Democracy Index 1986

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1986 — 155 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1986 — 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	87.3	−0.2	+0.2
3	🇦🇺 Australia	84.4	0.0	+3.1
4	🇳🇴 Norway	83.0	+0.2	+2.6
5	🇩🇪 Germany	81.9	0.0	+1.0
6	🇨🇭 Switzerland	81.5	0.0	+1.8
7	🇳🇱 Netherlands	81.3	0.0	+2.2
8	🇵🇹 Portugal	80.5	−0.2	+35.0
9	🇪🇸 Spain	80.5	+0.1	+69.6
10	🇳🇿 New Zealand	80.3	+0.7	+2.5
11	🇫🇮 Finland	79.9	+0.2	+3.0
12	🇺🇸 United States of America	79.2	+0.5	+6.6
13	🇫🇷 France	79.0	−0.3	+1.8
14	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	78.9	+0.2	+7.5
15	🇧🇪 Belgium	78.3	+0.1	+1.2
16	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	77.9	0.0	−0.2
17	🇬🇷 Greece	76.4	+0.1	+6.4
18	🇦🇹 Austria	76.3	0.0	+1.1
19	🇨🇦 Canada	75.7	0.0	+1.6
20	🇯🇵 Japan	75.2	−0.2	+0.3
21	🇮🇸 Iceland	74.8	+0.9	+2.8
22	🇮🇪 Ireland	74.6	+0.4	+1.8
23	🇮🇹 Italy	72.4	0.0	+6.3
24	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	72.3	0.0	−1.9
25	🇺🇾 Uruguay	70.0	+12.7	+65.7
26	🇮🇱 Israel	67.9	+0.9	+1.3
27	🇦🇷 Argentina	67.2	−0.2	+60.6
28	🇧🇧 Barbados	62.5	−0.1	+0.3
29	🇲🇺 Mauritius	60.8	+0.8	+4.8
30	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	58.6	+1.2	+8.6
31	🇻🇪 Venezuela	58.4	−0.2	−0.6
32	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	58.2	0.0	+26.2
33	🇨🇾 Cyprus	55.6	+0.3	+11.2
34	🇧🇼 Botswana	55.0	+0.3	+3.5
35	🇮🇳 India	52.1	+0.4	+25.6
36	🇲🇹 Malta	47.5	+0.3	−2.3
37	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	43.8	0.0	−1.3
38	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	42.3	0.0	+16.5
39	🇵🇪 Peru	42.2	−0.8	+38.3
40	🇫🇯 Fiji	41.9	0.0	−0.1
41	🇯🇲 Jamaica	41.4	0.0	+1.7
42	🇧🇴 Bolivia	41.1	+9.0	+39.4
43	🇪🇨 Ecuador	40.3	+0.3	+33.7
44	🇸🇳 Senegal	36.9	0.0	+7.8
45	🇬🇲 The Gambia	32.7	0.0	−0.9
46	🇧🇷 Brazil	31.3	+8.7	+24.3
47	🇨🇴 Colombia	30.8	−0.6	+0.4
48	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	30.0	−0.5	−13.3
49	🇸🇬 Singapore	28.8	+0.3	+1.5
50	🇹🇷 Türkiye	28.3	+0.1	−10.0
51	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	26.7	+0.5	+11.0
52	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	25.3	−1.0	+17.0
53	🇹🇿 Tanzania	24.9	+0.4	+1.0
54	🇹🇭 Thailand	22.2	+0.1	+9.2
55	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	22.2	−0.2	+10.1
56	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	21.5	+0.4	+2.0
57	🇬🇾 Guyana	20.1	+2.5	+0.2
58	🇭🇳 Honduras	19.1	+0.3	+12.8
59	🇱🇧 Lebanon	19.0	0.0	−0.5
60	🇸🇷 Suriname	18.6	+0.1	−43.1
61	🇪🇬 Egypt	17.3	+0.3	+1.0
62	🇯🇴 Jordan	17.1	0.0	+6.0
63	🇸🇨 Seychelles	17.1	−0.2	−4.7
64	🇲🇾 Malaysia	16.8	−0.2	−2.6
65	🇬🇹 Guatemala	16.5	+9.8	+8.6
66	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	15.9	−0.8	+12.5
67	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	15.9	0.0	0.0
68	🇹🇳 Tunisia	15.8	0.0	+0.8
69	🇲🇦 Morocco	15.0	0.0	+6.0
70	🇷🇼 Rwanda	15.0	0.0	+4.8
71	🇰🇷 South Korea	14.8	+0.5	+5.0
72	🇿🇲 Zambia	14.8	0.0	+0.1
73	🇸🇩 Sudan	14.6	+4.5	+6.7
74	🇵🇱 Poland	14.4	+0.5	+1.1
75	🇲🇽 Mexico	14.3	+0.1	+3.1
76	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.1	0.0	+0.1
77	🇧🇮 Burundi	13.6	+0.1	+6.0
78	🇷🇸 Serbia	13.5	0.0	+1.3
79	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	13.4	+2.6	+4.4
80	Zanzibar	13.0	−0.1	+6.8
81	🇱🇷 Liberia	12.9	+5.0	−0.8
82	🇵🇭 Philippines	12.8	+6.5	+9.0
83	🇰🇼 Kuwait	12.6	−13.7	−0.2
84	🇲🇱 Mali	12.5	0.0	+2.6
85	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.4	0.0	−0.1
86	🇿🇦 South Africa	11.9	+0.1	+2.5
87	🇹🇼 Taiwan	11.7	+1.4	+3.7
88	🇩🇿 Algeria	11.6	0.0	+5.2
89	🇵🇰 Pakistan	11.3	+1.1	−3.1
90	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	11.3	+0.2	−0.3
91	🇺🇬 Uganda	10.7	+3.8	+9.0
92	🇱🇸 Lesotho	10.7	−1.5	−1.1
93	🇸🇿 Eswatini	10.6	0.0	+2.5
94	🇭🇺 Hungary	10.6	+0.2	+0.8
95	🇳🇵 Nepal	10.3	0.0	+2.3
96	🇬🇦 Gabon	10.2	0.0	+0.1
97	🇰🇪 Kenya	10.0	−0.1	−1.8
98	🇨🇲 Cameroon	10.0	0.0	+2.9
99	🇳🇬 Nigeria	9.8	+0.3	+0.3
100	🇲🇬 Madagascar	9.4	+0.1	+0.2
101	🇰🇲 Comoros	9.3	+0.1	−0.5
102	🇮🇷 Iran	9.0	0.0	+0.9
103	South Yemen	8.9	−3.5	−2.5
104	🇳🇪 Niger	8.6	0.0	+0.1
105	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	8.6	+0.3	−1.1
106	🇧🇯 Benin	8.4	0.0	+0.3
107	🇩🇯 Djibouti	8.2	0.0	+4.9
108	🇳🇦 Namibia	8.1	+0.7	+2.3
109	🇸🇻 El Salvador	8.0	+1.1	+2.5
110	🇬🇭 Ghana	7.8	0.0	−1.0
111	🇲🇼 Malawi	7.7	0.0	−0.3
112	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	7.7	0.0	−0.1
113	🇶🇦 Qatar	7.5	0.0	+0.2
114	🇱🇦 Laos	7.1	+0.3	+0.3
115	🇵🇦 Panama	7.0	−0.5	−0.4
116	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	6.9	+0.4	+3.5
117	🇨🇳 China	6.7	0.0	+3.1
118	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.6	0.0	+0.4
119	🇻🇳 Vietnam	6.5	+0.6	−0.6
120	🇴🇲 Oman	6.5	+0.1	+0.8
121	🇹🇬 Togo	6.3	+0.1	+2.0
122	German Democratic Republic	6.2	0.0	−0.1
123	🇾🇪 Yemen	6.0	0.0	+0.6
124	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.9	0.0	+0.1
125	🇦🇱 Albania	5.8	+0.2	+0.2
126	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.8	0.0	0.0
127	🇨🇿 Czechia	5.8	0.0	+0.3
128	🇮🇩 Indonesia	5.7	0.0	−1.1
129	🇲🇻 Maldives	5.7	−0.2	−1.2
130	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	5.1	0.0	+0.4
131	🇨🇱 Chile	4.9	+0.1	+1.7
132	🇲🇿 Mozambique	4.8	0.0	−0.4
133	🇱🇾 Libya	4.8	+0.2	+2.3
134	🇵🇾 Paraguay	4.7	+0.2	+0.5
135	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	4.5	0.0	−0.6
136	🇦🇴 Angola	4.5	0.0	−0.1
137	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	4.5	0.0	−0.9
138	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	4.5	0.0	+3.7
139	🇲🇷 Mauritania	4.3	0.0	−7.4
140	🇷🇴 Romania	4.2	0.0	0.0
141	🇬🇳 Guinea	4.0	0.0	+0.4
142	🇸🇴 Somalia	4.0	0.0	+2.0
143	🇷🇺 Russia	3.7	+0.8	+1.2
144	🇸🇾 Syria	3.7	0.0	−0.1
145	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.7	+0.1	0.0
146	🇹🇩 Chad	3.4	0.0	−1.7
147	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.3	0.0	+0.2
148	🇨🇺 Cuba	3.3	+0.1	+0.6
149	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	3.2	0.0	−0.3
150	🇭🇹 Haiti	2.9	−0.6	−0.6
151	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	2.7	0.0	0.0
152	🇰🇭 Cambodia	2.1	0.0	+0.7
153	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	1.6	0.0	+0.1
154	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0
155	🇪🇷 Eritrea	0.9	0.0	−0.1

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 1986, with the highest score of 87.8 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1986?

In 1986, the top three of 155 ranked countries are Denmark (87.8), Sweden (87.3), and Australia (84.4).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1986?

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 69.6 points over the past decade, standing at 80.5 (rank #9) in 1986.

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 1986 edition covers 155 countries.