Democracy Index 1997

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1997 — 173 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1997 — 173 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	88.0	0.0	+0.1
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	87.9	0.0	+0.6
3	🇩🇪 Germany	85.4	0.0	+3.1
4	🇳🇴 Norway	84.7	0.0	+1.7
5	🇦🇺 Australia	84.1	−0.8	−0.3
6	🇨🇭 Switzerland	83.9	0.0	+2.5
7	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	83.5	−0.5	+4.0
8	🇫🇮 Finland	83.2	0.0	+2.8
9	🇳🇿 New Zealand	82.5	+0.5	+2.1
10	🇪🇸 Spain	82.0	0.0	+1.0
11	🇵🇹 Portugal	81.6	0.0	+0.7
12	🇨🇿 Czechia	81.6	−0.1	+75.8
13	🇧🇪 Belgium	81.2	0.0	+3.2
14	🇺🇸 United States of America	81.1	+0.3	+1.3
15	🇪🇪 Estonia	80.6	+0.2	—
16	🇳🇱 Netherlands	80.5	−0.7	−0.7
17	🇮🇪 Ireland	80.2	+0.9	+4.8
18	🇫🇷 France	80.0	−0.2	+1.1
19	🇬🇷 Greece	79.8	+0.1	+3.0
20	🇺🇾 Uruguay	79.5	−0.1	+6.9
21	🇵🇱 Poland	79.2	−1.0	+64.2
22	🇨🇱 Chile	78.4	0.0	+73.2
23	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.4	0.0	+0.5
24	🇮🇸 Iceland	78.3	0.0	+1.4
25	🇦🇹 Austria	78.0	0.0	+0.4
26	🇸🇮 Slovenia	76.2	−0.5	—
27	🇨🇦 Canada	76.0	−0.5	+0.3
28	🇮🇹 Italy	75.8	+0.8	+3.3
29	🇱🇹 Lithuania	75.8	+0.5	—
30	🇯🇵 Japan	75.7	−0.2	+0.6
31	🇭🇺 Hungary	75.7	+0.1	+64.8
32	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	74.6	−0.5	+2.2
33	🇧🇷 Brazil	71.1	0.0	+34.1
34	🇮🇱 Israel	69.6	+0.1	+0.9
35	🇱🇻 Latvia	69.4	+2.0	—
36	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	69.2	+0.2	+42.5
37	🇸🇷 Suriname	65.2	+0.2	+42.6
38	🇧🇧 Barbados	64.7	0.0	+2.2
39	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	64.6	0.0	+3.2
40	🇰🇷 South Korea	63.8	+2.0	+41.9
41	🇨🇾 Cyprus	63.6	+0.1	+8.0
42	🇦🇷 Argentina	63.4	0.0	−3.8
43	🇲🇺 Mauritius	61.7	0.0	+0.8
44	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	60.9	+1.2	+55.1
45	🇻🇪 Venezuela	60.3	−0.1	+1.9
46	🇧🇼 Botswana	60.1	+1.4	+5.1
47	🇲🇹 Malta	59.9	+0.3	+7.1
48	🇲🇳 Mongolia	59.8	+0.7	+53.9
49	🇮🇳 India	59.1	+0.3	+7.0
50	🇿🇦 South Africa	56.0	0.0	+44.2
51	🇳🇦 Namibia	55.3	0.0	+47.2
52	🇸🇰 Slovakia	54.0	+0.3	—
53	🇵🇦 Panama	53.4	0.0	+46.4
54	🇧🇴 Bolivia	51.8	+2.6	+10.2
55	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	51.8	0.0	−6.4
56	🇬🇭 Ghana	50.5	+8.0	+42.3
57	🇧🇯 Benin	50.0	−0.7	+41.6
58	🇯🇲 Jamaica	49.9	+0.9	+8.5
59	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	49.2	−0.8	+32.4
60	🇹🇼 Taiwan	48.3	+9.4	+35.5
61	🇸🇳 Senegal	47.2	+0.1	+10.3
62	🇪🇨 Ecuador	45.0	+0.9	+4.8
63	🇲🇼 Malawi	43.9	0.0	+36.2
64	🇷🇴 Romania	43.8	+3.0	+39.6
65	🇨🇴 Colombia	42.9	+0.3	+12.1
66	🇵🇭 Philippines	41.6	0.0	+14.3
67	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	41.4	+0.1	−1.8
68	🇲🇩 Moldova	41.2	+0.1	—
69	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	40.9	−4.1	+25.2
70	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	40.9	−0.4	−1.4
71	🇫🇯 Fiji	40.4	+2.2	+22.6
72	🇹🇿 Tanzania	40.3	0.0	+15.2
73	🇲🇱 Mali	39.2	−3.0	+26.6
74	🇹🇷 Türkiye	39.1	+0.9	+10.5
75	🇵🇾 Paraguay	38.3	+0.3	+33.3
76	🇿🇲 Zambia	37.4	−1.0	+22.6
77	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	36.2	+0.5	—
78	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	35.7	+7.6	+11.7
79	🇹🇭 Thailand	34.8	+7.0	+12.7
80	🇲🇽 Mexico	34.6	+5.3	+20.1
81	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	34.6	0.0	+5.7
82	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	34.0	+19.9	—
83	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	32.2	+0.2	+10.7
84	🇦🇱 Albania	31.1	−1.0	+25.3
85	🇳🇵 Nepal	31.1	−0.1	+20.8
86	🇭🇳 Honduras	30.7	+0.2	+11.5
87	🇬🇾 Guyana	30.4	+0.6	+10.0
88	🇸🇬 Singapore	30.4	+0.5	+1.4
89	🇲🇿 Mozambique	30.1	−0.3	+25.1
90	🇺🇦 Ukraine	29.9	−2.0	—
91	🇭🇹 Haiti	28.7	+1.2	+21.1
92	🇷🇺 Russia	28.4	−0.6	+24.3
93	🇸🇻 El Salvador	28.2	+0.2	+20.1
94	🇬🇹 Guatemala	28.2	+2.1	+8.7
95	🇲🇬 Madagascar	27.9	−7.2	+18.3
96	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	27.6	+0.4	+20.0
97	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	27.5	+0.4	+10.7
98	🇰🇼 Kuwait	26.9	+0.1	+14.4
99	🇭🇷 Croatia	25.9	+1.7	—
100	🇱🇸 Lesotho	25.8	0.0	+13.9
101	🇸🇨 Seychelles	25.8	+0.3	+8.7
102	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	25.7	+0.1	+14.4
103	🇺🇬 Uganda	23.9	−0.2	+10.1
104	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	23.9	0.0	+9.8
105	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	22.9	+0.1	+4.4
106	🇳🇪 Niger	22.8	+4.6	+13.7
107	🇦🇲 Armenia	22.4	−1.1	—
108	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	22.0	0.0	+12.6
109	🇰🇪 Kenya	20.9	−0.2	+10.9
110	🇰🇲 Comoros	20.8	+6.6	+11.3
111	🇬🇪 Georgia	20.7	−0.1	—
112	🇬🇦 Gabon	20.3	+0.5	+10.1
113	Zanzibar	20.2	+0.1	+7.2
114	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	20.1	−0.2	+15.6
115	🇵🇰 Pakistan	19.6	−0.5	+8.1
116	🇯🇴 Jordan	19.5	−0.1	+2.4
117	🇲🇦 Morocco	19.3	−0.3	+4.2
118	🇱🇧 Lebanon	18.8	0.0	−0.2
119	🇷🇸 Serbia	18.8	+0.3	+5.3
120	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	17.2	−0.7	—
121	🇹🇬 Togo	16.7	0.0	+10.4
122	🇲🇾 Malaysia	16.1	0.0	−0.2
123	🇪🇬 Egypt	15.5	−0.1	−1.6
124	🇩🇿 Algeria	15.3	−0.4	+3.7
125	🇧🇮 Burundi	14.9	−0.6	+2.2
126	🇮🇷 Iran	14.9	+2.6	+4.6
127	🇨🇲 Cameroon	14.4	0.0	+4.4
128	🇧🇾 Belarus	13.9	−7.4	—
129	🇾🇪 Yemen	13.7	+0.5	+7.8
130	🇰🇭 Cambodia	13.7	−0.3	+11.6
131	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	13.6	+0.4	—
132	🇲🇷 Mauritania	13.2	−0.3	+8.7
133	🇧🇹 Bhutan	13.1	0.0	+0.7
134	Somaliland	13.1	+0.4	—
135	🇱🇷 Liberia	12.9	+1.2	−0.1
136	🇬🇲 The Gambia	12.6	+4.6	−20.5
137	🇵🇪 Peru	12.5	−0.4	−30.0
138	🇷🇼 Rwanda	12.2	+0.2	−2.8
139	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	11.1	0.0	+9.4
140	🇩🇯 Djibouti	11.0	0.0	+2.8
141	🇬🇳 Guinea	10.7	−0.2	+6.8
142	🇸🇿 Eswatini	9.8	0.0	−0.8
143	🇳🇬 Nigeria	9.7	+0.3	−0.1
144	🇹🇩 Chad	9.6	+1.4	+6.2
145	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	9.4	−2.6	+0.8
146	🇹🇳 Tunisia	9.1	0.0	−6.3
147	🇶🇦 Qatar	8.7	0.0	+1.2
148	🇱🇦 Laos	8.7	0.0	+1.6
149	🇴🇲 Oman	8.6	0.0	+2.1
150	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	8.4	+0.1	—
151	🇻🇳 Vietnam	8.2	0.0	+1.3
152	🇦🇴 Angola	7.6	0.0	+3.1
153	🇮🇶 Iraq	7.0	0.0	+0.4
154	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	7.0	0.0	+1.9
155	🇨🇳 China	6.8	0.0	+0.1
156	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	6.6	−23.1	+3.4
157	🇲🇻 Maldives	5.8	0.0	+0.1
158	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	5.8	+0.2	—
159	🇮🇩 Indonesia	5.2	+0.1	−0.5
160	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	5.1	−0.1	+0.7
161	🇱🇾 Libya	4.8	0.0	0.0
162	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	4.0	−0.1	—
163	🇪🇷 Eritrea	3.9	+0.4	+3.0
164	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.9	0.0	+0.2
165	🇨🇺 Cuba	3.8	0.0	+0.5
166	🇸🇾 Syria	3.7	0.0	+0.2
167	🇸🇴 Somalia	2.7	0.0	−1.3
168	🇸🇩 Sudan	2.6	+0.2	−13.8
169	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	2.6	−1.0	−0.7
170	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	2.4	−0.4	—
171	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	2.2	+0.3	−2.3
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 1997, with the highest score of 88.0 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1997?

In 1997, the top three of 173 ranked countries are Denmark (88.0), Sweden (87.9), and Germany (85.4).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1997?

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 75.8 points over the past decade, standing at 81.6 (rank #12) in 1997.

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 1997 edition covers 173 countries.