Democracy Index 1985

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1985 — 155 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1985 — 155 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	87.8	0.0	−0.2
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	87.5	+0.1	+0.5
3	🇦🇺 Australia	84.4	+0.2	+3.0
4	🇳🇴 Norway	82.8	0.0	+2.4
5	🇩🇪 Germany	81.9	0.0	+1.1
6	🇨🇭 Switzerland	81.5	0.0	+1.7
7	🇳🇱 Netherlands	81.3	0.0	+2.2
8	🇵🇹 Portugal	80.7	0.0	+57.4
9	🇪🇸 Spain	80.4	0.0	+70.9
10	🇫🇮 Finland	79.7	0.0	+3.5
11	🇳🇿 New Zealand	79.6	+0.8	+2.4
12	🇫🇷 France	79.3	0.0	+2.1
13	🇺🇸 United States of America	78.7	−0.7	+7.1
14	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	78.7	0.0	+8.5
15	🇧🇪 Belgium	78.2	0.0	+1.3
16	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	77.9	−0.1	−0.2
17	🇦🇹 Austria	76.3	0.0	+2.0
18	🇬🇷 Greece	76.3	+0.1	+16.2
19	🇨🇦 Canada	75.7	0.0	+1.7
20	🇯🇵 Japan	75.4	0.0	+0.5
21	🇮🇪 Ireland	74.2	+0.4	+1.4
22	🇮🇸 Iceland	73.9	0.0	+1.9
23	🇮🇹 Italy	72.4	0.0	+7.3
24	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	72.3	0.0	−1.9
25	🇦🇷 Argentina	67.4	0.0	+38.4
26	🇮🇱 Israel	67.0	−0.4	+0.6
27	🇧🇧 Barbados	62.6	0.0	+0.7
28	🇲🇺 Mauritius	60.0	0.0	+5.9
29	🇻🇪 Venezuela	58.6	−0.2	+0.1
30	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	58.2	0.0	+38.0
31	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	57.4	0.0	+10.5
32	🇺🇾 Uruguay	57.3	+51.9	+52.9
33	🇨🇾 Cyprus	55.3	+0.1	+13.4
34	🇧🇼 Botswana	54.7	+0.3	+3.6
35	🇮🇳 India	51.7	+2.3	+23.1
36	🇲🇹 Malta	47.2	0.0	−3.1
37	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	43.8	0.0	−1.3
38	🇵🇪 Peru	43.0	−2.2	+39.3
39	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	42.3	+0.2	+17.5
40	🇫🇯 Fiji	41.9	0.0	−0.1
41	🇯🇲 Jamaica	41.4	+0.2	+1.8
42	🇪🇨 Ecuador	40.0	−2.3	+33.5
43	🇸🇳 Senegal	36.9	0.0	+8.5
44	🇬🇲 The Gambia	32.7	+0.6	−0.9
45	🇧🇴 Bolivia	32.1	+10.5	+30.4
46	🇨🇴 Colombia	31.4	−0.3	+1.4
47	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	30.5	0.0	−12.8
48	🇸🇬 Singapore	28.5	+0.1	+1.0
49	🇹🇷 Türkiye	28.2	0.0	−9.8
50	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	26.3	0.0	+18.0
51	🇰🇼 Kuwait	26.3	−0.2	−0.7
52	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	26.2	0.0	+7.8
53	🇹🇿 Tanzania	24.5	+0.3	+0.6
54	🇧🇷 Brazil	22.6	+7.7	+15.8
55	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	22.4	−0.2	+10.3
56	🇹🇭 Thailand	22.1	+0.2	+2.7
57	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	21.1	+0.6	+1.7
58	🇱🇧 Lebanon	19.0	0.0	−1.5
59	🇭🇳 Honduras	18.8	+0.2	+12.6
60	🇸🇷 Suriname	18.5	+4.4	−15.2
61	🇬🇾 Guyana	17.6	0.0	−2.4
62	🇸🇨 Seychelles	17.3	+0.6	−2.5
63	🇯🇴 Jordan	17.1	+0.6	+6.0
64	🇪🇬 Egypt	17.0	0.0	+1.0
65	🇲🇾 Malaysia	17.0	−0.1	−2.4
66	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	16.7	+7.7	+13.3
67	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	15.9	0.0	+1.1
68	🇹🇳 Tunisia	15.8	−0.1	+1.0
69	🇲🇦 Morocco	15.0	0.0	+6.1
70	🇷🇼 Rwanda	15.0	0.0	+4.8
71	🇿🇲 Zambia	14.8	0.0	+0.1
72	🇰🇷 South Korea	14.3	+2.0	+4.4
73	🇲🇽 Mexico	14.2	0.0	+3.4
74	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.1	0.0	+0.1
75	🇵🇱 Poland	13.9	+0.4	+0.3
76	🇧🇮 Burundi	13.5	+1.4	+6.7
77	🇷🇸 Serbia	13.5	0.0	+1.3
78	Zanzibar	13.1	+0.1	+6.9
79	🇲🇱 Mali	12.5	0.0	+2.6
80	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.4	−0.2	−0.1
81	South Yemen	12.4	0.0	+1.0
82	🇱🇸 Lesotho	12.2	0.0	+0.4
83	🇿🇦 South Africa	11.8	0.0	+2.4
84	🇩🇿 Algeria	11.6	+0.2	+5.3
85	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	11.1	−0.1	−0.5
86	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	10.8	0.0	−1.7
87	🇸🇿 Eswatini	10.6	0.0	+2.6
88	🇭🇺 Hungary	10.4	+0.4	+0.6
89	🇹🇼 Taiwan	10.3	0.0	+2.9
90	🇳🇵 Nepal	10.3	0.0	+2.4
91	🇵🇰 Pakistan	10.2	+4.3	−4.1
92	🇬🇦 Gabon	10.2	0.0	+0.1
93	🇸🇩 Sudan	10.1	+1.8	+2.2
94	🇰🇪 Kenya	10.1	0.0	−1.6
95	🇨🇲 Cameroon	10.0	−0.1	+2.9
96	🇳🇬 Nigeria	9.5	+0.1	+0.3
97	🇲🇬 Madagascar	9.3	0.0	+1.2
98	🇰🇲 Comoros	9.2	0.0	+1.7
99	🇮🇷 Iran	9.0	+0.1	+0.9
100	🇳🇪 Niger	8.6	0.0	+0.1
101	🇧🇯 Benin	8.4	0.0	+0.3
102	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	8.3	0.0	−1.4
103	🇩🇯 Djibouti	8.2	0.0	+4.9
104	🇱🇷 Liberia	7.9	+1.9	−5.8
105	🇬🇭 Ghana	7.8	+0.1	−1.0
106	🇲🇼 Malawi	7.7	0.0	−0.9
107	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	7.7	0.0	−0.1
108	🇵🇦 Panama	7.5	0.0	+0.1
109	🇶🇦 Qatar	7.5	0.0	+0.2
110	🇳🇦 Namibia	7.4	+2.2	+1.6
111	🇸🇻 El Salvador	6.9	+1.7	+1.4
112	🇺🇬 Uganda	6.9	−2.4	+5.2
113	🇱🇦 Laos	6.8	0.0	−0.5
114	🇬🇹 Guatemala	6.7	+1.2	−1.3
115	🇨🇳 China	6.7	0.0	+3.1
116	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.6	0.0	+0.4
117	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	6.5	0.0	+3.1
118	🇴🇲 Oman	6.4	0.0	+1.1
119	🇵🇭 Philippines	6.3	+0.1	+2.5
120	🇹🇬 Togo	6.2	0.0	+1.9
121	German Democratic Republic	6.2	0.0	−0.1
122	🇾🇪 Yemen	6.0	0.0	+0.6
123	🇻🇳 Vietnam	5.9	0.0	−1.2
124	🇲🇻 Maldives	5.9	0.0	−1.0
125	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.9	0.0	+0.1
126	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.8	0.0	0.0
127	🇨🇿 Czechia	5.8	+0.1	+0.7
128	🇮🇩 Indonesia	5.7	−0.1	−1.1
129	🇦🇱 Albania	5.6	0.0	+0.2
130	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	5.1	+0.3	+0.3
131	🇲🇿 Mozambique	4.8	0.0	−0.1
132	🇨🇱 Chile	4.8	0.0	+1.6
133	🇱🇾 Libya	4.6	0.0	+2.1
134	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	4.5	0.0	−0.6
135	🇦🇴 Angola	4.5	0.0	+0.3
136	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	4.5	0.0	−0.9
137	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	4.5	0.0	+3.7
138	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.5	0.0	+0.3
139	🇲🇷 Mauritania	4.3	+0.1	−7.4
140	🇷🇴 Romania	4.2	0.0	0.0
141	🇬🇳 Guinea	4.0	+0.9	+0.4
142	🇸🇴 Somalia	4.0	0.0	+2.0
143	🇸🇾 Syria	3.7	0.0	0.0
144	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.6	0.0	−0.1
145	🇭🇹 Haiti	3.5	+0.2	0.0
146	🇹🇩 Chad	3.4	0.0	−2.8
147	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.3	0.0	+0.2
148	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	3.2	0.0	−0.3
149	🇨🇺 Cuba	3.2	0.0	+0.7
150	🇷🇺 Russia	2.9	+0.2	+0.4
151	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	2.7	0.0	+0.8
152	🇰🇭 Cambodia	2.1	0.0	+1.5
153	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	1.6	0.0	+0.1
154	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0
155	🇪🇷 Eritrea	0.9	0.0	−0.2

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 1985, with the highest score of 87.8 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1985?

In 1985, the top three of 155 ranked countries are Denmark (87.8), Sweden (87.5), and Australia (84.4).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1985?

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 70.9 points over the past decade, standing at 80.4 (rank #9) in 1985.

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 1985 edition covers 155 countries.