Democracy Index 1999

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 1999 — 176 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 1999 — 176 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	87.8	−0.1	−0.2
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	87.6	−0.3	+0.1
3	🇩🇪 Germany	86.0	+0.4	+3.6
4	🇳🇴 Norway	84.8	0.0	+1.9
5	🇦🇺 Australia	84.2	+0.1	−0.2
6	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	84.1	0.0	+2.9
7	🇨🇭 Switzerland	83.8	−0.1	+2.1
8	🇫🇮 Finland	83.3	+0.1	+2.9
9	🇳🇿 New Zealand	82.5	0.0	+1.9
10	🇪🇸 Spain	82.0	0.0	+1.0
11	🇳🇱 Netherlands	81.7	+1.8	+0.4
12	🇧🇪 Belgium	81.6	+0.3	+3.8
13	🇵🇹 Portugal	81.5	−0.1	−0.1
14	🇺🇸 United States of America	80.8	−0.2	+1.4
15	🇪🇪 Estonia	80.7	+0.2	—
16	🇮🇪 Ireland	80.4	0.0	+5.2
17	🇺🇾 Uruguay	80.2	−0.2	+7.5
18	🇨🇿 Czechia	80.1	−0.7	+74.5
19	🇵🇱 Poland	79.8	+0.2	+50.7
20	🇫🇷 France	79.8	0.0	−0.4
21	🇬🇷 Greece	79.8	0.0	+2.5
22	🇨🇱 Chile	78.5	−0.1	+71.0
23	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.5	+0.1	+0.5
24	🇮🇸 Iceland	78.1	−0.2	+1.3
25	🇦🇹 Austria	78.0	0.0	−0.3
26	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	77.0	+2.1	+4.4
27	🇸🇮 Slovenia	75.9	−0.5	+51.8
28	🇮🇹 Italy	75.8	0.0	+3.3
29	🇯🇵 Japan	75.7	0.0	+0.6
30	🇨🇦 Canada	75.6	0.0	+1.0
31	🇱🇹 Lithuania	75.6	+0.2	—
32	🇭🇺 Hungary	75.0	−0.4	+56.4
33	🇸🇰 Slovakia	74.5	+11.9	—
34	🇰🇷 South Korea	73.6	+0.7	+23.8
35	🇧🇷 Brazil	71.3	+0.2	+13.4
36	🇱🇻 Latvia	70.1	+0.5	—
37	🇮🇱 Israel	69.6	0.0	+0.7
38	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	69.2	0.0	+41.4
39	🇧🇧 Barbados	65.6	+0.9	+2.4
40	🇸🇷 Suriname	65.2	0.0	+7.6
41	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	64.6	0.0	+3.2
42	🇦🇷 Argentina	64.0	+0.6	−3.0
43	🇨🇾 Cyprus	63.2	+0.3	+5.5
44	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	61.6	+0.7	+55.6
45	🇲🇺 Mauritius	61.6	−0.1	+0.5
46	🇧🇼 Botswana	60.7	+0.3	+4.4
47	🇲🇳 Mongolia	60.3	+0.3	+54.4
48	🇿🇦 South Africa	59.8	+3.4	+47.7
49	🇲🇹 Malta	59.7	−0.1	+5.2
50	🇮🇳 India	58.6	−0.7	+6.9
51	🇳🇦 Namibia	55.0	−0.3	+44.5
52	🇵🇦 Panama	52.4	0.0	+45.1
53	🇧🇴 Bolivia	52.3	+0.5	+10.1
54	🇯🇲 Jamaica	52.2	0.0	+9.1
55	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	51.7	0.0	−5.7
56	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	51.3	+1.8	+34.5
57	🇬🇭 Ghana	50.4	−0.1	+41.7
58	🇧🇯 Benin	49.7	−0.3	+41.3
59	🇹🇼 Taiwan	48.9	−0.4	+29.1
60	🇸🇳 Senegal	47.5	+0.1	+10.4
61	🇪🇨 Ecuador	45.4	−0.5	−1.4
62	🇲🇩 Moldova	45.2	+2.3	—
63	🇻🇪 Venezuela	44.0	−13.5	−14.5
64	🇵🇭 Philippines	43.7	+0.9	+2.0
65	🇷🇴 Romania	43.5	−0.3	+39.3
66	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	42.9	+4.1	—
67	🇨🇴 Colombia	41.7	−0.6	+11.6
68	🇮🇩 Indonesia	41.7	+30.0	+36.1
69	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	41.5	0.0	−1.0
70	🇹🇷 Türkiye	41.3	+2.4	+9.2
71	🇹🇿 Tanzania	40.3	0.0	+15.2
72	🇫🇯 Fiji	40.3	−0.1	+25.9
73	🇲🇼 Malawi	40.1	−3.8	+32.4
74	🇹🇭 Thailand	38.5	+0.1	+12.4
75	🇵🇾 Paraguay	38.5	−0.1	+31.0
76	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	38.3	−2.6	+20.5
77	🇲🇽 Mexico	38.1	+0.3	+20.9
78	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	37.8	+0.6	+14.0
79	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	37.5	−2.1	−4.0
80	🇿🇲 Zambia	37.4	0.0	+22.5
81	🇲🇱 Mali	36.6	0.0	+23.9
82	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	36.1	+1.1	—
83	🇬🇾 Guyana	33.7	+0.1	+12.8
84	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	33.6	−0.1	+6.8
85	🇲🇪 Montenegro	33.1	+14.0	—
86	🇦🇱 Albania	32.6	+0.3	+26.8
87	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	32.5	0.0	+10.9
88	🇭🇳 Honduras	31.6	+0.7	+11.9
89	🇳🇵 Nepal	30.7	−0.3	+20.4
90	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	30.4	+4.2	+20.4
91	🇸🇬 Singapore	30.1	−0.3	+1.1
92	🇲🇿 Mozambique	29.8	−0.4	+24.7
93	🇸🇻 El Salvador	29.7	+0.8	+21.7
94	🇬🇹 Guatemala	29.1	+0.7	+9.6
95	🇷🇺 Russia	28.4	+0.2	+22.0
96	🇭🇹 Haiti	28.2	−0.6	+20.6
97	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	27.9	−0.2	+20.3
98	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	27.5	0.0	+11.9
99	🇲🇬 Madagascar	27.2	+0.1	+17.3
100	🇭🇷 Croatia	27.2	+1.1	—
101	🇰🇼 Kuwait	26.9	−0.1	+14.6
102	🇱🇸 Lesotho	26.0	−2.8	+14.0
103	🇸🇨 Seychelles	25.9	0.0	+8.8
104	🇺🇦 Ukraine	24.5	−1.2	—
105	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	24.4	+0.3	+10.3
106	🇳🇬 Nigeria	24.3	+13.6	+14.4
107	🇺🇬 Uganda	23.9	0.0	+8.9
108	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	22.8	+0.2	+0.6
109	🇰🇪 Kenya	22.5	0.0	+12.8
110	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	21.7	−0.3	+10.1
111	🇬🇪 Georgia	21.4	+0.1	—
112	🇦🇲 Armenia	21.1	−0.3	—
113	Zanzibar	20.4	+0.2	+8.7
114	🇬🇦 Gabon	20.3	0.0	+10.1
115	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	20.1	0.0	+15.6
116	🇲🇦 Morocco	19.8	0.0	+4.7
117	🇯🇴 Jordan	19.6	+0.1	+1.9
118	🇱🇧 Lebanon	18.8	0.0	+1.4
119	🇷🇸 Serbia	18.5	0.0	+5.6
120	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	17.7	0.0	—
121	🇳🇪 Niger	17.3	−5.5	+5.3
122	🇵🇰 Pakistan	16.7	−3.2	−3.5
123	🇲🇾 Malaysia	16.2	+0.1	+0.1
124	🇩🇿 Algeria	16.1	+1.1	+3.6
125	🇮🇷 Iran	16.0	+0.1	+5.2
126	🇱🇷 Liberia	15.9	−0.2	+4.2
127	🇪🇬 Egypt	15.5	0.0	−1.7
128	🇹🇬 Togo	15.4	−0.8	+9.1
129	🇧🇹 Bhutan	14.8	+0.7	+2.2
130	🇧🇮 Burundi	14.8	0.0	+6.3
131	🇨🇲 Cameroon	14.7	0.0	+4.6
132	🇽🇰 Kosovo	14.0	—	—
133	Somaliland	13.8	+0.1	—
134	🇰🇲 Comoros	13.5	−7.4	+3.9
135	🇲🇷 Mauritania	13.3	0.0	+8.9
136	🇾🇪 Yemen	13.1	−0.1	+5.8
137	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	12.8	−0.6	—
138	🇬🇲 The Gambia	12.7	−0.2	−20.5
139	🇰🇭 Cambodia	12.5	−0.7	+10.4
140	🇷🇼 Rwanda	12.5	+0.1	−2.7
141	🇵🇪 Peru	12.0	0.0	−30.5
142	🇧🇾 Belarus	11.4	−1.7	—
143	🇩🇯 Djibouti	11.4	0.0	+3.2
144	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	11.1	0.0	+8.0
145	🇬🇳 Guinea	11.0	+0.2	+7.1
146	🇹🇩 Chad	9.7	0.0	+6.3
147	🇸🇿 Eswatini	9.6	+0.1	−0.9
148	🇹🇳 Tunisia	9.1	0.0	+1.3
149	🇻🇳 Vietnam	8.9	+0.6	+2.0
150	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	8.9	—	—
151	🇶🇦 Qatar	8.8	0.0	+1.2
152	🇱🇦 Laos	8.8	+0.1	−0.3
153	🇴🇲 Oman	8.7	+0.1	+2.1
154	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	8.1	+0.6	−0.6
155	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	7.9	−0.4	—
156	🇦🇴 Angola	7.6	0.0	+3.1
157	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	7.5	−0.4	+4.3
158	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	7.1	+0.5	—
159	🇮🇶 Iraq	7.0	0.0	+0.4
160	🇨🇳 China	7.0	+0.1	+0.4
161	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	7.0	0.0	+1.7
162	🇲🇻 Maldives	5.7	−0.1	0.0
163	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	5.1	0.0	+0.5
164	🇱🇾 Libya	4.8	0.0	0.0
165	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	4.3	+0.4	+1.0
166	🇨🇺 Cuba	4.0	+0.1	+0.7
167	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.9	0.0	+0.2
168	🇸🇾 Syria	3.8	0.0	+0.3
169	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	3.5	−0.2	—
170	🇸🇩 Sudan	3.4	+0.8	−2.6
171	🇪🇷 Eritrea	3.1	−0.2	+2.1
172	🇸🇴 Somalia	2.7	0.0	−1.3
173	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	2.4	0.0	—
174	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	2.2	0.0	−2.5
175	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	1.7	0.0	0.0
176	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0

Frequently asked questions

Which countries are the most liberal democracies?

Denmark ranks #1 of 176 countries on the V-Dem liberal democracy index index in 1999, with the highest score of 87.8 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 1999?

In 1999, the top three of 176 ranked countries are Denmark (87.8), Sweden (87.6), and Germany (86.0).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 1999?

North Korea ranks #176 of 176 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 74.5 points over the past decade, standing at 80.1 (rank #18) in 1999.

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 1999 edition covers 176 countries.