0.0	−20.6
149	🇧🇴 Bolivia	1.7	0.0	−1.8
150	🇺🇬 Uganda	1.7	0.0	−13.2
151	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	1.5	0.0	−2.0
152	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	−0.1
153	🇰🇭 Cambodia	1.4	+0.8	−13.7
154	🇪🇷 Eritrea	1.0	−0.1	−1.5
155	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	0.8	0.0	−3.8

Frequently asked questions

Which countries are the most liberal democracies?

Denmark ranks #1 of 155 countries on the V-Dem liberal democracy index index in 1976, with the highest score of 88.0 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1976?

In 1976, the top three of 155 ranked countries are Denmark (88.0), Sweden (87.1), and Australia (81.3).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1976?

Equatorial Guinea ranks #155 of 155 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 60.3 points over the past decade, standing at 4.3 (rank #127) in 1976.

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 1976 edition covers 155 countries.