Democracy Index 1982

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1982 — 155 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1982 — 155 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	88.1	+0.1	+0.2
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	87.3	+0.2	+1.4
3	🇦🇺 Australia	83.5	0.0	+3.0
4	🇳🇴 Norway	82.8	0.0	+2.4
5	🇩🇪 Germany	82.4	0.0	+1.4
6	🇳🇱 Netherlands	81.4	+0.3	+2.1
7	🇨🇭 Switzerland	81.2	0.0	+2.3
8	🇫🇷 France	79.3	+0.5	+4.5
9	🇺🇸 United States of America	79.1	+0.1	+13.2
10	🇪🇸 Spain	79.1	+0.3	+71.8
11	🇫🇮 Finland	78.7	+1.4	+2.6
12	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	78.6	+2.2	+13.1
13	🇧🇪 Belgium	78.2	0.0	+1.0
14	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.0	0.0	+0.3
15	🇵🇹 Portugal	77.8	0.0	+69.6
16	🇳🇿 New Zealand	77.5	+0.2	+0.6
17	🇦🇹 Austria	76.5	0.0	+4.2
18	🇯🇵 Japan	75.2	0.0	−0.1
19	🇬🇷 Greece	75.1	+1.3	+68.5
20	🇨🇦 Canada	74.7	−0.1	+0.3
21	🇮🇸 Iceland	74.4	0.0	+2.5
22	🇮🇪 Ireland	73.0	−0.4	+1.9
23	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	72.6	0.0	−0.8
24	🇮🇹 Italy	70.8	−0.1	+6.8
25	🇮🇱 Israel	68.0	+0.2	+6.8
26	🇧🇧 Barbados	62.6	−0.3	+1.1
27	🇲🇺 Mauritius	60.1	+1.0	+6.1
28	🇻🇪 Venezuela	58.7	+0.2	+1.9
29	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	58.4	0.0	+40.3
30	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	57.2	+0.5	+10.4
31	🇧🇼 Botswana	52.9	+0.7	+2.1
32	🇨🇾 Cyprus	52.5	+2.2	+16.6
33	🇮🇳 India	49.7	−0.2	+4.2
34	🇲🇹 Malta	47.2	−1.5	−3.1
35	🇵🇪 Peru	45.1	−1.0	+41.4
36	🇪🇨 Ecuador	44.0	+0.2	+36.7
37	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	43.7	+0.1	+18.8
38	🇫🇯 Fiji	42.0	−0.1	+2.2
39	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	42.0	+1.1	+19.2
40	🇯🇲 Jamaica	37.0	0.0	−2.5
41	🇸🇳 Senegal	35.3	+1.1	+5.7
42	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	33.4	−0.4	−9.7
43	🇬🇲 The Gambia	31.7	+0.1	−2.2
44	🇸🇬 Singapore	28.4	0.0	+1.3
45	🇨🇴 Colombia	27.6	+0.6	+1.5
46	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	27.1	+1.9	+18.9
47	🇰🇼 Kuwait	26.5	+0.7	−0.9
48	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	26.1	0.0	+22.6
49	🇳🇬 Nigeria	25.8	0.0	+16.4
50	🇹🇿 Tanzania	24.2	+0.2	+0.4
51	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	22.8	−0.1	+10.8
52	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	20.4	0.0	+1.6
53	🇹🇭 Thailand	20.1	+0.3	+10.2
54	🇱🇧 Lebanon	19.0	−0.5	−2.9
55	🇲🇾 Malaysia	17.5	−1.6	+0.5
56	🇬🇾 Guyana	17.4	0.0	−3.6
57	🇭🇳 Honduras	17.2	+7.5	+6.4
58	🇪🇬 Egypt	17.1	+1.0	+1.1
59	🇸🇨 Seychelles	16.6	+0.1	−5.1
60	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	15.9	0.0	+7.2
61	🇹🇳 Tunisia	15.8	0.0	+1.0
62	🇷🇼 Rwanda	15.1	+3.0	−1.7
63	🇲🇦 Morocco	14.9	0.0	+0.9
64	🇿🇲 Zambia	14.7	0.0	−4.7
65	🇸🇷 Suriname	14.2	0.0	−28.8
66	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.1	0.0	+0.1
67	🇲🇽 Mexico	13.6	+0.7	+2.8
68	🇷🇸 Serbia	13.5	+0.2	+1.8
69	🇧🇷 Brazil	13.4	+1.5	+6.6
70	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	12.6	−5.8	−3.4
71	🇲🇱 Mali	12.6	0.0	+2.9
72	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.6	0.0	+0.1
73	South Yemen	12.4	+0.1	+1.2
74	🇱🇸 Lesotho	12.2	0.0	+1.9
75	🇵🇱 Poland	11.9	−1.2	−1.5
76	🇧🇴 Bolivia	11.8	+9.5	+10.1
77	🇯🇴 Jordan	11.8	0.0	−4.0
78	🇰🇷 South Korea	11.6	+1.1	+1.0
79	🇩🇿 Algeria	11.4	+0.3	+5.1
80	Zanzibar	11.1	0.0	+7.1
81	🇸🇿 Eswatini	10.9	0.0	−2.3
82	🇰🇪 Kenya	10.6	−0.9	−0.8
83	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	10.6	0.0	−4.5
84	🇳🇵 Nepal	10.3	+0.1	+2.4
85	🇬🇦 Gabon	10.2	0.0	+0.1
86	🇭🇺 Hungary	10.0	0.0	+0.2
87	🇹🇼 Taiwan	9.8	+0.8	+3.1
88	🇺🇬 Uganda	9.7	−0.1	+7.6
89	🇧🇮 Burundi	9.7	+1.4	+3.2
90	🇿🇦 South Africa	9.6	0.0	+0.3
91	🇰🇲 Comoros	9.3	−0.5	+2.0
92	🇲🇬 Madagascar	9.1	0.0	+0.2
93	🇮🇷 Iran	9.0	−0.4	+0.7
94	🇨🇲 Cameroon	9.0	+1.0	+1.9
95	🇳🇪 Niger	8.6	0.0	−4.0
96	🇧🇯 Benin	8.5	0.0	−0.3
97	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	8.3	+0.1	−0.7
98	🇩🇯 Djibouti	8.2	0.0	+5.0
99	🇲🇼 Malawi	7.7	0.0	−0.9
100	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	7.7	0.0	−0.1
101	🇬🇭 Ghana	7.6	−14.5	−3.5
102	🇶🇦 Qatar	7.5	0.0	+0.2
103	🇸🇩 Sudan	7.4	−0.7	+1.6
104	🇳🇦 Namibia	7.1	0.0	+1.4
105	🇵🇦 Panama	7.0	−0.6	−0.2
106	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	6.9	−1.4	+3.8
107	🇱🇦 Laos	6.8	0.0	−6.1
108	🇨🇳 China	6.7	0.0	+3.1
109	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.6	−0.1	+0.4
110	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	6.4	−2.0	+3.0
111	🇴🇲 Oman	6.4	+0.2	+1.5
112	🇵🇭 Philippines	6.2	+0.1	−0.3
113	🇹🇬 Togo	6.2	0.0	+1.9
114	German Democratic Republic	6.2	0.0	+0.1
115	🇹🇷 Türkiye	6.1	+0.6	−23.0
116	🇾🇪 Yemen	6.0	0.0	−0.1
117	🇵🇰 Pakistan	5.9	+0.1	−5.3
118	🇻🇳 Vietnam	5.9	0.0	−1.3
119	🇲🇻 Maldives	5.9	0.0	−0.9
120	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.9	+0.1	+0.1
121	🇮🇩 Indonesia	5.8	0.0	−1.0
122	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.7	0.0	−0.1
123	🇨🇿 Czechia	5.7	0.0	+1.3
124	🇦🇱 Albania	5.6	0.0	+0.2
125	🇦🇷 Argentina	5.1	0.0	−4.3
126	🇬🇹 Guatemala	5.0	−1.6	−2.9
127	🇲🇿 Mozambique	4.8	0.0	+2.8
128	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	4.8	0.0	0.0
129	🇸🇻 El Salvador	4.6	+0.4	−1.4
130	🇺🇾 Uruguay	4.6	+0.1	−29.1
131	🇱🇾 Libya	4.6	0.0	+1.9
132	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	4.5	+0.1	−5.0
133	🇨🇱 Chile	4.5	+0.1	−47.5
134	🇦🇴 Angola	4.5	0.0	+1.0
135	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	4.5	0.0	+2.2
136	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.5	0.0	+0.3
137	🇱🇷 Liberia	4.3	0.0	−9.4
138	🇷🇴 Romania	4.2	0.0	0.0
139	🇲🇷 Mauritania	4.1	−0.3	−7.7
140	🇸🇴 Somalia	4.0	0.0	+2.0
141	🇬🇳 Guinea	3.7	+0.1	+0.2
142	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.7	0.0	−0.4
143	🇭🇹 Haiti	3.5	+0.1	0.0
144	🇸🇾 Syria	3.5	0.0	−0.5
145	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.3	−0.2	+0.1
146	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	3.2	0.0	+0.8
147	🇨🇺 Cuba	3.2	0.0	+0.7
148	🇹🇩 Chad	2.9	+0.1	−5.7
149	🇷🇺 Russia	2.8	0.0	+0.3
150	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	2.8	+0.6	+2.0
151	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	2.7	0.0	+1.3
152	🇰🇭 Cambodia	2.0	−0.4	−5.5
153	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	1.6	0.0	−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 1982, with the highest score of 88.1 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1982?

In 1982, the top three of 155 ranked countries are Denmark (88.1), Sweden (87.3), and Australia (83.5).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1982?

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 71.8 points over the past decade, standing at 79.1 (rank #10) in 1982.

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 1982 edition covers 155 countries.