Democracy Index 1995

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1995 — 173 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1995 — 173 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	88.0	−0.1	+0.2
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	87.9	+0.2	+0.4
3	🇩🇪 Germany	85.3	0.0	+3.4
4	🇦🇺 Australia	84.8	0.0	+0.4
5	🇳🇴 Norway	84.7	0.0	+1.9
6	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	84.1	0.0	+5.4
7	🇨🇭 Switzerland	83.5	+0.1	+2.0
8	🇫🇮 Finland	83.2	+0.1	+3.5
9	🇨🇿 Czechia	81.9	0.0	+76.1
10	🇪🇸 Spain	81.8	0.0	+1.4
11	🇳🇿 New Zealand	81.3	0.0	+1.7
12	🇳🇱 Netherlands	81.2	−0.1	−0.1
13	🇧🇪 Belgium	81.2	+0.4	+3.0
14	🇵🇱 Poland	81.0	−0.1	+67.1
15	🇺🇸 United States of America	80.8	+0.2	+2.1
16	🇵🇹 Portugal	80.6	+0.3	−0.1
17	🇪🇪 Estonia	80.2	+0.5	—
18	🇫🇷 France	79.8	−0.3	+0.5
19	🇺🇾 Uruguay	79.4	+3.3	+22.1
20	🇬🇷 Greece	79.3	+0.1	+3.0
21	🇮🇪 Ireland	78.9	+0.1	+4.7
22	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.4	−0.1	+0.5
23	🇨🇱 Chile	78.3	0.0	+73.5
24	🇦🇹 Austria	77.9	−0.3	+1.6
25	🇮🇸 Iceland	77.8	+0.2	+3.9
26	🇨🇦 Canada	76.2	0.0	+0.5
27	🇯🇵 Japan	76.0	0.0	+0.6
28	🇱🇹 Lithuania	75.7	0.0	—
29	🇸🇮 Slovenia	75.7	−0.8	—
30	🇭🇺 Hungary	75.6	+0.1	+65.2
31	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	75.1	0.0	+2.8
32	🇮🇹 Italy	74.4	+0.1	+2.0
33	🇧🇷 Brazil	71.2	+0.5	+48.6
34	🇮🇱 Israel	69.4	0.0	+2.4
35	🇱🇻 Latvia	67.0	−1.0	—
36	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	64.9	+1.4	+38.7
37	🇧🇧 Barbados	64.7	+0.1	+2.1
38	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	64.6	+0.1	+7.2
39	🇦🇷 Argentina	64.1	+0.8	−3.3
40	🇸🇷 Suriname	63.9	0.0	+45.4
41	🇨🇾 Cyprus	63.4	−0.1	+8.1
42	🇲🇺 Mauritius	61.9	0.0	+1.9
43	🇰🇷 South Korea	61.2	0.0	+46.9
44	🇻🇪 Venezuela	60.4	+0.2	+1.8
45	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	58.8	−0.5	+53.0
46	🇧🇼 Botswana	58.7	+0.7	+4.0
47	🇲🇹 Malta	58.6	0.0	+11.4
48	🇮🇳 India	58.2	0.0	+6.5
49	🇲🇳 Mongolia	58.1	0.0	+52.2
50	🇳🇦 Namibia	55.3	+6.6	+47.9
51	🇸🇰 Slovakia	53.7	−0.2	—
52	🇵🇦 Panama	53.4	+0.1	+45.9
53	🇿🇦 South Africa	52.8	+23.5	+41.0
54	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	51.8	0.0	−6.4
55	🇧🇯 Benin	51.2	+2.1	+42.8
56	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	50.8	+0.5	+34.9
57	🇧🇴 Bolivia	49.2	+1.1	+17.1
58	🇯🇲 Jamaica	48.9	+0.3	+7.5
59	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	48.5	+0.1	+31.8
60	🇸🇳 Senegal	46.8	+0.5	+9.9
61	🇪🇨 Ecuador	45.0	0.0	+5.0
62	🇲🇼 Malawi	43.2	+13.3	+35.5
63	🇨🇴 Colombia	42.8	+0.2	+11.4
64	🇲🇱 Mali	42.2	−0.4	+29.7
65	🇵🇭 Philippines	41.4	+0.5	+35.1
66	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	41.3	0.0	−2.5
67	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	41.3	0.0	−1.0
68	🇲🇩 Moldova	41.1	+0.1	—
69	🇳🇪 Niger	40.4	−0.3	+31.8
70	🇬🇭 Ghana	39.6	+0.8	+31.8
71	🇹🇿 Tanzania	39.4	+4.9	+14.9
72	🇷🇴 Romania	39.2	0.0	+35.0
73	🇫🇯 Fiji	38.1	−0.2	−3.8
74	🇿🇲 Zambia	37.7	0.0	+22.9
75	🇵🇾 Paraguay	37.7	0.0	+33.2
76	🇹🇷 Türkiye	37.3	+0.2	+9.1
77	🇧🇾 Belarus	35.8	−4.6	—
78	🇲🇬 Madagascar	35.7	−1.5	+26.4
79	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	34.8	+6.9	—
80	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	34.6	+3.1	+4.1
81	🇦🇱 Albania	34.4	+0.4	+28.8
82	🇺🇦 Ukraine	32.5	−2.6	—
83	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	32.0	+0.2	+10.9
84	🇳🇵 Nepal	31.8	−0.8	+21.5
85	🇹🇭 Thailand	30.7	+0.4	+8.6
86	🇲🇿 Mozambique	30.5	+10.6	+25.7
87	🇭🇳 Honduras	30.0	+1.4	+11.2
88	🇬🇾 Guyana	29.8	0.0	+12.2
89	🇷🇺 Russia	29.7	+0.4	+26.8
90	🇸🇬 Singapore	29.7	0.0	+1.2
91	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	29.1	0.0	+25.9
92	🇲🇽 Mexico	28.1	+2.1	+13.9
93	🇹🇼 Taiwan	27.9	+0.2	+17.6
94	🇸🇻 El Salvador	27.4	+1.6	+20.5
95	🇦🇲 Armenia	27.3	−4.5	—
96	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	26.9	0.0	+16.1
97	🇰🇼 Kuwait	26.7	0.0	+0.4
98	🇸🇨 Seychelles	25.7	+0.4	+8.4
99	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	25.6	0.0	+14.5
100	🇱🇸 Lesotho	25.6	−7.7	+13.4
101	🇬🇹 Guatemala	24.0	+1.1	+17.3
102	🇭🇹 Haiti	23.8	+13.1	+20.3
103	🇺🇬 Uganda	22.5	+1.9	+15.6
104	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	22.5	0.0	+0.1
105	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	22.0	−0.3	+15.5
106	🇭🇷 Croatia	21.9	+0.5	—
107	🇰🇪 Kenya	21.1	+0.3	+11.0
108	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	20.5	+0.9	−5.8
109	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	20.3	+6.8	+15.8
110	🇵🇰 Pakistan	20.1	0.0	+9.9
111	🇬🇦 Gabon	19.9	0.0	+9.7
112	🇯🇴 Jordan	19.6	0.0	+2.5
113	🇰🇲 Comoros	19.4	−0.4	+10.2
114	🇱🇧 Lebanon	18.8	0.0	−0.2
115	Zanzibar	18.8	+6.1	+5.7
116	🇲🇦 Morocco	18.7	0.0	+3.7
117	🇬🇪 Georgia	18.2	+1.7	—
118	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	18.2	−1.2	—
119	🇷🇸 Serbia	18.0	0.0	+4.5
120	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	17.9	−3.9	+3.8
121	🇧🇮 Burundi	17.0	+0.2	+3.5
122	🇹🇬 Togo	16.5	+0.2	+10.3
123	🇲🇾 Malaysia	16.2	0.0	−0.8
124	🇪🇬 Egypt	15.7	+0.1	−1.3
125	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	15.0	+0.3	+7.3
126	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	14.7	−2.9	—
127	🇨🇲 Cameroon	14.6	0.0	+4.6
128	🇱🇷 Liberia	14.3	−1.6	+6.4
129	🇰🇭 Cambodia	14.0	+0.1	+11.9
130	🇾🇪 Yemen	13.2	−1.5	+7.2
131	🇧🇹 Bhutan	13.1	0.0	+0.7
132	Somaliland	12.7	+0.5	—
133	🇲🇷 Mauritania	12.4	0.0	+8.1
134	🇮🇷 Iran	12.0	0.0	+3.0
135	🇷🇼 Rwanda	11.8	+0.4	−3.2
136	🇩🇿 Algeria	11.3	+1.2	−0.3
137	🇩🇯 Djibouti	11.0	0.0	+2.8
138	🇵🇪 Peru	10.6	+1.2	−32.4
139	🇬🇳 Guinea	10.2	+1.7	+6.2
140	🇸🇿 Eswatini	9.9	0.0	−0.7
141	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	9.7	+1.3	+8.1
142	🇳🇬 Nigeria	9.5	−0.3	0.0
143	🇹🇳 Tunisia	9.1	0.0	−6.7
144	🇱🇦 Laos	8.7	+0.1	+1.9
145	🇴🇲 Oman	8.4	0.0	+2.0
146	🇶🇦 Qatar	8.3	+0.2	+0.8
147	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	8.3	−0.3	—
148	🇻🇳 Vietnam	8.0	0.0	+2.1
149	🇹🇩 Chad	7.7	0.0	+4.3
150	🇦🇴 Angola	7.6	+0.1	+3.1
151	🇬🇲 The Gambia	7.4	−6.5	−25.3
152	🇨🇳 China	6.9	+0.2	+0.2
153	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	6.9	+0.3	—
154	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	6.8	+0.3	+1.7
155	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.2	+0.2	−0.4
156	🇲🇻 Maldives	5.8	+0.1	−0.1
157	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	5.5	+0.1	—
158	🇮🇩 Indonesia	5.2	0.0	−0.5
159	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	5.2	0.0	+0.7
160	🇱🇾 Libya	4.8	0.0	+0.2
161	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	4.1	−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	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.6	+0.1	+0.3
166	🇪🇷 Eritrea	3.6	0.0	+2.7
167	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	3.5	+0.1	−4.8
168	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	2.8	0.0	—
169	🇸🇴 Somalia	2.7	+0.1	−1.3
170	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	2.2	−0.1	−2.3
171	🇸🇩 Sudan	1.8	0.0	−8.3
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 1995, with the highest score of 88.0 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1995?

In 1995, the top three of 173 ranked countries are Denmark (88.0), Sweden (87.9), and Germany (85.3).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1995?

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 76.1 points over the past decade, standing at 81.9 (rank #9) in 1995.

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 1995 edition covers 173 countries.