Democracy Index 1989

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1989 — 156 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1989 — 156 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	88.0	0.0	0.0
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	87.5	+0.1	+0.3
3	🇦🇺 Australia	84.4	0.0	+2.9
4	🇳🇴 Norway	82.9	−0.1	+2.3
5	🇩🇪 Germany	82.4	0.0	+0.8
6	🇨🇭 Switzerland	81.7	+0.5	+1.4
7	🇵🇹 Portugal	81.6	0.0	+12.9
8	🇳🇱 Netherlands	81.3	+0.1	+1.1
9	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	81.2	+0.8	+7.4
10	🇪🇸 Spain	81.0	0.0	+3.0
11	🇳🇿 New Zealand	80.6	0.0	+3.6
12	🇫🇮 Finland	80.4	0.0	+3.7
13	🇫🇷 France	80.2	+0.2	+2.9
14	🇺🇸 United States of America	79.4	−0.3	+2.7
15	🇦🇹 Austria	78.3	+0.3	+3.5
16	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.0	+0.1	0.0
17	🇧🇪 Belgium	77.8	+0.2	+0.6
18	🇬🇷 Greece	77.3	+0.5	+4.3
19	🇮🇸 Iceland	76.8	−0.2	+4.6
20	🇮🇪 Ireland	75.2	−0.3	+2.4
21	🇯🇵 Japan	75.1	0.0	−0.1
22	🇨🇦 Canada	74.6	−1.1	0.0
23	🇺🇾 Uruguay	72.7	+0.1	+68.5
24	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	72.6	0.0	−0.6
25	🇮🇹 Italy	72.5	0.0	+6.1
26	🇮🇱 Israel	68.9	+1.3	+1.2
27	🇦🇷 Argentina	67.0	−0.2	+62.3
28	🇧🇧 Barbados	63.2	+0.7	+0.8
29	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	61.4	0.0	+6.5
30	🇲🇺 Mauritius	61.1	0.0	+2.9
31	🇻🇪 Venezuela	58.5	+0.1	−0.2
32	🇧🇷 Brazil	57.9	+5.1	+49.0
33	🇨🇾 Cyprus	57.7	+1.3	+11.7
34	🇸🇷 Suriname	57.6	+10.2	−4.8
35	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	57.4	0.0	+15.2
36	🇧🇼 Botswana	56.3	+0.5	+4.7
37	🇲🇹 Malta	54.5	0.0	+5.7
38	🇮🇳 India	51.7	0.0	+0.2
39	🇰🇷 South Korea	49.8	+2.9	+39.9
40	🇪🇨 Ecuador	46.8	+3.8	+33.4
41	🇯🇲 Jamaica	43.1	+1.3	+5.6
42	🇵🇪 Peru	42.5	0.0	+37.0
43	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	42.5	−0.1	−1.6
44	🇧🇴 Bolivia	42.2	+0.5	+38.4
45	🇵🇭 Philippines	41.7	0.0	+35.7
46	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	41.5	−0.8	+0.5
47	🇸🇳 Senegal	37.1	+0.1	+6.5
48	🇬🇲 The Gambia	33.2	0.0	+0.7
49	🇹🇷 Türkiye	32.1	0.0	−5.4
50	🇨🇴 Colombia	30.1	0.0	+3.1
51	🇵🇱 Poland	29.1	+13.6	+15.6
52	🇸🇬 Singapore	29.0	0.0	+1.7
53	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	27.8	0.0	+12.1
54	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	26.8	−1.5	−9.9
55	🇹🇭 Thailand	26.1	+0.9	+14.6
56	🇹🇿 Tanzania	25.1	0.0	+1.1
57	🇸🇮 Slovenia	24.1	—	—
58	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	23.8	+0.1	−2.3
59	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	22.2	+0.1	+10.8
60	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	21.6	0.0	+2.0
61	🇬🇾 Guyana	20.9	0.0	+1.3
62	🇵🇰 Pakistan	20.2	+7.5	+14.1
63	🇹🇼 Taiwan	19.8	+2.9	+12.2
64	🇭🇳 Honduras	19.7	+0.1	+14.2
65	🇬🇹 Guatemala	19.5	0.0	+12.9
66	🇭🇺 Hungary	18.6	+6.4	+8.8
67	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	17.8	+0.8	+15.4
68	🇯🇴 Jordan	17.7	+0.5	+6.6
69	🇱🇧 Lebanon	17.4	−1.1	−2.1
70	🇲🇽 Mexico	17.2	+1.3	+4.5
71	🇪🇬 Egypt	17.2	0.0	+1.3
72	🇸🇨 Seychelles	17.1	+0.1	+2.4
73	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	16.8	0.0	+0.9
74	🇲🇾 Malaysia	16.1	+0.6	−3.3
75	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	15.6	−0.1	−2.0
76	🇷🇼 Rwanda	15.2	+0.1	+3.1
77	🇲🇦 Morocco	15.1	0.0	+0.6
78	🇺🇬 Uganda	15.0	+1.0	+13.3
79	🇿🇲 Zambia	14.9	+0.1	+0.2
80	🇫🇯 Fiji	14.4	0.0	−27.7
81	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	14.1	0.0	+0.1
82	🇷🇸 Serbia	12.9	−0.9	+0.9
83	🇲🇱 Mali	12.7	0.0	+1.3
84	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.6	+0.2	+0.1
85	🇩🇿 Algeria	12.5	+0.7	+1.7
86	🇰🇼 Kuwait	12.3	0.0	−0.3
87	🇿🇦 South Africa	12.1	+0.2	+2.8
88	🇳🇪 Niger	12.0	+1.9	+3.5
89	🇱🇸 Lesotho	12.0	0.0	0.0
90	🇱🇷 Liberia	11.7	−1.2	−1.8
91	Zanzibar	11.7	−0.7	+2.4
92	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	11.6	0.0	+8.3
93	🇮🇷 Iran	10.8	+0.4	+3.1
94	🇳🇦 Namibia	10.5	+2.4	—
95	🇸🇿 Eswatini	10.5	0.0	−0.3
96	🇳🇵 Nepal	10.3	0.0	+2.4
97	🇬🇦 Gabon	10.2	0.0	+0.1
98	🇨🇲 Cameroon	10.1	0.0	+3.1
99	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	10.0	−0.1	−11.6
100	🇳🇬 Nigeria	9.9	+0.1	−4.9
101	🇲🇬 Madagascar	9.9	+0.2	+1.0
102	🇰🇪 Kenya	9.7	+0.1	−2.0
103	🇰🇲 Comoros	9.6	+0.1	−0.5
104	🇱🇦 Laos	9.1	+2.0	+2.3
105	South Yemen	9.0	0.0	−2.7
106	🇬🇭 Ghana	8.7	−0.1	−13.5
107	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	8.7	+0.1	+0.3
108	🇧🇮 Burundi	8.5	0.0	+0.4
109	🇧🇯 Benin	8.4	0.0	+0.2
110	🇩🇯 Djibouti	8.2	0.0	0.0
111	🇸🇻 El Salvador	8.0	−0.1	+2.8
112	🇹🇳 Tunisia	7.8	+0.2	−7.1
113	🇲🇼 Malawi	7.7	0.0	0.0
114	🇭🇹 Haiti	7.6	−2.7	+4.1
115	🇶🇦 Qatar	7.6	+0.1	+0.3
116	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	7.6	0.0	−0.2
117	🇨🇱 Chile	7.5	+1.5	+4.3
118	🇵🇾 Paraguay	7.5	+2.4	+3.3
119	🇾🇪 Yemen	7.3	+0.7	+1.3
120	🇵🇦 Panama	7.3	+0.3	−0.4
121	🇻🇳 Vietnam	6.9	0.0	+0.9
122	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.6	0.0	+0.8
123	🇨🇳 China	6.6	−0.1	+0.6
124	🇴🇲 Oman	6.6	0.0	+0.5
125	German Democratic Republic	6.5	+0.2	+0.2
126	🇷🇺 Russia	6.4	+2.1	+3.9
127	🇹🇬 Togo	6.3	0.0	+2.0
128	🇸🇩 Sudan	6.0	−10.2	−2.2
129	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	6.0	+0.2	+0.3
130	🇲🇳 Mongolia	5.9	0.0	+0.1
131	🇦🇱 Albania	5.8	0.0	+0.2
132	🇲🇻 Maldives	5.7	0.0	−0.2
133	🇮🇩 Indonesia	5.6	0.0	−0.2
134	🇨🇿 Czechia	5.6	+0.9	+0.1
135	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	5.3	+0.2	+0.5
136	🇲🇿 Mozambique	5.1	0.0	+0.2
137	🇱🇾 Libya	4.8	0.0	+0.2
138	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	4.7	0.0	+0.1
139	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	4.6	0.0	+3.9
140	🇦🇴 Angola	4.5	0.0	−0.1
141	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	4.5	0.0	−1.1
142	🇲🇷 Mauritania	4.4	−0.1	+0.1
143	🇷🇴 Romania	4.2	0.0	0.0
144	🇸🇴 Somalia	4.0	0.0	+1.9
145	🇬🇳 Guinea	3.9	0.0	+0.3
146	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.7	0.0	0.0
147	🇸🇾 Syria	3.5	0.0	−0.2
148	🇹🇩 Chad	3.4	0.0	−1.5
149	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.3	−0.1	0.0
150	🇨🇺 Cuba	3.3	0.0	−0.1
151	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	3.2	0.0	+0.3
152	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	3.1	0.0	+1.6
153	🇰🇭 Cambodia	2.1	0.0	+0.9
154	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	1.7	+0.2	−1.0
155	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0
156	🇪🇷 Eritrea	1.0	+0.1	0.0

Frequently asked questions

Which countries are the most liberal democracies?

Denmark ranks #1 of 156 countries on the V-Dem liberal democracy index index in 1989, with the highest score of 88.0 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1989?

In 1989, the top three of 156 ranked countries are Denmark (88.0), Sweden (87.5), and Australia (84.4).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1989?

Eritrea ranks #156 of 156 with a score of 1.0.

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

Uruguay shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 68.5 points over the past decade, standing at 72.7 (rank #23) in 1989.

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 1989 edition covers 156 countries.