Democracy Index 1991

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1991 — 171 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1991 — 171 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	88.1	+0.1	+0.1
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	87.8	0.0	+0.7
3	🇩🇪 Germany	85.3	0.0	+2.9
4	🇦🇺 Australia	85.1	0.0	+1.6
5	🇳🇴 Norway	84.5	0.0	+1.7
6	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	84.1	+0.3	+7.7
7	🇨🇭 Switzerland	83.2	+0.3	+2.0
8	🇫🇮 Finland	82.3	+0.4	+5.0
9	🇳🇱 Netherlands	81.4	0.0	+0.3
10	🇪🇸 Spain	81.1	0.0	+2.3
11	🇳🇿 New Zealand	80.9	+0.1	+3.6
12	🇺🇸 United States of America	80.5	+0.5	+1.5
13	🇵🇹 Portugal	80.3	−1.2	+2.5
14	🇫🇷 France	80.2	0.0	+1.4
15	🇧🇪 Belgium	79.8	+0.1	+1.6
16	🇨🇿 Czechia	79.6	+8.6	+73.9
17	🇬🇷 Greece	78.8	0.0	+5.0
18	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.5	0.0	+0.5
19	🇵🇱 Poland	78.3	+12.3	+65.2
20	🇮🇪 Ireland	77.9	+1.9	+4.5
21	🇦🇹 Austria	77.9	−0.1	+1.4
22	🇮🇸 Iceland	77.6	+0.1	+3.2
23	🇺🇾 Uruguay	76.2	+0.2	+71.7
24	🇭🇺 Hungary	75.7	+4.2	+65.7
25	🇯🇵 Japan	75.4	0.0	+0.2
26	🇨🇦 Canada	75.4	0.0	+0.6
27	🇨🇱 Chile	75.0	+12.0	+70.6
28	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	74.2	0.0	+1.6
29	🇮🇹 Italy	73.8	+0.6	+2.9
30	🇸🇮 Slovenia	71.6	+20.3	—
31	🇱🇹 Lithuania	71.4	−1.5	—
32	🇧🇷 Brazil	69.2	+1.4	+57.3
33	🇮🇱 Israel	69.0	+0.1	+1.2
34	🇧🇧 Barbados	64.6	+1.0	+1.7
35	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	63.5	+1.8	+6.8
36	🇦🇷 Argentina	63.0	+1.3	+57.9
37	🇨🇾 Cyprus	62.4	+1.6	+12.1
38	🇻🇪 Venezuela	61.8	+2.3	+3.3
39	🇲🇺 Mauritius	60.5	+0.2	+1.4
40	🇧🇼 Botswana	57.7	0.0	+5.5
41	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	57.0	−1.0	−1.4
42	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	56.9	+28.0	+30.8
43	🇮🇳 India	56.1	+2.1	+6.2
44	🇲🇹 Malta	55.7	+1.2	+7.0
45	🇪🇪 Estonia	52.0	−16.1	—
46	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	50.8	+5.4	+45.1
47	🇵🇦 Panama	50.7	+14.0	+43.1
48	🇰🇷 South Korea	50.0	0.0	+39.5
49	🇱🇻 Latvia	49.5	+4.3	—
50	🇳🇦 Namibia	49.0	+8.7	+41.9
51	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	47.1	+5.7	+38.8
52	🇪🇨 Ecuador	46.7	0.0	+2.9
53	🇧🇴 Bolivia	45.6	+2.5	+43.3
54	🇯🇲 Jamaica	44.8	0.0	+7.8
55	🇵🇭 Philippines	43.3	+0.3	+37.2
56	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	42.5	0.0	−1.1
57	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	41.4	0.0	+0.5
58	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	40.3	+20.2	+24.4
59	🇲🇳 Mongolia	39.5	+16.0	+33.7
60	🇨🇴 Colombia	39.0	+7.4	+12.0
61	🇵🇪 Peru	39.0	−0.3	−7.1
62	🇸🇳 Senegal	38.9	+0.8	+4.7
63	🇸🇷 Suriname	37.4	−17.3	+23.2
64	🇧🇾 Belarus	36.8	+2.5	—
65	🇧🇯 Benin	36.1	+19.9	+27.6
66	🇹🇷 Türkiye	36.1	+1.3	+30.6
67	🇦🇲 Armenia	34.8	+2.1	—
68	🇬🇲 The Gambia	33.2	0.0	+1.6
69	🇲🇩 Moldova	33.0	+2.9	—
70	🇷🇴 Romania	32.8	+3.0	+28.6
71	🇳🇵 Nepal	30.9	+9.2	+20.7
72	🇸🇬 Singapore	30.1	+0.2	+1.7
73	🇹🇿 Tanzania	27.8	+0.8	+3.8
74	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	27.5	+2.3	+7.1
75	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	27.4	−0.1	−6.4
76	🇺🇦 Ukraine	26.8	+4.1	—
77	🇭🇳 Honduras	26.3	+0.6	+16.6
78	🇦🇱 Albania	26.0	+19.0	+20.4
79	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	25.5	—	—
80	🇳🇪 Niger	25.4	+3.7	+16.8
81	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	25.3	+9.1	+6.9
82	🇿🇲 Zambia	24.8	+8.7	+10.1
83	🇹🇼 Taiwan	23.8	+1.2	+14.8
84	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	22.5	+0.3	−0.4
85	🇬🇾 Guyana	21.6	−0.2	+4.2
86	🇵🇾 Paraguay	21.5	+0.7	+17.0
87	🇬🇹 Guatemala	20.8	+0.3	+14.2
88	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	20.3	−1.3	−4.9
89	🇯🇴 Jordan	19.7	0.0	+7.9
90	🇰🇲 Comoros	19.7	+1.9	+9.9
91	🇲🇽 Mexico	19.6	+1.0	+6.7
92	🇵🇰 Pakistan	19.6	−0.2	+13.8
93	🇱🇧 Lebanon	19.3	−0.2	−0.2
94	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	19.1	+0.3	+5.0
95	🇺🇬 Uganda	18.9	+2.8	+9.1
96	🇬🇦 Gabon	18.9	+3.7	+8.7
97	🇷🇼 Rwanda	18.0	+2.3	+5.9
98	🇸🇨 Seychelles	18.0	+0.2	+1.5
99	🇱🇷 Liberia	17.7	+11.4	+13.4
100	🇲🇦 Morocco	17.7	+0.8	+2.8
101	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	17.5	+11.0	+14.3
102	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	17.1	+2.1	—
103	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	17.0	+2.9	—
104	🇭🇹 Haiti	16.6	+8.6	+13.2
105	🇲🇾 Malaysia	16.2	−0.1	−2.9
106	🇭🇷 Croatia	16.0	—	—
107	🇹🇭 Thailand	15.8	−10.6	−4.0
108	🇪🇬 Egypt	15.7	−0.4	−0.4
109	🇩🇿 Algeria	15.7	−0.7	+4.6
110	🇲🇱 Mali	15.4	+0.9	+2.8
111	🇱🇸 Lesotho	15.4	−2.6	+3.2
112	🇾🇪 Yemen	15.0	+3.6	+9.0
113	🇿🇦 South Africa	14.8	+0.9	+5.2
114	🇫🇯 Fiji	14.8	+0.1	−27.3
115	🇬🇪 Georgia	14.0	+0.9	—
116	🇲🇬 Madagascar	14.0	+3.0	+4.9
117	🇨🇲 Cameroon	13.7	+1.0	+5.7
118	🇰🇪 Kenya	13.2	+0.9	+1.7
119	🇲🇿 Mozambique	13.2	+2.1	+8.4
120	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	13.1	+0.8	+4.7
121	🇷🇺 Russia	12.9	+3.3	+10.1
122	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	12.9	+0.6	—
123	🇧🇹 Bhutan	12.8	0.0	+0.2
124	🇹🇬 Togo	12.6	+6.2	+6.4
125	Zanzibar	12.3	+0.1	+1.2
126	🇰🇼 Kuwait	11.5	+0.4	−14.3
127	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	11.4	+1.2	+0.8
128	🇮🇷 Iran	11.1	0.0	+1.7
129	🇸🇿 Eswatini	10.4	0.0	−0.5
130	🇷🇸 Serbia	10.3	−4.7	−3.0
131	🇳🇬 Nigeria	10.0	0.0	−15.8
132	🇬🇭 Ghana	9.7	0.0	−12.4
133	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	9.5	+1.7	—
134	🇹🇳 Tunisia	9.3	+0.1	−6.5
135	🇸🇻 El Salvador	8.9	+0.4	+4.7
136	🇱🇦 Laos	8.7	−0.5	+1.9
137	🇧🇮 Burundi	8.4	−0.2	+0.1
138	Somaliland	8.2	—	—
139	🇩🇯 Djibouti	8.1	−0.3	−0.1
140	🇶🇦 Qatar	8.0	0.0	+0.5
141	🇲🇼 Malawi	7.8	+0.1	+0.1
142	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	7.6	+4.4	+6.0
143	🇻🇳 Vietnam	7.5	+0.2	+1.6
144	🇬🇳 Guinea	7.4	+2.7	+3.8
145	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	7.2	+0.1	−0.5
146	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	7.2	+0.3	—
147	🇴🇲 Oman	6.9	+0.3	+0.7
148	🇨🇳 China	6.5	0.0	−0.2
149	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.0	−0.2	−0.7
150	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	6.0	−2.6	−2.2
151	🇲🇻 Maldives	5.8	−0.1	−0.1
152	🇮🇩 Indonesia	5.7	0.0	−0.1
153	🇹🇩 Chad	5.7	+1.4	+2.9
154	🇦🇴 Angola	5.5	+0.5	+1.0
155	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	5.5	+0.4	+2.0
156	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	5.5	0.0	+0.7
157	🇲🇷 Mauritania	4.9	+0.4	+0.5
158	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	4.9	0.0	+2.7
159	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	4.8	0.0	+0.3
160	🇱🇾 Libya	4.8	0.0	+0.2
161	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	4.3	—	—
162	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	4.1	−0.4	−0.3
163	🇸🇾 Syria	3.7	0.0	+0.2
164	🇸🇴 Somalia	3.7	−0.2	−0.3
165	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.7	0.0	0.0
166	🇨🇺 Cuba	3.3	0.0	+0.1
167	🇰🇭 Cambodia	2.8	+0.1	+0.4
168	🇪🇷 Eritrea	2.8	+1.3	+1.9
169	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	1.7	−0.3	−1.0
170	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0
171	🇸🇩 Sudan	1.2	0.0	−6.9

Frequently asked questions

Which countries are the most liberal democracies?

Denmark ranks #1 of 171 countries on the V-Dem liberal democracy index index in 1991, with the highest score of 88.1 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1991?

In 1991, the top three of 171 ranked countries are Denmark (88.1), Sweden (87.8), and Germany (85.3).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1991?

Sudan ranks #171 of 171 with a score of 1.2.

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

Czechia shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 73.9 points over the past decade, standing at 79.6 (rank #16) in 1991.

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 1991 edition covers 171 countries.