Democracy Index 1983

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1983 — 155 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1983 — 155 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	88.1	0.0	+0.1
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	87.4	+0.1	+1.5
3	🇦🇺 Australia	83.4	−0.1	+1.4
4	🇳🇴 Norway	82.8	0.0	+2.4
5	🇩🇪 Germany	82.0	−0.4	+1.2
6	🇨🇭 Switzerland	81.3	+0.1	+2.4
7	🇳🇱 Netherlands	81.3	−0.1	+2.2
8	🇪🇸 Spain	80.4	+1.3	+73.1
9	🇵🇹 Portugal	80.0	+2.2	+71.6
10	🇫🇮 Finland	79.6	+0.9	+3.8
11	🇺🇸 United States of America	79.5	+0.4	+10.6
12	🇫🇷 France	79.3	0.0	+3.3
13	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	78.7	+0.1	+13.2
14	🇧🇪 Belgium	78.2	0.0	+1.0
15	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.0	0.0	+0.3
16	🇳🇿 New Zealand	77.8	+0.3	+1.2
17	🇦🇹 Austria	76.4	−0.1	+2.8
18	🇯🇵 Japan	75.2	0.0	+0.3
19	🇨🇦 Canada	75.1	+0.4	+0.1
20	🇬🇷 Greece	75.1	0.0	+68.5
21	🇮🇸 Iceland	74.1	−0.3	+2.2
22	🇮🇪 Ireland	73.4	+0.4	+2.3
23	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	72.4	−0.2	−1.0
24	🇮🇹 Italy	71.2	+0.4	+6.7
25	🇮🇱 Israel	68.0	0.0	+6.4
26	🇧🇧 Barbados	62.6	0.0	+0.7
27	🇲🇺 Mauritius	60.1	0.0	+6.4
28	🇻🇪 Venezuela	58.7	0.0	+2.5
29	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	58.4	0.0	+40.3
30	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	57.2	0.0	+10.1
31	🇨🇾 Cyprus	54.8	+2.3	+18.5
32	🇧🇼 Botswana	52.9	0.0	+2.1
33	🇮🇳 India	49.8	+0.1	+4.3
34	🇲🇹 Malta	47.2	0.0	−3.1
35	🇵🇪 Peru	45.2	+0.1	+41.6
36	🇪🇨 Ecuador	43.9	−0.1	+37.6
37	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	43.8	+0.1	+7.4
38	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	42.0	0.0	+19.0
39	🇫🇯 Fiji	41.9	−0.1	−0.1
40	🇯🇲 Jamaica	37.2	+0.2	−2.6
41	🇸🇳 Senegal	36.7	+1.4	+7.8
42	🇬🇲 The Gambia	32.2	+0.5	−1.4
43	🇨🇴 Colombia	31.6	+4.0	+5.5
44	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	30.8	−2.6	−11.9
45	🇸🇬 Singapore	28.4	0.0	+1.0
46	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	26.7	−0.4	+18.5
47	🇰🇼 Kuwait	26.5	0.0	−0.5
48	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	26.1	0.0	+17.5
49	🇹🇿 Tanzania	24.2	0.0	+0.3
50	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	22.8	0.0	+10.8
51	🇳🇬 Nigeria	21.6	−4.2	+12.3
52	🇹🇭 Thailand	21.5	+1.4	+10.2
53	🇦🇷 Argentina	20.6	+15.5	−7.1
54	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	20.4	0.0	+1.6
55	🇧🇴 Bolivia	20.1	+8.3	+18.4
56	🇱🇧 Lebanon	19.0	0.0	−2.6
57	🇭🇳 Honduras	18.6	+1.4	+12.4
58	🇬🇾 Guyana	17.4	0.0	−3.2
59	🇲🇾 Malaysia	17.3	−0.2	+0.3
60	🇪🇬 Egypt	17.0	−0.1	+1.0
61	🇸🇨 Seychelles	16.7	+0.1	−5.0
62	🇹🇳 Tunisia	15.9	+0.1	+1.1
63	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	15.9	0.0	+5.5
64	🇷🇼 Rwanda	15.1	0.0	+0.5
65	🇲🇦 Morocco	14.9	0.0	+1.1
66	🇿🇲 Zambia	14.7	0.0	−1.2
67	🇧🇷 Brazil	14.6	+1.2	+7.8
68	🇲🇽 Mexico	14.2	+0.6	+3.4
69	🇸🇷 Suriname	14.1	−0.1	−28.5
70	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.1	0.0	+0.1
71	🇹🇷 Türkiye	13.6	+7.5	−17.4
72	🇷🇸 Serbia	13.5	0.0	+1.8
73	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.6	0.0	+0.1
74	🇲🇱 Mali	12.5	−0.1	+2.8
75	South Yemen	12.4	0.0	+1.2
76	🇵🇱 Poland	12.3	+0.4	−1.1
77	🇧🇮 Burundi	12.2	+2.5	+5.7
78	🇱🇸 Lesotho	12.2	0.0	+0.4
79	🇰🇷 South Korea	11.9	+0.3	+2.1
80	🇯🇴 Jordan	11.8	0.0	−4.0
81	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	11.4	+0.8	−3.7
82	🇩🇿 Algeria	11.4	0.0	+5.1
83	Zanzibar	11.1	0.0	+4.9
84	🇸🇿 Eswatini	10.9	0.0	+1.2
85	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	10.7	−1.9	−8.2
86	🇰🇪 Kenya	10.3	−0.3	−1.1
87	🇳🇵 Nepal	10.3	0.0	+2.3
88	🇬🇦 Gabon	10.2	0.0	+0.1
89	🇭🇺 Hungary	10.0	0.0	+0.2
90	🇹🇼 Taiwan	9.9	+0.1	+3.1
91	🇨🇲 Cameroon	9.7	+0.7	+2.7
92	🇿🇦 South Africa	9.6	0.0	+0.3
93	🇺🇬 Uganda	9.3	−0.4	+7.6
94	🇰🇲 Comoros	9.3	0.0	+1.5
95	🇲🇬 Madagascar	9.2	+0.1	+0.8
96	🇳🇪 Niger	8.6	0.0	−4.1
97	🇧🇯 Benin	8.5	0.0	+0.3
98	🇮🇷 Iran	8.5	−0.5	+0.2
99	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	8.3	0.0	−1.2
100	🇩🇯 Djibouti	8.2	0.0	+5.0
101	🇸🇩 Sudan	7.8	+0.4	+2.0
102	🇬🇭 Ghana	7.7	+0.1	−1.1
103	🇲🇼 Malawi	7.7	0.0	−0.9
104	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	7.7	0.0	−0.1
105	🇶🇦 Qatar	7.5	0.0	+0.2
106	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	7.0	+0.1	+3.6
107	🇵🇦 Panama	7.0	0.0	−0.4
108	🇱🇦 Laos	6.8	0.0	−6.1
109	🇨🇳 China	6.7	0.0	+3.1
110	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.6	0.0	+0.4
111	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	6.5	+0.1	+3.1
112	🇴🇲 Oman	6.4	0.0	+1.5
113	🇵🇭 Philippines	6.2	0.0	+2.4
114	🇹🇬 Togo	6.2	0.0	+1.9
115	German Democratic Republic	6.2	0.0	−0.1
116	🇾🇪 Yemen	6.0	0.0	−0.2
117	🇵🇰 Pakistan	5.9	0.0	−7.4
118	🇻🇳 Vietnam	5.9	0.0	−1.3
119	🇲🇻 Maldives	5.9	0.0	−0.9
120	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.9	0.0	+0.1
121	🇮🇩 Indonesia	5.8	0.0	−1.0
122	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.7	0.0	−0.1
123	🇨🇿 Czechia	5.7	0.0	+1.2
124	🇦🇱 Albania	5.6	0.0	+0.2
125	🇳🇦 Namibia	5.3	−1.8	−0.4
126	🇬🇹 Guatemala	5.0	0.0	−2.9
127	🇸🇻 El Salvador	4.8	+0.2	−0.8
128	🇲🇿 Mozambique	4.8	0.0	+1.4
129	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	4.8	0.0	0.0
130	🇨🇱 Chile	4.7	+0.2	−14.4
131	🇺🇾 Uruguay	4.6	0.0	−1.5
132	🇱🇾 Libya	4.6	0.0	+1.9
133	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	4.5	0.0	−3.6
134	🇦🇴 Angola	4.5	0.0	+0.3
135	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	4.5	0.0	+2.0
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	0.0	−7.6
140	🇸🇴 Somalia	4.0	0.0	+2.0
141	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	3.8	+1.0	+3.0
142	🇬🇳 Guinea	3.7	0.0	+0.2
143	🇸🇾 Syria	3.7	+0.2	−0.1
144	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.6	−0.1	0.0
145	🇹🇩 Chad	3.4	+0.5	−5.2
146	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.3	0.0	+0.1
147	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	3.2	0.0	+0.1
148	🇨🇺 Cuba	3.2	0.0	+0.7
149	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	2.7	0.0	+1.3
150	🇷🇺 Russia	2.7	−0.1	+0.2
151	🇭🇹 Haiti	2.3	−1.2	−1.2
152	🇰🇭 Cambodia	2.1	+0.1	−6.5
153	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	1.6	0.0	−2.0
154	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0
155	🇪🇷 Eritrea	0.9	0.0	−1.4

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 1983, with the highest score of 88.1 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1983?

In 1983, the top three of 155 ranked countries are Denmark (88.1), Sweden (87.4), and Australia (83.4).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1983?

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 73.1 points over the past decade, standing at 80.4 (rank #8) in 1983.

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 1983 edition covers 155 countries.