Democracy Index 1977

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1977 — 155 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1977 — 155 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	88.0	0.0	+0.8
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	87.3	+0.2	+14.6
3	🇦🇺 Australia	81.3	0.0	+2.5
4	🇩🇪 Germany	80.9	0.0	+1.3
5	🇳🇴 Norway	80.4	0.0	+1.7
6	🇨🇭 Switzerland	80.2	+0.5	+23.3
7	🇳🇱 Netherlands	79.0	−0.1	+2.6
8	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.1	0.0	+1.3
9	🇧🇪 Belgium	77.3	+0.2	+1.0
10	🇳🇿 New Zealand	77.3	−0.5	+2.0
11	🇫🇷 France	77.2	0.0	+10.0
12	🇫🇮 Finland	76.9	0.0	+0.1
13	🇺🇸 United States of America	76.5	+3.9	+16.3
14	🇯🇵 Japan	75.2	+0.3	+0.2
15	🇦🇹 Austria	75.2	0.0	+4.9
16	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	74.2	0.0	+1.1
17	🇨🇦 Canada	74.1	0.0	+0.7
18	🇬🇷 Greece	73.0	+3.0	+63.4
19	🇮🇪 Ireland	72.8	0.0	+2.2
20	🇮🇸 Iceland	72.0	0.0	+0.1
21	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	71.7	+0.3	+7.3
22	🇵🇹 Portugal	68.1	+22.6	+60.7
23	🇮🇱 Israel	66.8	+0.2	+9.7
24	🇮🇹 Italy	66.5	+0.4	+4.6
25	🇧🇧 Barbados	62.4	+0.2	+3.0
26	🇸🇷 Suriname	61.3	−0.4	+18.6
27	🇻🇪 Venezuela	59.0	0.0	+8.0
28	🇲🇺 Mauritius	58.0	+2.0	+17.6
29	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	53.9	+3.9	+6.3
30	🇧🇼 Botswana	51.5	0.0	+3.2
31	🇲🇹 Malta	48.8	−1.0	−3.0
32	🇨🇾 Cyprus	45.8	+1.4	+12.6
33	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	44.5	−0.6	+21.0
34	🇫🇯 Fiji	42.1	+0.1	+19.4
35	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	41.7	−1.6	−8.2
36	🇹🇷 Türkiye	37.8	−0.5	−1.8
37	🇯🇲 Jamaica	37.2	−2.5	−1.1
38	🇮🇳 India	34.5	+8.0	−15.7
39	🇬🇲 The Gambia	32.7	−0.9	+2.8
40	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	32.6	+0.6	+17.4
41	🇨🇴 Colombia	30.5	+0.1	+5.5
42	🇸🇳 Senegal	29.1	0.0	+2.8
43	🇪🇸 Spain	27.6	+16.7	+20.8
44	🇸🇬 Singapore	27.3	0.0	+1.1
45	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	26.0	+0.2	+5.5
46	🇹🇿 Tanzania	24.0	+0.1	−0.1
47	🇬🇾 Guyana	19.7	−0.2	−6.0
48	🇱🇧 Lebanon	19.5	0.0	−3.5
49	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	19.5	0.0	+1.6
50	🇲🇾 Malaysia	19.4	0.0	−1.9
51	🇪🇬 Egypt	16.1	−0.2	+2.1
52	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	15.9	0.0	+7.3
53	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	15.7	0.0	+12.3
54	🇹🇳 Tunisia	15.1	+0.1	+0.3
55	🇿🇲 Zambia	14.7	0.0	−6.5
56	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.0	0.0	0.0
57	🇱🇷 Liberia	13.7	0.0	+3.2
58	🇵🇱 Poland	13.3	0.0	+0.2
59	🇸🇨 Seychelles	12.9	−8.9	−5.2
60	🇰🇼 Kuwait	12.6	−0.2	−13.6
61	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.4	−0.1	+0.3
62	🇲🇽 Mexico	12.2	+1.0	+1.8
63	🇷🇸 Serbia	12.2	0.0	+0.5
64	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	12.1	0.0	−0.3
65	🇰🇪 Kenya	11.8	0.0	−2.3
66	🇱🇸 Lesotho	11.8	0.0	−13.0
67	🇲🇷 Mauritania	11.7	0.0	+0.2
68	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	11.4	−0.2	−0.2
69	🇵🇰 Pakistan	11.3	−3.1	−1.6
70	South Yemen	11.3	−0.1	−2.6
71	🇩🇿 Algeria	11.2	+4.8	+4.9
72	🇯🇴 Jordan	11.1	0.0	−4.8
73	🇲🇦 Morocco	10.4	+1.4	+1.6
74	🇹🇭 Thailand	10.2	−2.8	+1.7
75	🇷🇼 Rwanda	10.2	0.0	−6.8
76	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	10.1	+1.1	—
77	🇬🇦 Gabon	10.1	0.0	+1.0
78	🇰🇲 Comoros	10.0	+0.2	+4.1
79	🇲🇱 Mali	9.8	−0.1	−6.9
80	🇰🇷 South Korea	9.8	0.0	−3.7
81	🇭🇺 Hungary	9.8	0.0	+0.7
82	🇳🇬 Nigeria	9.7	+0.2	+1.2
83	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	9.6	−0.1	−1.9
84	🇿🇦 South Africa	9.3	−0.1	0.0
85	🇲🇬 Madagascar	8.9	−0.3	−4.0
86	🇬🇭 Ghana	8.8	0.0	−1.3
87	🇳🇪 Niger	8.6	+0.1	−4.2
88	Zanzibar	8.5	+2.3	+4.5
89	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	8.3	0.0	+0.5
90	🇹🇼 Taiwan	8.2	+0.2	+2.1
91	🇧🇯 Benin	8.1	0.0	−2.7
92	🇮🇷 Iran	8.1	0.0	0.0
93	🇸🇿 Eswatini	8.1	0.0	−4.6
94	🇳🇵 Nepal	8.0	0.0	−0.2
95	🇸🇩 Sudan	7.8	−0.1	−2.4
96	🇧🇮 Burundi	7.8	+0.2	+1.2
97	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	7.8	0.0	+0.6
98	🇬🇹 Guatemala	7.7	−0.2	−1.2
99	🇲🇼 Malawi	7.6	−0.4	−1.0
100	🇵🇦 Panama	7.4	0.0	−11.8
101	🇶🇦 Qatar	7.3	0.0	+1.8
102	🇻🇳 Vietnam	7.1	0.0	−0.1
103	🇧🇷 Brazil	7.0	0.0	−0.4
104	🇪🇨 Ecuador	7.0	+0.4	−5.2
105	🇨🇲 Cameroon	7.0	−0.1	0.0
106	🇲🇻 Maldives	6.9	0.0	+1.2
107	🇱🇦 Laos	6.8	0.0	−6.2
108	German Democratic Republic	6.3	0.0	+0.3
109	🇭🇳 Honduras	6.2	−0.1	+0.7
110	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.2	0.0	−0.8
111	🇴🇲 Oman	6.1	+0.4	+3.9
112	🇮🇩 Indonesia	6.0	−0.8	−0.9
113	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.9	+0.1	+0.2
114	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.8	0.0	0.0
115	🇱🇾 Libya	5.8	+3.3	−7.8
116	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.7	−0.1	+0.1
117	🇦🇱 Albania	5.6	0.0	+0.2
118	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	5.6	+0.2	+4.3
119	🇸🇻 El Salvador	5.5	0.0	−1.3
120	🇨🇿 Czechia	5.5	0.0	−0.2
121	🇾🇪 Yemen	5.4	0.0	+1.7
122	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	5.1	0.0	−4.6
123	🇹🇩 Chad	5.1	0.0	−3.8
124	🇲🇿 Mozambique	4.9	−0.3	+2.9
125	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	4.8	+0.1	—
126	🇦🇷 Argentina	4.7	−1.9	−4.2
127	🇦🇴 Angola	4.6	0.0	+1.2
128	🇩🇯 Djibouti	4.6	+1.3	+1.3
129	🇹🇬 Togo	4.3	0.0	−0.1
130	🇺🇾 Uruguay	4.2	−0.1	−58.8
131	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.2	0.0	−0.1
132	🇷🇴 Romania	4.2	0.0	0.0
133	🇵🇪 Peru	3.9	0.0	−29.4
134	🇵🇭 Philippines	3.8	0.0	−24.5
135	🇸🇾 Syria	3.8	0.0	−0.7
136	🇨🇳 China	3.7	+0.1	+0.1
137	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.7	0.0	−0.5
138	🇬🇳 Guinea	3.6	0.0	−0.1
139	🇭🇹 Haiti	3.5	0.0	+0.5
140	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.4	0.0	0.0
141	🇨🇺 Cuba	3.3	+0.6	+0.9
142	🇨🇱 Chile	3.2	0.0	−40.1
143	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.0	−0.1	−0.9
144	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	2.7	0.0	+1.3
145	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	2.7	−0.7	−1.1
146	🇷🇺 Russia	2.4	−0.1	+0.1
147	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	2.4	−1.1	−6.8
148	🇸🇴 Somalia	2.0	0.0	−20.6
149	🇰🇭 Cambodia	1.8	+0.4	−13.2
150	🇧🇴 Bolivia	1.7	0.0	−2.9
151	🇺🇬 Uganda	1.7	0.0	−8.3
152	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	1.5	0.0	−2.0
153	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	−0.1
154	🇪🇷 Eritrea	1.0	0.0	−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 1977, with the highest score of 88.0 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1977?

In 1977, the top three of 155 ranked countries are Denmark (88.0), Sweden (87.3), and Australia (81.3).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1977?

Equatorial Guinea ranks #155 of 155 with a score of 0.8.

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

Greece shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 63.4 points over the past decade, standing at 73.0 (rank #18) in 1977.

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 1977 edition covers 155 countries.