Democracy Index 1980

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1980 — 155 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1980 — 155 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	87.1	−0.1	+14.3
3	🇦🇺 Australia	82.9	+1.4	+2.3
4	🇳🇴 Norway	82.7	+2.1	+2.3
5	🇩🇪 Germany	82.2	+0.6	+1.1
6	🇳🇱 Netherlands	81.1	+0.9	+2.5
7	🇨🇭 Switzerland	80.9	+0.6	+23.8
8	🇪🇸 Spain	78.8	+0.8	+71.6
9	🇧🇪 Belgium	78.6	+1.4	+1.9
10	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.0	0.0	+0.3
11	🇺🇸 United States of America	77.8	+1.1	+13.9
12	🇵🇹 Portugal	77.6	+8.9	+69.4
13	🇳🇿 New Zealand	77.5	+0.5	+0.7
14	🇫🇷 France	77.3	0.0	+2.3
15	🇫🇮 Finland	76.9	+0.2	+0.5
16	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	76.7	+2.9	+11.4
17	🇯🇵 Japan	75.2	0.0	+0.3
18	🇦🇹 Austria	74.9	+0.1	+3.5
19	🇨🇦 Canada	74.7	+0.1	+1.2
20	🇮🇸 Iceland	74.4	+2.2	+2.8
21	🇬🇷 Greece	73.0	0.0	+66.4
22	🇮🇪 Ireland	72.8	0.0	+1.7
23	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	71.9	−1.3	−1.0
24	🇮🇹 Italy	69.6	+3.2	+5.4
25	🇮🇱 Israel	67.7	0.0	+8.3
26	🇧🇧 Barbados	62.7	+0.3	+1.5
27	🇲🇺 Mauritius	59.1	+0.9	+4.7
28	🇻🇪 Venezuela	59.0	+0.3	+3.5
29	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	58.4	+16.2	+41.6
30	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	56.1	+1.2	+7.7
31	🇧🇼 Botswana	51.5	−0.1	+0.8
32	🇮🇳 India	50.3	−1.2	+1.0
33	🇲🇹 Malta	48.8	0.0	−3.0
34	🇨🇾 Cyprus	47.6	+1.6	+13.0
35	🇪🇨 Ecuador	43.7	+30.3	+34.7
36	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	43.6	−0.5	+19.5
37	🇫🇯 Fiji	42.1	0.0	+4.2
38	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	41.2	+0.2	+18.4
39	🇬🇭 Ghana	40.5	+18.3	+8.3
40	🇯🇲 Jamaica	38.9	+1.4	−0.5
41	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	33.8	−2.9	−14.1
42	🇬🇲 The Gambia	32.5	0.0	−2.3
43	🇸🇳 Senegal	31.7	+1.1	+2.2
44	🇸🇬 Singapore	28.0	+0.7	+1.1
45	🇨🇴 Colombia	27.0	0.0	+1.9
46	🇳🇬 Nigeria	25.4	+10.6	+16.8
47	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	25.2	−0.9	+17.1
48	🇹🇿 Tanzania	24.0	0.0	+0.1
49	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	21.5	+10.1	+9.4
50	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	20.4	+0.8	+1.6
51	🇹🇷 Türkiye	19.6	−17.9	−17.3
52	🇲🇾 Malaysia	19.6	+0.2	+6.3
53	🇱🇧 Lebanon	19.5	0.0	−3.1
54	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	18.7	+1.1	—
55	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	18.5	−3.1	+5.8
56	🇹🇭 Thailand	18.4	+6.9	+7.3
57	🇬🇾 Guyana	18.1	−1.5	−3.2
58	🇵🇪 Peru	18.0	+12.5	+14.3
59	🇸🇷 Suriname	17.4	−45.0	−25.6
60	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	16.7	+1.0	+13.3
61	🇸🇨 Seychelles	16.5	+1.8	−3.0
62	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	15.9	0.0	+7.3
63	🇹🇳 Tunisia	15.7	+0.8	+0.9
64	🇲🇦 Morocco	14.9	+0.4	+3.7
65	🇿🇲 Zambia	14.7	0.0	−5.7
66	🇵🇱 Poland	14.2	+0.7	+0.9
67	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.0	0.0	−0.1
68	🇲🇽 Mexico	12.8	+0.1	+2.1
69	🇲🇱 Mali	12.6	+1.2	+2.9
70	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.6	+0.1	+0.3
71	🇰🇼 Kuwait	12.5	−0.1	−13.7
72	🇷🇸 Serbia	12.5	+0.5	+0.8
73	🇱🇸 Lesotho	12.2	+0.2	+1.1
74	🇷🇼 Rwanda	12.1	0.0	−4.6
75	🇪🇬 Egypt	12.0	−3.9	−2.4
76	🇧🇷 Brazil	11.9	+3.0	+5.1
77	🇯🇴 Jordan	11.8	+0.7	−4.2
78	🇰🇪 Kenya	11.5	−0.2	+0.1
79	🇩🇿 Algeria	11.1	+0.3	+4.8
80	🇸🇿 Eswatini	10.9	+0.1	−2.7
81	South Yemen	10.4	−1.3	−0.8
82	🇰🇷 South Korea	10.3	+0.4	−3.2
83	🇬🇦 Gabon	10.2	+0.1	0.0
84	🇳🇵 Nepal	10.1	+2.2	+1.8
85	🇭🇺 Hungary	10.0	+0.2	+0.3
86	Zanzibar	10.0	+0.7	+6.0
87	🇰🇲 Comoros	9.8	−0.3	+3.8
88	🇿🇦 South Africa	9.3	0.0	0.0
89	🇲🇬 Madagascar	8.9	0.0	−4.2
90	🇮🇷 Iran	8.8	+1.1	+0.5
91	🇹🇼 Taiwan	8.7	+1.1	+1.8
92	🇳🇪 Niger	8.6	+0.1	−4.1
93	🇧🇯 Benin	8.5	+0.3	−2.6
94	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	8.4	0.0	+0.8
95	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	8.2	+5.8	+4.6
96	🇧🇮 Burundi	8.2	+0.1	+1.5
97	🇩🇯 Djibouti	8.2	0.0	+4.7
98	🇨🇲 Cameroon	8.0	+1.0	+0.9
99	🇵🇦 Panama	7.8	+0.1	+1.0
100	🇸🇩 Sudan	7.7	−0.5	+2.7
101	🇲🇼 Malawi	7.7	0.0	−1.1
102	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	7.7	−0.1	−0.1
103	🇶🇦 Qatar	7.5	+0.2	+1.2
104	🇭🇳 Honduras	7.4	+1.9	+2.0
105	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	7.4	+4.1	+3.8
106	🇳🇦 Namibia	7.2	—	+1.5
107	🇱🇦 Laos	6.8	0.0	−6.2
108	🇬🇹 Guatemala	6.6	0.0	−1.4
109	🇨🇳 China	6.6	+0.6	+3.0
110	🇴🇲 Oman	6.2	+0.1	+1.8
111	German Democratic Republic	6.2	−0.1	0.0
112	🇱🇷 Liberia	6.1	−7.4	−4.4
113	🇾🇪 Yemen	6.0	0.0	+2.3
114	🇻🇳 Vietnam	6.0	0.0	−1.2
115	🇵🇭 Philippines	6.0	0.0	−18.5
116	🇲🇻 Maldives	5.9	0.0	−0.9
117	🇵🇰 Pakistan	5.8	−0.3	−3.7
118	🇮🇩 Indonesia	5.8	0.0	−0.2
119	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.8	0.0	0.0
120	🇹🇬 Togo	5.8	+1.5	+1.8
121	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.7	0.0	−0.1
122	🇦🇱 Albania	5.6	0.0	+0.2
123	🇮🇶 Iraq	5.6	−0.2	−0.6
124	🇨🇿 Czechia	5.6	+0.1	+1.0
125	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	5.3	−0.3	+4.1
126	🇦🇷 Argentina	5.1	+0.4	−4.1
127	🇲🇿 Mozambique	4.8	−0.1	+2.7
128	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	4.8	0.0	—
129	🇱🇾 Libya	4.6	0.0	+1.6
130	🇺🇾 Uruguay	4.5	+0.3	−39.5
131	🇦🇴 Angola	4.5	−0.1	+1.0
132	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.5	+0.3	+0.3
133	🇨🇱 Chile	4.4	+1.2	−40.9
134	🇺🇬 Uganda	4.3	+2.6	−5.3
135	🇲🇷 Mauritania	4.3	0.0	−7.4
136	🇸🇻 El Salvador	4.2	−1.0	−2.3
137	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	4.2	−0.4	−5.4
138	🇷🇴 Romania	4.2	0.0	0.0
139	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.7	0.0	−0.4
140	🇬🇳 Guinea	3.6	0.0	+0.1
141	🇭🇹 Haiti	3.5	0.0	+0.5
142	🇸🇾 Syria	3.5	−0.2	+0.8
143	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.5	+0.2	+0.8
144	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	3.2	+0.3	+0.8
145	🇸🇴 Somalia	3.2	+1.1	+1.2
146	🇨🇺 Cuba	3.2	−0.2	+0.7
147	🇧🇴 Bolivia	3.1	−0.7	+0.2
148	🇹🇩 Chad	3.0	−1.9	−5.8
149	🇷🇺 Russia	2.8	+0.3	+0.4
150	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	2.7	0.0	+1.3
151	🇰🇭 Cambodia	2.2	+1.0	−6.1
152	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	2.1	+1.4	+0.1
153	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	1.5	0.0	−2.1
154	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	−0.1
155	🇪🇷 Eritrea	0.9	−0.1	−1.5

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 1980, with the highest score of 88.0 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1980?

In 1980, the top three of 155 ranked countries are Denmark (88.0), Sweden (87.1), and Australia (82.9).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1980?

Eritrea ranks #155 of 155 with a score of 0.9.

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

Spain shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 71.6 points over the past decade, standing at 78.8 (rank #8) in 1980.

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 1980 edition covers 155 countries.