Democracy Index 1978

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1978 — 155 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1978 — 155 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	87.3	0.0	+14.6
3	🇦🇺 Australia	81.5	+0.2	+2.5
4	🇩🇪 Germany	81.4	+0.5	+1.8
5	🇳🇴 Norway	80.6	+0.2	+1.9
6	🇨🇭 Switzerland	80.2	0.0	+23.4
7	🇳🇱 Netherlands	79.3	+0.3	+2.4
8	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.1	0.0	+1.3
9	🇳🇿 New Zealand	77.6	+0.3	+2.3
10	🇫🇷 France	77.3	+0.1	+10.1
11	🇧🇪 Belgium	77.3	0.0	+1.1
12	🇺🇸 United States of America	76.8	+0.3	+16.6
13	🇫🇮 Finland	76.8	−0.1	−0.2
14	🇯🇵 Japan	75.2	0.0	+0.2
15	🇦🇹 Austria	75.2	0.0	+4.9
16	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	74.2	0.0	+2.1
17	🇨🇦 Canada	74.1	0.0	+1.2
18	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	73.2	+1.5	+8.8
19	🇬🇷 Greece	73.0	0.0	+66.4
20	🇮🇪 Ireland	72.8	0.0	+2.2
21	🇮🇸 Iceland	72.2	+0.2	+0.3
22	🇵🇹 Portugal	68.0	−0.1	+60.6
23	🇮🇱 Israel	67.7	+0.9	+9.8
24	🇮🇹 Italy	66.5	0.0	+4.5
25	🇪🇸 Spain	65.7	+38.1	+58.6
26	🇸🇷 Suriname	62.4	+1.1	+19.7
27	🇧🇧 Barbados	62.4	0.0	+3.0
28	🇻🇪 Venezuela	58.6	−0.4	+6.8
29	🇲🇺 Mauritius	58.0	0.0	+4.0
30	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	54.8	+0.9	+7.3
31	🇧🇼 Botswana	51.5	0.0	+3.2
32	🇮🇳 India	51.4	+16.9	+0.8
33	🇲🇹 Malta	48.8	0.0	−3.0
34	🇨🇾 Cyprus	46.0	+0.2	+12.7
35	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	44.1	−0.4	+20.5
36	🇫🇯 Fiji	42.1	0.0	+10.9
37	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	38.3	+5.7	+23.1
38	🇹🇷 Türkiye	37.6	−0.2	−2.0
39	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	37.6	+11.6	+17.1
40	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	37.2	−4.5	−12.7
41	🇯🇲 Jamaica	36.7	−0.5	−1.4
42	🇬🇲 The Gambia	32.5	−0.2	+2.6
43	🇸🇳 Senegal	30.4	+1.3	+2.9
44	🇨🇴 Colombia	28.0	−2.5	+2.7
45	🇸🇬 Singapore	27.3	0.0	+0.9
46	🇹🇿 Tanzania	24.0	0.0	0.0
47	🇬🇾 Guyana	19.6	−0.1	−5.6
48	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	19.6	+0.1	+1.4
49	🇱🇧 Lebanon	19.5	0.0	−3.4
50	🇲🇾 Malaysia	19.4	0.0	−1.5
51	🇪🇬 Egypt	16.1	0.0	+2.2
52	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	15.9	0.0	+7.3
53	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	15.7	0.0	+12.3
54	🇹🇳 Tunisia	15.1	0.0	+0.3
55	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	14.9	+3.5	+3.3
56	🇿🇲 Zambia	14.7	0.0	−6.7
57	🇲🇦 Morocco	14.3	+3.9	+5.5
58	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.0	0.0	0.0
59	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	14.0	+5.7	+5.8
60	🇱🇷 Liberia	13.7	0.0	+3.2
61	🇵🇱 Poland	13.5	+0.2	+0.4
62	🇲🇽 Mexico	12.7	+0.5	+2.3
63	🇰🇼 Kuwait	12.6	0.0	−13.5
64	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.4	0.0	+0.2
65	🇷🇸 Serbia	12.2	0.0	+0.5
66	🇱🇸 Lesotho	11.9	+0.1	−12.9
67	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	11.8	+1.7	—
68	🇰🇪 Kenya	11.4	−0.4	−2.5
69	🇯🇴 Jordan	11.1	0.0	−4.8
70	South Yemen	11.1	−0.2	+1.8
71	🇹🇭 Thailand	10.8	+0.6	+2.1
72	🇩🇿 Algeria	10.5	−0.7	+4.2
73	🇷🇼 Rwanda	10.5	+0.3	−6.5
74	🇬🇦 Gabon	10.1	0.0	0.0
75	🇳🇬 Nigeria	9.9	+0.2	+1.4
76	🇲🇱 Mali	9.8	0.0	−5.9
77	🇰🇷 South Korea	9.8	0.0	−3.7
78	🇭🇺 Hungary	9.8	0.0	+0.6
79	🇰🇲 Comoros	9.6	−0.4	+3.7
80	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	9.4	−2.7	−3.0
81	🇸🇨 Seychelles	9.4	−3.5	−8.7
82	🇿🇦 South Africa	9.3	0.0	0.0
83	Zanzibar	9.3	+0.8	+5.3
84	🇲🇬 Madagascar	8.9	0.0	−4.0
85	🇬🇭 Ghana	8.8	0.0	−1.3
86	🇲🇷 Mauritania	8.8	−2.9	−2.7
87	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	8.8	−0.8	+1.1
88	🇸🇿 Eswatini	8.7	+0.6	−4.7
89	🇳🇪 Niger	8.5	−0.1	−4.3
90	🇪🇨 Ecuador	8.4	+1.4	−6.8
91	🇮🇷 Iran	8.2	+0.1	−0.1
92	🇸🇩 Sudan	8.1	+0.3	−2.7
93	🇧🇯 Benin	8.1	0.0	−4.0
94	🇧🇮 Burundi	8.1	+0.3	+1.5
95	🇩🇯 Djibouti	8.0	+3.4	+4.4
96	🇳🇵 Nepal	7.9	−0.1	−0.3
97	🇹🇼 Taiwan	7.8	−0.4	+1.7
98	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	7.8	0.0	+0.7
99	🇲🇼 Malawi	7.7	+0.1	−0.9
100	🇵🇦 Panama	7.5	+0.1	−3.5
101	🇶🇦 Qatar	7.3	0.0	+1.7
102	🇧🇷 Brazil	7.2	+0.2	+0.1
103	🇨🇲 Cameroon	7.0	0.0	0.0
104	🇱🇦 Laos	6.8	0.0	−6.2
105	🇬🇹 Guatemala	6.7	−1.0	−2.0
106	🇵🇰 Pakistan	6.6	−4.7	−6.3
107	German Democratic Republic	6.3	0.0	+0.3
108	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.2	0.0	−0.8
109	🇾🇪 Yemen	6.1	+0.7	+2.4
110	🇲🇻 Maldives	6.1	−0.8	−0.1
111	🇴🇲 Oman	6.1	0.0	+3.9
112	🇮🇩 Indonesia	6.0	0.0	−0.6
113	🇳🇦 Namibia	6.0	+0.1	+0.3
114	🇵🇪 Peru	5.8	+1.9	−11.2
115	🇻🇳 Vietnam	5.8	−1.3	−1.4
116	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.8	0.0	0.0
117	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.7	0.0	+0.1
118	🇦🇱 Albania	5.6	0.0	+0.2
119	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	5.6	0.0	+4.3
120	🇭🇳 Honduras	5.5	−0.7	+0.1
121	🇵🇭 Philippines	5.5	+1.7	−22.2
122	🇨🇿 Czechia	5.5	0.0	−0.4
123	🇸🇻 El Salvador	5.4	−0.1	−1.3
124	🇹🇩 Chad	5.1	0.0	−3.8
125	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	5.0	−0.1	−4.7
126	🇲🇿 Mozambique	4.9	0.0	+2.9
127	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	4.8	0.0	—
128	🇦🇷 Argentina	4.7	0.0	−3.9
129	🇱🇾 Libya	4.7	−1.1	−8.8
130	🇦🇴 Angola	4.6	0.0	+1.2
131	🇨🇳 China	4.3	+0.6	+0.7
132	🇹🇬 Togo	4.3	0.0	+0.2
133	🇺🇾 Uruguay	4.2	0.0	−45.0
134	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.2	0.0	0.0
135	🇷🇴 Romania	4.2	0.0	−0.1
136	🇸🇾 Syria	3.7	−0.1	−0.8
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	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.3	+0.3	−0.5
142	🇨🇺 Cuba	3.3	0.0	+1.0
143	🇨🇱 Chile	3.2	0.0	−40.7
144	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	2.7	0.0	+1.3
145	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	2.6	−0.1	−1.2
146	🇷🇺 Russia	2.4	0.0	+0.1
147	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	2.2	−0.2	−3.6
148	🇧🇴 Bolivia	2.1	+0.4	−2.5
149	🇸🇴 Somalia	2.0	0.0	−20.6
150	🇰🇭 Cambodia	1.8	0.0	−13.2
151	🇺🇬 Uganda	1.7	0.0	−8.6
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	−5.6

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 1978, with the highest score of 88.0 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1978?

In 1978, the top three of 155 ranked countries are Denmark (88.0), Sweden (87.3), and Australia (81.5).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1978?

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 66.4 points over the past decade, standing at 73.0 (rank #19) in 1978.

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 1978 edition covers 155 countries.