Democracy Index 1994

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1994 — 173 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1994 — 173 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	88.1	0.0	+0.3
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	87.7	0.0	+0.3
3	🇩🇪 Germany	85.3	0.0	+3.4
4	🇦🇺 Australia	84.8	−0.1	+0.6
5	🇳🇴 Norway	84.7	+0.1	+1.9
6	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	84.1	0.0	+5.4
7	🇨🇭 Switzerland	83.4	0.0	+1.9
8	🇫🇮 Finland	83.1	0.0	+3.4
9	🇨🇿 Czechia	81.9	0.0	+76.2
10	🇪🇸 Spain	81.8	0.0	+1.4
11	🇳🇱 Netherlands	81.3	−0.1	0.0
12	🇳🇿 New Zealand	81.3	−0.1	+2.5
13	🇵🇱 Poland	81.1	+0.3	+67.6
14	🇧🇪 Belgium	80.8	0.0	+2.6
15	🇺🇸 United States of America	80.6	+0.1	+1.2
16	🇵🇹 Portugal	80.3	0.0	−0.4
17	🇫🇷 France	80.1	+0.3	+0.8
18	🇪🇪 Estonia	79.7	−1.2	—
19	🇬🇷 Greece	79.2	+0.2	+3.0
20	🇮🇪 Ireland	78.8	0.0	+5.0
21	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.5	0.0	+0.5
22	🇨🇱 Chile	78.3	+3.7	+73.5
23	🇦🇹 Austria	78.2	0.0	+1.9
24	🇮🇸 Iceland	77.6	0.0	+3.7
25	🇸🇮 Slovenia	76.5	+0.4	—
26	🇨🇦 Canada	76.2	+1.0	+0.5
27	🇺🇾 Uruguay	76.1	−0.1	+70.7
28	🇯🇵 Japan	76.0	+0.5	+0.6
29	🇱🇹 Lithuania	75.7	+1.6	—
30	🇭🇺 Hungary	75.5	−0.2	+65.5
31	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	75.1	+0.4	+2.8
32	🇮🇹 Italy	74.3	−0.6	+1.9
33	🇧🇷 Brazil	70.7	+0.3	+55.8
34	🇮🇱 Israel	69.4	+1.1	+2.0
35	🇱🇻 Latvia	68.0	+5.1	—
36	🇧🇧 Barbados	64.6	0.0	+2.0
37	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	64.5	+0.1	+7.1
38	🇸🇷 Suriname	63.9	+0.4	+49.8
39	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	63.5	0.0	+37.3
40	🇨🇾 Cyprus	63.5	+0.2	+8.3
41	🇦🇷 Argentina	63.3	+0.3	−4.1
42	🇲🇺 Mauritius	61.9	0.0	+1.9
43	🇰🇷 South Korea	61.2	+0.5	+48.9
44	🇻🇪 Venezuela	60.2	−1.2	+1.4
45	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	59.3	0.0	+53.5
46	🇲🇹 Malta	58.6	0.0	+11.4
47	🇮🇳 India	58.2	+0.6	+8.8
48	🇲🇳 Mongolia	58.1	+1.2	+52.2
49	🇧🇼 Botswana	58.0	+0.3	+3.6
50	🇸🇰 Slovakia	53.9	−8.9	—
51	🇵🇦 Panama	53.3	+1.1	+45.8
52	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	51.8	+0.6	−6.4
53	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	50.3	+0.2	+34.4
54	🇧🇯 Benin	49.1	0.0	+40.7
55	🇳🇦 Namibia	48.7	−0.3	+43.5
56	🇯🇲 Jamaica	48.6	+1.3	+7.4
57	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	48.4	+0.2	+39.4
58	🇧🇴 Bolivia	48.1	+1.2	+26.5
59	🇸🇳 Senegal	46.3	+1.5	+9.4
60	🇪🇨 Ecuador	45.0	−0.6	+2.7
61	🇨🇴 Colombia	42.6	−0.1	+10.9
62	🇲🇱 Mali	42.6	0.0	+30.1
63	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	41.3	0.0	−2.5
64	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	41.3	0.0	−0.8
65	🇲🇩 Moldova	41.0	+4.3	—
66	🇵🇭 Philippines	40.9	+0.3	+34.7
67	🇳🇪 Niger	40.7	+0.8	+32.1
68	🇧🇾 Belarus	40.4	−3.6	—
69	🇷🇴 Romania	39.2	0.0	+35.0
70	🇬🇭 Ghana	38.8	+5.4	+31.1
71	🇫🇯 Fiji	38.3	−1.2	−3.6
72	🇿🇲 Zambia	37.7	+2.2	+22.9
73	🇵🇾 Paraguay	37.7	+1.3	+33.2
74	🇲🇬 Madagascar	37.2	+12.0	+27.9
75	🇹🇷 Türkiye	37.1	+0.3	+8.9
76	🇺🇦 Ukraine	35.1	+0.2	—
77	🇹🇿 Tanzania	34.5	+0.9	+10.3
78	🇦🇱 Albania	34.0	+1.9	+28.4
79	🇱🇸 Lesotho	33.3	−2.7	+21.1
80	🇳🇵 Nepal	32.6	0.0	+22.3
81	🇦🇲 Armenia	31.8	−0.9	—
82	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	31.8	0.0	+11.3
83	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	31.5	+3.1	+1.0
84	🇹🇭 Thailand	30.3	0.0	+8.4
85	🇲🇼 Malawi	29.9	+18.9	+22.2
86	🇬🇾 Guyana	29.8	+0.2	+12.2
87	🇸🇬 Singapore	29.7	0.0	+1.3
88	🇿🇦 South Africa	29.3	+13.4	+17.5
89	🇷🇺 Russia	29.3	−0.1	+26.6
90	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	29.1	−1.0	+25.9
91	🇭🇳 Honduras	28.6	+2.2	+10.0
92	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	27.9	+1.9	—
93	🇹🇼 Taiwan	27.7	+0.2	+17.4
94	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	26.9	0.0	+16.1
95	🇰🇼 Kuwait	26.7	0.0	+0.2
96	🇲🇽 Mexico	26.0	+4.5	+11.8
97	🇸🇻 El Salvador	25.8	+5.1	+20.6
98	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	25.6	0.0	+14.4
99	🇸🇨 Seychelles	25.3	+0.5	+8.6
100	🇬🇹 Guatemala	22.9	+1.3	+17.4
101	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	22.5	0.0	−0.1
102	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	22.3	+1.1	+15.8
103	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	21.8	+1.4	+7.7
104	🇭🇷 Croatia	21.4	+0.1	—
105	🇰🇪 Kenya	20.8	+0.1	+10.7
106	🇺🇬 Uganda	20.6	+1.1	+11.3
107	🇵🇰 Pakistan	20.1	0.0	+14.2
108	🇲🇿 Mozambique	19.9	+4.5	+15.1
109	🇬🇦 Gabon	19.9	+0.2	+9.7
110	🇰🇲 Comoros	19.8	+4.0	+10.6
111	🇯🇴 Jordan	19.6	−0.2	+3.1
112	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	19.6	−0.5	−6.7
113	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	19.4	−1.0	—
114	🇱🇧 Lebanon	18.8	−0.2	−0.2
115	🇲🇦 Morocco	18.7	+0.3	+3.7
116	🇷🇸 Serbia	18.0	−0.1	+4.5
117	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	17.6	−0.5	—
118	🇧🇮 Burundi	16.8	+0.4	+4.7
119	🇬🇪 Georgia	16.5	+0.7	—
120	🇹🇬 Togo	16.3	+0.3	+10.1
121	🇲🇾 Malaysia	16.2	0.0	−0.9
122	🇱🇷 Liberia	15.9	−2.1	+9.9
123	🇪🇬 Egypt	15.6	−0.2	−1.4
124	🇾🇪 Yemen	14.7	−1.4	+8.7
125	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	14.7	+6.4	+7.0
126	🇨🇲 Cameroon	14.6	−0.2	+4.5
127	🇰🇭 Cambodia	13.9	+3.5	+11.8
128	🇬🇲 The Gambia	13.9	−17.9	−18.2
129	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	13.5	+5.7	+9.0
130	🇧🇹 Bhutan	13.1	0.0	+0.5
131	Zanzibar	12.7	+0.1	−0.3
132	🇲🇷 Mauritania	12.4	+0.3	+8.2
133	Somaliland	12.2	+0.2	—
134	🇮🇷 Iran	12.0	+0.2	+3.1
135	🇷🇼 Rwanda	11.4	−1.5	−3.6
136	🇩🇯 Djibouti	11.0	0.0	+2.8
137	🇭🇹 Haiti	10.7	+1.8	+7.4
138	🇩🇿 Algeria	10.1	+2.2	−1.3
139	🇸🇿 Eswatini	9.9	−0.5	−0.7
140	🇳🇬 Nigeria	9.8	−5.0	+0.4
141	🇵🇪 Peru	9.4	−0.1	−35.8
142	🇹🇳 Tunisia	9.1	−0.1	−6.8
143	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	8.6	−5.1	—
144	🇱🇦 Laos	8.6	−0.1	+1.8
145	🇬🇳 Guinea	8.5	+0.4	+5.4
146	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	8.4	−1.3	+6.8
147	🇴🇲 Oman	8.4	0.0	+2.0
148	🇶🇦 Qatar	8.1	+0.1	+0.6
149	🇻🇳 Vietnam	8.0	+0.4	+2.1
150	🇹🇩 Chad	7.7	+0.8	+4.3
151	🇦🇴 Angola	7.5	0.0	+3.0
152	🇨🇳 China	6.7	0.0	0.0
153	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	6.6	−2.7	—
154	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	6.5	+1.0	+1.7
155	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.0	0.0	−0.6
156	🇲🇻 Maldives	5.7	−0.1	−0.2
157	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	5.4	−0.5	—
158	🇮🇩 Indonesia	5.2	0.0	−0.6
159	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	5.2	+0.1	+0.7
160	🇱🇾 Libya	4.8	0.0	+0.2
161	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	4.5	−0.4	—
162	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.9	0.0	+0.3
163	🇸🇾 Syria	3.7	0.0	0.0
164	🇨🇺 Cuba	3.7	0.0	+0.5
165	🇪🇷 Eritrea	3.6	+0.1	+2.7
166	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.5	0.0	+0.2
167	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	3.4	+0.2	−4.9
168	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	2.8	0.0	—
169	🇸🇴 Somalia	2.6	0.0	−1.4
170	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	2.3	0.0	−2.2
171	🇸🇩 Sudan	1.8	0.0	−6.5
172	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	1.7	0.0	−1.0
173	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0

Frequently asked questions

Which countries are the most liberal democracies?

Denmark ranks #1 of 173 countries on the V-Dem liberal democracy index index in 1994, with the highest score of 88.1 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1994?

In 1994, the top three of 173 ranked countries are Denmark (88.1), Sweden (87.7), and Germany (85.3).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1994?

North Korea ranks #173 of 173 with a score of 1.4.

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

Czechia shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 76.2 points over the past decade, standing at 81.9 (rank #9) in 1994.

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 1994 edition covers 173 countries.