Democracy Index 1979

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1979 — 154 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1979 — 154 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	88.0	0.0	+0.4
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	87.2	−0.1	+14.5
3	🇩🇪 Germany	81.6	+0.2	+2.1
4	🇦🇺 Australia	81.5	0.0	+2.5
5	🇳🇴 Norway	80.6	0.0	+1.8
6	🇨🇭 Switzerland	80.3	+0.1	+23.5
7	🇳🇱 Netherlands	80.2	+0.9	+2.2
8	🇪🇸 Spain	78.0	+12.3	+70.9
9	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.0	−0.1	+1.1
10	🇫🇷 France	77.3	0.0	+5.4
11	🇧🇪 Belgium	77.2	−0.1	+1.0
12	🇳🇿 New Zealand	77.0	−0.6	+1.7
13	🇺🇸 United States of America	76.7	−0.1	+16.0
14	🇫🇮 Finland	76.7	−0.1	+0.4
15	🇯🇵 Japan	75.2	0.0	+0.2
16	🇦🇹 Austria	74.8	−0.4	+4.5
17	🇨🇦 Canada	74.6	+0.5	+2.0
18	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	73.8	+0.6	+9.4
19	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	73.2	−1.0	+1.0
20	🇬🇷 Greece	73.0	0.0	+66.4
21	🇮🇪 Ireland	72.8	0.0	+2.5
22	🇮🇸 Iceland	72.2	0.0	+0.5
23	🇵🇹 Portugal	68.7	+0.7	+60.9
24	🇮🇱 Israel	67.7	0.0	+9.4
25	🇮🇹 Italy	66.4	−0.1	+4.0
26	🇸🇷 Suriname	62.4	0.0	+19.7
27	🇧🇧 Barbados	62.4	0.0	+2.0
28	🇻🇪 Venezuela	58.7	+0.1	+4.2
29	🇲🇺 Mauritius	58.2	+0.2	+2.7
30	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	54.9	+0.1	+6.8
31	🇧🇼 Botswana	51.6	+0.1	+2.8
32	🇮🇳 India	51.5	+0.1	+0.9
33	🇲🇹 Malta	48.8	0.0	−3.0
34	🇨🇾 Cyprus	46.0	0.0	+12.7
35	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	44.1	0.0	+20.5
36	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	42.2	+3.9	+27.0
37	🇫🇯 Fiji	42.1	0.0	+10.9
38	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	41.0	+3.4	+20.5
39	🇹🇷 Türkiye	37.5	−0.1	−2.0
40	🇯🇲 Jamaica	37.5	+0.8	−1.1
41	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	36.7	−0.5	−13.2
42	🇬🇲 The Gambia	32.5	0.0	+2.6
43	🇸🇳 Senegal	30.6	+0.2	+2.3
44	🇸🇬 Singapore	27.3	0.0	+0.8
45	🇨🇴 Colombia	27.0	−1.0	+1.7
46	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	26.1	+12.1	+17.9
47	🇹🇿 Tanzania	24.0	0.0	0.0
48	🇬🇭 Ghana	22.2	+13.4	+3.3
49	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	21.6	+6.7	+10.0
50	🇬🇾 Guyana	19.6	0.0	−2.4
51	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	19.6	0.0	+1.4
52	🇱🇧 Lebanon	19.5	0.0	−3.4
53	🇲🇾 Malaysia	19.4	0.0	+3.1
54	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	17.6	+5.8	—
55	🇪🇬 Egypt	15.9	−0.2	+2.0
56	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	15.9	0.0	+7.3
57	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	15.7	0.0	+12.3
58	🇹🇳 Tunisia	14.9	−0.2	+0.1
59	🇳🇬 Nigeria	14.8	+4.9	+6.3
60	🇿🇲 Zambia	14.7	0.0	−5.9
61	🇸🇨 Seychelles	14.7	+5.3	−3.4
62	🇲🇦 Morocco	14.5	+0.2	+5.9
63	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.0	0.0	0.0
64	🇵🇱 Poland	13.5	0.0	+0.3
65	🇱🇷 Liberia	13.5	−0.2	+3.0
66	🇪🇨 Ecuador	13.4	+5.0	−5.9
67	🇲🇽 Mexico	12.7	0.0	+2.1
68	🇰🇼 Kuwait	12.6	0.0	−13.5
69	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.5	+0.1	+0.3
70	🇷🇼 Rwanda	12.1	+1.6	−5.1
71	🇱🇸 Lesotho	12.0	+0.1	−2.5
72	🇷🇸 Serbia	12.0	−0.2	+0.3
73	🇰🇪 Kenya	11.7	+0.3	−1.0
74	South Yemen	11.7	+0.6	+2.4
75	🇹🇭 Thailand	11.5	+0.7	+0.9
76	🇲🇱 Mali	11.4	+1.6	+1.5
77	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	11.4	+2.0	−0.7
78	🇯🇴 Jordan	11.1	0.0	−4.8
79	🇩🇿 Algeria	10.8	+0.3	+4.5
80	🇸🇿 Eswatini	10.8	+2.1	−2.8
81	🇬🇦 Gabon	10.1	0.0	0.0
82	🇰🇲 Comoros	10.1	+0.5	+4.2
83	🇰🇷 South Korea	9.9	+0.1	−3.6
84	🇭🇺 Hungary	9.8	0.0	+0.3
85	🇿🇦 South Africa	9.3	0.0	0.0
86	Zanzibar	9.3	0.0	+5.3
87	🇧🇷 Brazil	8.9	+1.7	+2.1
88	🇲🇬 Madagascar	8.9	0.0	−4.0
89	🇳🇪 Niger	8.5	0.0	−4.3
90	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	8.4	−0.4	+0.6
91	🇸🇩 Sudan	8.2	+0.1	+2.7
92	🇧🇯 Benin	8.2	+0.1	−4.9
93	🇩🇯 Djibouti	8.2	+0.2	+4.6
94	🇧🇮 Burundi	8.1	0.0	+1.5
95	🇳🇵 Nepal	7.9	0.0	−0.3
96	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	7.8	0.0	+0.7
97	🇮🇷 Iran	7.7	−0.5	−0.6
98	🇲🇼 Malawi	7.7	0.0	−1.1
99	🇵🇦 Panama	7.7	+0.2	+0.9
100	🇹🇼 Taiwan	7.6	−0.2	+1.5
101	🇶🇦 Qatar	7.3	0.0	+1.7
102	🇨🇲 Cameroon	7.0	0.0	0.0
103	🇱🇦 Laos	6.8	0.0	−6.2
104	🇬🇹 Guatemala	6.6	−0.1	−2.1
105	German Democratic Republic	6.3	0.0	+0.3
106	🇵🇰 Pakistan	6.1	−0.5	−2.8
107	🇴🇲 Oman	6.1	0.0	+3.9
108	🇾🇪 Yemen	6.0	−0.1	+2.3
109	🇻🇳 Vietnam	6.0	+0.2	−1.2
110	🇵🇭 Philippines	6.0	+0.5	−20.9
111	🇨🇳 China	6.0	+1.7	+2.5
112	🇲🇻 Maldives	5.9	−0.2	−1.0
113	🇮🇩 Indonesia	5.8	−0.2	−0.9
114	🇮🇶 Iraq	5.8	−0.4	−0.7
115	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.8	0.0	0.0
116	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.7	0.0	+0.1
117	🇦🇱 Albania	5.6	0.0	+0.2
118	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	5.6	0.0	+4.3
119	🇭🇳 Honduras	5.5	0.0	+0.1
120	🇵🇪 Peru	5.5	−0.3	+1.8
121	🇨🇿 Czechia	5.5	0.0	+0.1
122	🇸🇻 El Salvador	5.2	−0.2	−1.4
123	🇲🇿 Mozambique	4.9	0.0	+2.9
124	🇹🇩 Chad	4.9	−0.2	−4.0
125	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	4.8	0.0	—
126	🇦🇷 Argentina	4.7	0.0	−3.7
127	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	4.6	−0.4	−5.1
128	🇦🇴 Angola	4.6	0.0	+1.1
129	🇱🇾 Libya	4.6	−0.1	−2.7
130	🇲🇷 Mauritania	4.3	−4.5	−7.2
131	🇹🇬 Togo	4.3	0.0	+0.3
132	🇺🇾 Uruguay	4.2	0.0	−44.1
133	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.2	0.0	0.0
134	🇷🇴 Romania	4.2	0.0	0.0
135	🇧🇴 Bolivia	3.8	+1.7	−0.4
136	🇸🇾 Syria	3.7	0.0	−0.6
137	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.7	0.0	−0.5
138	🇬🇳 Guinea	3.6	0.0	0.0
139	🇭🇹 Haiti	3.5	0.0	+0.5
140	🇨🇺 Cuba	3.4	+0.1	+0.9
141	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	3.3	+0.7	−0.3
142	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.3	0.0	−0.5
143	🇨🇱 Chile	3.2	0.0	−40.7
144	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	2.9	+0.7	−2.8
145	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	2.7	0.0	+1.3
146	🇷🇺 Russia	2.5	+0.1	+0.2
147	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	2.4	−1.0	−1.0
148	🇸🇴 Somalia	2.1	+0.1	−8.5
149	🇺🇬 Uganda	1.7	0.0	−8.1
150	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	1.5	0.0	−2.0
151	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	−0.1
152	🇰🇭 Cambodia	1.2	−0.6	−13.8
153	🇪🇷 Eritrea	1.0	0.0	−1.5
154	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	0.7	−0.1	−3.8

Frequently asked questions

Which countries are the most liberal democracies?

Denmark ranks #1 of 154 countries on the V-Dem liberal democracy index index in 1979, with the highest score of 88.0 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1979?

In 1979, the top three of 154 ranked countries are Denmark (88.0), Sweden (87.2), and Germany (81.6).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1979?

Equatorial Guinea ranks #154 of 154 with a score of 0.7.

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

Spain shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 70.9 points over the past decade, standing at 78.0 (rank #8) in 1979.

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 1979 edition covers 154 countries.