Democracy Index 1981

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1981 — 155 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1981 — 155 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	88.0	0.0	+0.3
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	87.1	0.0	+1.8
3	🇦🇺 Australia	83.5	+0.6	+2.9
4	🇳🇴 Norway	82.8	+0.1	+2.4
5	🇩🇪 Germany	82.4	+0.2	+1.4
6	🇨🇭 Switzerland	81.2	+0.3	+23.8
7	🇳🇱 Netherlands	81.1	0.0	+2.4
8	🇺🇸 United States of America	79.0	+1.2	+14.4
9	🇫🇷 France	78.8	+1.5	+3.3
10	🇪🇸 Spain	78.8	0.0	+71.6
11	🇧🇪 Belgium	78.2	−0.4	+1.5
12	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.0	0.0	+0.3
13	🇵🇹 Portugal	77.8	+0.2	+69.6
14	🇫🇮 Finland	77.3	+0.4	+0.9
15	🇳🇿 New Zealand	77.3	−0.2	+0.5
16	🇦🇹 Austria	76.5	+1.6	+4.9
17	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	76.4	−0.3	+10.9
18	🇯🇵 Japan	75.2	0.0	+0.1
19	🇨🇦 Canada	74.8	+0.1	+0.5
20	🇮🇸 Iceland	74.4	0.0	+2.7
21	🇬🇷 Greece	73.8	+0.8	+67.2
22	🇮🇪 Ireland	73.4	+0.6	+2.3
23	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	72.6	+0.7	−0.8
24	🇮🇹 Italy	70.9	+1.3	+6.8
25	🇮🇱 Israel	67.8	+0.1	+8.4
26	🇧🇧 Barbados	62.9	+0.2	+1.7
27	🇲🇺 Mauritius	59.1	0.0	+5.3
28	🇻🇪 Venezuela	58.5	−0.5	+2.7
29	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	58.4	0.0	+40.3
30	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	56.7	+0.6	+9.4
31	🇧🇼 Botswana	52.2	+0.7	+1.4
32	🇨🇾 Cyprus	50.3	+2.7	+14.7
33	🇮🇳 India	49.9	−0.4	+4.1
34	🇲🇹 Malta	48.7	−0.1	−1.6
35	🇵🇪 Peru	46.1	+28.1	+42.4
36	🇪🇨 Ecuador	43.8	+0.1	+35.0
37	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	43.6	0.0	+19.5
38	🇫🇯 Fiji	42.1	0.0	+3.8
39	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	40.9	−0.3	+18.1
40	🇯🇲 Jamaica	37.0	−1.9	−2.4
41	🇸🇳 Senegal	34.2	+2.5	+4.8
42	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	33.8	0.0	−10.3
43	🇬🇲 The Gambia	31.6	−0.9	−3.4
44	🇸🇬 Singapore	28.4	+0.4	+1.5
45	🇨🇴 Colombia	27.0	0.0	+1.2
46	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	26.1	+9.4	+22.7
47	🇳🇬 Nigeria	25.8	+0.4	+17.0
48	🇰🇼 Kuwait	25.8	+13.3	−1.4
49	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	25.2	0.0	+17.0
50	🇹🇿 Tanzania	24.0	0.0	0.0
51	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	22.9	+1.4	+10.9
52	🇬🇭 Ghana	22.1	−18.4	−12.8
53	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	20.4	0.0	+1.6
54	🇹🇭 Thailand	19.8	+1.4	+8.9
55	🇱🇧 Lebanon	19.5	0.0	−3.1
56	🇲🇾 Malaysia	19.1	−0.5	+5.8
57	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	18.4	−0.3	+8.0
58	🇬🇾 Guyana	17.4	−0.7	−3.9
59	🇸🇨 Seychelles	16.5	0.0	−6.8
60	🇪🇬 Egypt	16.1	+4.1	−0.1
61	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	15.9	0.0	+7.3
62	🇹🇳 Tunisia	15.8	+0.1	+1.0
63	🇲🇦 Morocco	14.9	0.0	+0.9
64	🇿🇲 Zambia	14.7	0.0	−4.8
65	🇸🇷 Suriname	14.2	−3.2	−28.8
66	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.1	+0.1	+0.1
67	🇷🇸 Serbia	13.3	+0.8	+1.6
68	🇵🇱 Poland	13.1	−1.1	−0.2
69	🇲🇽 Mexico	12.9	+0.1	+2.2
70	🇲🇱 Mali	12.6	0.0	+2.9
71	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.6	0.0	+0.3
72	South Yemen	12.3	+1.9	+1.1
73	🇱🇸 Lesotho	12.2	0.0	+1.9
74	🇷🇼 Rwanda	12.1	0.0	−4.5
75	🇧🇷 Brazil	11.9	0.0	+5.1
76	🇯🇴 Jordan	11.8	0.0	−4.3
77	🇰🇪 Kenya	11.5	0.0	+0.1
78	🇩🇿 Algeria	11.1	0.0	+4.8
79	Zanzibar	11.1	+1.1	+7.1
80	🇸🇿 Eswatini	10.9	0.0	−2.4
81	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	10.6	−7.9	−1.9
82	🇰🇷 South Korea	10.5	+0.2	−3.0
83	🇳🇵 Nepal	10.2	+0.1	+1.9
84	🇬🇦 Gabon	10.2	0.0	+0.1
85	🇭🇺 Hungary	10.0	0.0	+0.2
86	🇺🇬 Uganda	9.8	+5.5	+6.3
87	🇰🇲 Comoros	9.8	0.0	+3.8
88	🇭🇳 Honduras	9.7	+2.3	+0.2
89	🇿🇦 South Africa	9.6	+0.3	+0.3
90	🇮🇷 Iran	9.4	+0.6	+1.1
91	🇲🇬 Madagascar	9.1	+0.2	−4.1
92	🇹🇼 Taiwan	9.0	+0.3	+2.2
93	🇳🇪 Niger	8.6	0.0	−4.0
94	🇧🇯 Benin	8.5	0.0	−2.1
95	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	8.4	+1.0	+4.8
96	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	8.3	+0.1	+4.9
97	🇧🇮 Burundi	8.3	+0.1	+1.7
98	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	8.2	−0.2	−0.9
99	🇩🇯 Djibouti	8.2	0.0	+5.0
100	🇸🇩 Sudan	8.1	+0.4	+2.9
101	🇨🇲 Cameroon	8.0	0.0	+1.1
102	🇲🇼 Malawi	7.7	0.0	−0.9
103	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	7.7	0.0	−0.1
104	🇵🇦 Panama	7.6	−0.2	+0.8
105	🇶🇦 Qatar	7.5	0.0	+0.2
106	🇳🇦 Namibia	7.1	−0.1	+1.4
107	🇱🇦 Laos	6.8	0.0	−6.2
108	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.7	+1.1	+0.5
109	🇨🇳 China	6.7	+0.1	+3.1
110	🇬🇹 Guatemala	6.6	0.0	−1.3
111	🇹🇬 Togo	6.2	+0.4	+1.9
112	🇴🇲 Oman	6.2	0.0	+1.3
113	German Democratic Republic	6.2	0.0	0.0
114	🇵🇭 Philippines	6.1	+0.1	−15.1
115	🇾🇪 Yemen	6.0	0.0	−1.1
116	🇻🇳 Vietnam	5.9	−0.1	−1.3
117	🇲🇻 Maldives	5.9	0.0	−0.9
118	🇵🇰 Pakistan	5.8	0.0	−1.3
119	🇮🇩 Indonesia	5.8	0.0	−0.4
120	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.8	0.0	0.0
121	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.7	0.0	−0.1
122	🇨🇿 Czechia	5.7	+0.1	+1.1
123	🇦🇱 Albania	5.6	0.0	+0.2
124	🇹🇷 Türkiye	5.5	−14.1	−22.8
125	🇦🇷 Argentina	5.1	0.0	−4.3
126	🇲🇿 Mozambique	4.8	0.0	+2.7
127	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	4.8	0.0	0.0
128	🇱🇾 Libya	4.6	0.0	+1.9
129	🇺🇾 Uruguay	4.5	0.0	−36.6
130	🇦🇴 Angola	4.5	0.0	+1.0
131	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	4.5	−0.8	+3.3
132	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.5	0.0	+0.3
133	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	4.4	+0.2	−5.2
134	🇲🇷 Mauritania	4.4	+0.1	−7.3
135	🇨🇱 Chile	4.4	0.0	−48.6
136	🇱🇷 Liberia	4.3	−1.8	−8.3
137	🇸🇻 El Salvador	4.2	0.0	−2.3
138	🇷🇴 Romania	4.2	0.0	0.0
139	🇸🇴 Somalia	4.0	+0.8	+2.0
140	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.7	0.0	−0.4
141	🇬🇳 Guinea	3.6	0.0	+0.1
142	🇸🇾 Syria	3.5	0.0	−0.3
143	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.5	0.0	+0.3
144	🇭🇹 Haiti	3.4	−0.1	+0.1
145	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	3.2	0.0	+0.8
146	🇨🇺 Cuba	3.2	0.0	+0.7
147	🇷🇺 Russia	2.8	0.0	+0.3
148	🇹🇩 Chad	2.8	−0.2	−6.0
149	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	2.7	0.0	+1.3
150	🇰🇭 Cambodia	2.4	+0.2	−4.4
151	🇧🇴 Bolivia	2.3	−0.8	+0.5
152	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	2.2	+0.1	+1.2
153	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	1.6	+0.1	−2.0
154	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	−0.1
155	🇪🇷 Eritrea	0.9	0.0	−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 1981, with the highest score of 88.0 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1981?

In 1981, the top three of 155 ranked countries are Denmark (88.0), Sweden (87.1), and Australia (83.5).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1981?

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 #10) in 1981.

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 1981 edition covers 155 countries.