Democracy Index 1987

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1987 — 155 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1987 — 155 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	87.9	+0.1	−0.1
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	87.3	0.0	0.0
3	🇦🇺 Australia	84.4	0.0	+3.1
4	🇳🇴 Norway	83.0	0.0	+2.6
5	🇩🇪 Germany	82.3	+0.4	+1.4
6	🇨🇭 Switzerland	81.4	−0.1	+1.2
7	🇳🇱 Netherlands	81.2	−0.1	+2.2
8	🇪🇸 Spain	81.0	+0.5	+53.4
9	🇵🇹 Portugal	80.9	+0.4	+12.8
10	🇫🇮 Finland	80.4	+0.5	+3.5
11	🇳🇿 New Zealand	80.4	+0.1	+3.1
12	🇺🇸 United States of America	79.8	+0.6	+3.3
13	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	79.5	+0.6	+7.8
14	🇫🇷 France	78.9	−0.1	+1.7
15	🇧🇪 Belgium	78.0	−0.3	+0.7
16	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	77.9	0.0	−0.2
17	🇦🇹 Austria	77.6	+1.3	+2.4
18	🇮🇸 Iceland	76.9	+2.1	+4.9
19	🇬🇷 Greece	76.8	+0.4	+3.8
20	🇨🇦 Canada	75.7	0.0	+1.6
21	🇮🇪 Ireland	75.4	+0.8	+2.6
22	🇯🇵 Japan	75.1	−0.1	−0.1
23	🇺🇾 Uruguay	72.6	+2.6	+68.4
24	🇮🇹 Italy	72.5	+0.1	+6.0
25	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	72.4	+0.1	−1.8
26	🇮🇱 Israel	68.7	+0.8	+1.9
27	🇦🇷 Argentina	67.2	0.0	+62.5
28	🇧🇧 Barbados	62.5	0.0	+0.1
29	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	61.4	+2.8	+7.5
30	🇲🇺 Mauritius	60.9	+0.1	+2.9
31	🇻🇪 Venezuela	58.4	0.0	−0.6
32	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	58.2	0.0	+25.6
33	🇨🇾 Cyprus	55.6	0.0	+9.8
34	🇧🇼 Botswana	55.0	0.0	+3.5
35	🇲🇹 Malta	52.8	+5.3	+4.0
36	🇮🇳 India	52.1	0.0	+17.6
37	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	43.2	−0.6	−1.3
38	🇵🇪 Peru	42.5	+0.3	+38.6
39	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	42.3	0.0	+16.3
40	🇧🇴 Bolivia	41.6	+0.5	+39.9
41	🇯🇲 Jamaica	41.4	0.0	+4.2
42	🇪🇨 Ecuador	40.2	−0.1	+33.2
43	🇧🇷 Brazil	37.0	+5.7	+30.0
44	🇸🇳 Senegal	36.9	0.0	+7.8
45	🇬🇲 The Gambia	33.1	+0.4	+0.4
46	🇨🇴 Colombia	30.8	0.0	+0.3
47	🇸🇬 Singapore	29.0	+0.2	+1.7
48	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	28.9	−1.1	−12.8
49	🇹🇷 Türkiye	28.6	+0.3	−9.2
50	🇵🇭 Philippines	27.3	+14.5	+23.5
51	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	26.7	0.0	+11.0
52	🇹🇿 Tanzania	25.1	+0.2	+1.1
53	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	24.0	−1.3	+15.7
54	🇸🇷 Suriname	22.6	+4.0	−38.7
55	🇹🇭 Thailand	22.1	−0.1	+11.9
56	🇰🇷 South Korea	21.9	+7.1	+12.1
57	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	21.5	0.0	+2.0
58	🇬🇾 Guyana	20.4	+0.3	+0.7
59	🇬🇹 Guatemala	19.5	+3.0	+11.8
60	🇭🇳 Honduras	19.2	+0.1	+13.0
61	🇱🇧 Lebanon	19.0	0.0	−0.5
62	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	18.5	−3.7	+6.4
63	🇫🇯 Fiji	17.8	−24.1	−24.3
64	🇪🇬 Egypt	17.1	−0.2	+1.0
65	🇯🇴 Jordan	17.1	0.0	+6.0
66	🇸🇨 Seychelles	17.1	0.0	+4.2
67	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	16.8	+3.4	+6.7
68	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	16.8	+0.9	+0.9
69	🇸🇩 Sudan	16.4	+1.8	+8.6
70	🇲🇾 Malaysia	16.3	−0.5	−3.1
71	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	15.7	−0.2	+12.3
72	🇹🇳 Tunisia	15.4	−0.4	+0.3
73	🇲🇦 Morocco	15.1	+0.1	+4.7
74	🇵🇱 Poland	15.0	+0.6	+1.7
75	🇷🇼 Rwanda	15.0	0.0	+4.8
76	🇿🇲 Zambia	14.8	0.0	+0.1
77	🇲🇽 Mexico	14.5	+0.2	+2.3
78	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.1	0.0	+0.1
79	🇺🇬 Uganda	13.8	+3.1	+12.1
80	🇷🇸 Serbia	13.5	0.0	+1.3
81	🇱🇷 Liberia	13.0	+0.1	−0.7
82	Zanzibar	13.0	0.0	+4.5
83	🇹🇼 Taiwan	12.8	+1.1	+4.6
84	🇧🇮 Burundi	12.7	−0.9	+4.9
85	🇲🇱 Mali	12.6	+0.1	+2.8
86	🇰🇼 Kuwait	12.5	−0.1	−0.1
87	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.4	0.0	0.0
88	🇱🇸 Lesotho	11.9	+1.2	+0.1
89	🇿🇦 South Africa	11.8	−0.1	+2.5
90	🇩🇿 Algeria	11.6	0.0	+0.4
91	🇵🇰 Pakistan	11.5	+0.2	+0.2
92	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	11.3	0.0	−0.1
93	🇭🇺 Hungary	10.9	+0.3	+1.1
94	🇸🇿 Eswatini	10.6	0.0	+2.5
95	🇳🇵 Nepal	10.3	0.0	+2.3
96	🇮🇷 Iran	10.3	+1.3	+2.2
97	🇬🇦 Gabon	10.2	0.0	+0.1
98	🇰🇪 Kenya	10.0	0.0	−1.8
99	🇨🇲 Cameroon	10.0	0.0	+3.0
100	🇳🇬 Nigeria	9.8	0.0	+0.1
101	🇲🇬 Madagascar	9.6	+0.2	+0.7
102	🇰🇲 Comoros	9.5	+0.2	−0.5
103	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	9.4	+2.5	+6.7
104	🇳🇪 Niger	9.1	+0.5	+0.5
105	South Yemen	9.0	+0.1	−2.3
106	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	8.6	0.0	−1.0
107	🇧🇯 Benin	8.4	0.0	+0.3
108	🇬🇭 Ghana	8.2	+0.4	−0.6
109	🇩🇯 Djibouti	8.2	0.0	+3.6
110	🇸🇻 El Salvador	8.1	+0.1	+2.6
111	🇳🇦 Namibia	8.1	0.0	+2.2
112	🇲🇼 Malawi	7.7	0.0	+0.1
113	🇭🇹 Haiti	7.6	+4.7	+4.1
114	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	7.6	−0.1	−0.2
115	🇶🇦 Qatar	7.5	0.0	+0.2
116	🇱🇦 Laos	7.1	0.0	+0.3
117	🇵🇦 Panama	7.0	0.0	−0.4
118	🇻🇳 Vietnam	6.9	+0.4	−0.2
119	🇨🇳 China	6.7	0.0	+3.0
120	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.6	0.0	+0.4
121	🇴🇲 Oman	6.5	0.0	+0.4
122	🇹🇬 Togo	6.3	0.0	+2.0
123	German Democratic Republic	6.3	+0.1	0.0
124	🇾🇪 Yemen	5.9	−0.1	+0.5
125	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.9	0.0	+0.1
126	🇦🇱 Albania	5.8	0.0	+0.2
127	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	5.8	0.0	+0.1
128	🇨🇿 Czechia	5.8	0.0	+0.3
129	🇮🇩 Indonesia	5.7	0.0	−0.3
130	🇲🇻 Maldives	5.7	0.0	−1.2
131	🇨🇱 Chile	5.2	+0.3	+2.0
132	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	5.1	0.0	+0.3
133	🇲🇿 Mozambique	5.0	+0.2	+0.1
134	🇵🇾 Paraguay	5.0	+0.3	+0.8
135	🇱🇾 Libya	4.8	0.0	−1.0
136	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	4.5	0.0	−0.6
137	🇲🇷 Mauritania	4.5	+0.2	−7.2
138	🇦🇴 Angola	4.5	0.0	−0.1
139	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	4.5	0.0	−1.1
140	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	4.4	−0.1	+3.6
141	🇷🇴 Romania	4.2	0.0	0.0
142	🇷🇺 Russia	4.1	+0.4	+1.7
143	🇸🇴 Somalia	4.0	0.0	+2.0
144	🇬🇳 Guinea	3.9	−0.1	+0.3
145	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.7	0.0	0.0
146	🇸🇾 Syria	3.5	−0.2	−0.3
147	🇹🇩 Chad	3.4	0.0	−1.7
148	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.3	0.0	+0.3
149	🇨🇺 Cuba	3.3	0.0	0.0
150	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	3.2	0.0	+0.8
151	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	2.7	0.0	0.0
152	🇰🇭 Cambodia	2.1	0.0	+0.3
153	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	1.7	+0.1	+0.2
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 1987, with the highest score of 87.9 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1987?

In 1987, the top three of 155 ranked countries are Denmark (87.9), Sweden (87.3), and Australia (84.4).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1987?

Eritrea ranks #155 of 155 with a score of 0.9.

Which country changed most on liberal democracy index over the last decade?

Uruguay shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 68.4 points over the past decade, standing at 72.6 (rank #23) in 1987.

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 1987 edition covers 155 countries.