Democracy Index 2000

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 2000 — 176 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 2000 — 176 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	87.8	0.0	−0.2
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	87.6	0.0	−0.2
3	🇩🇪 Germany	86.0	0.0	+0.7
4	🇳🇴 Norway	85.7	+0.9	+1.2
5	🇦🇺 Australia	84.7	+0.5	−0.4
6	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	84.0	−0.1	+0.2
7	🇨🇭 Switzerland	83.6	−0.2	+0.7
8	🇫🇮 Finland	83.4	+0.1	+1.5
9	🇳🇿 New Zealand	82.7	+0.2	+1.9
10	🇧🇪 Belgium	81.9	+0.3	+2.2
11	🇪🇸 Spain	81.7	−0.3	+0.6
12	🇵🇹 Portugal	81.3	−0.2	−0.2
13	🇨🇱 Chile	81.0	+2.5	+18.0
14	🇮🇪 Ireland	80.9	+0.5	+4.9
15	🇺🇸 United States of America	80.8	0.0	+0.8
16	🇳🇱 Netherlands	80.8	−0.9	−0.6
17	🇪🇪 Estonia	80.8	+0.1	+12.7
18	🇨🇿 Czechia	80.1	0.0	+9.1
19	🇵🇱 Poland	80.0	+0.2	+14.0
20	🇫🇷 France	79.8	0.0	−0.4
21	🇬🇷 Greece	79.8	0.0	+1.0
22	🇺🇾 Uruguay	79.7	−0.5	+3.7
23	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.7	+0.2	+0.2
24	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	78.5	+1.5	+4.3
25	🇦🇹 Austria	78.2	+0.2	+0.2
26	🇮🇸 Iceland	78.0	−0.1	+0.5
27	🇯🇵 Japan	76.2	+0.5	+0.8
28	🇱🇹 Lithuania	75.9	+0.3	+3.0
29	🇨🇦 Canada	75.6	0.0	+0.2
30	🇮🇹 Italy	75.6	−0.2	+2.4
31	🇰🇷 South Korea	75.3	+1.7	+25.3
32	🇸🇰 Slovakia	75.0	+0.5	—
33	🇭🇺 Hungary	75.0	0.0	+3.5
34	🇸🇮 Slovenia	74.9	−1.0	+23.6
35	🇧🇷 Brazil	71.7	+0.4	+3.9
36	🇱🇻 Latvia	70.2	+0.1	+25.0
37	🇮🇱 Israel	69.3	−0.3	+0.4
38	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	68.5	−0.7	+39.6
39	🇹🇼 Taiwan	67.4	+18.5	+44.8
40	🇦🇷 Argentina	67.0	+3.0	+5.3
41	🇨🇾 Cyprus	66.8	+3.6	+6.0
42	🇸🇷 Suriname	66.5	+1.3	+11.8
43	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	66.0	+1.4	+4.3
44	🇧🇧 Barbados	65.4	−0.2	+1.8
45	🇲🇺 Mauritius	64.1	+2.5	+3.8
46	🇿🇦 South Africa	62.9	+3.1	+49.0
47	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	61.7	+0.1	+16.3
48	🇭🇷 Croatia	61.0	+33.8	—
49	🇧🇼 Botswana	60.7	0.0	+3.0
50	🇲🇹 Malta	59.7	0.0	+5.2
51	🇮🇳 India	58.4	−0.2	+4.4
52	🇬🇭 Ghana	57.0	+6.6	+47.3
53	🇲🇳 Mongolia	55.2	−5.1	+31.7
54	🇵🇦 Panama	54.9	+2.5	+18.2
55	🇯🇲 Jamaica	54.9	+2.7	+10.1
56	🇳🇦 Namibia	54.0	−1.0	+13.7
57	🇧🇴 Bolivia	52.7	+0.4	+9.6
58	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	51.8	+0.1	−6.2
59	🇸🇳 Senegal	50.9	+3.4	+12.8
60	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	50.9	−0.4	+30.8
61	🇮🇩 Indonesia	50.5	+8.8	+44.8
62	🇧🇯 Benin	50.1	+0.4	+33.9
63	🇲🇽 Mexico	48.1	+10.0	+29.5
64	🇪🇨 Ecuador	44.5	−0.9	−2.2
65	🇵🇭 Philippines	43.9	+0.2	+0.9
66	🇲🇩 Moldova	43.8	−1.4	+13.7
67	🇷🇴 Romania	43.2	−0.3	+13.4
68	🇨🇴 Colombia	42.6	+0.9	+11.0
69	🇹🇷 Türkiye	42.5	+1.2	+7.7
70	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	41.5	0.0	−1.0
71	🇳🇪 Niger	40.7	+23.4	+19.0
72	🇹🇿 Tanzania	39.6	−0.7	+12.6
73	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	39.4	+3.3	—
74	🇹🇭 Thailand	39.1	+0.6	+12.7
75	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	39.1	+1.3	+17.5
76	🇵🇾 Paraguay	39.1	+0.6	+18.3
77	🇿🇲 Zambia	38.0	+0.6	+21.9
78	🇲🇼 Malawi	37.9	−2.2	+30.2
79	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	37.8	−0.5	−3.6
80	🇲🇱 Mali	37.0	+0.4	+22.5
81	🇬🇹 Guatemala	36.2	+7.1	+15.7
82	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	35.2	−7.7	—
83	🇦🇱 Albania	34.2	+1.6	+27.2
84	🇲🇪 Montenegro	33.6	+0.5	—
85	🇬🇾 Guyana	33.4	−0.3	+11.6
86	🇳🇬 Nigeria	32.7	+8.4	+22.7
87	🇭🇳 Honduras	32.6	+1.0	+6.9
88	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	32.5	0.0	+7.3
89	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	32.4	+2.0	+22.2
90	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	31.8	−1.8	+4.3
91	🇸🇻 El Salvador	31.5	+1.8	+23.0
92	🇻🇪 Venezuela	31.0	−13.0	−28.5
93	🇸🇬 Singapore	30.9	+0.8	+1.0
94	🇲🇿 Mozambique	29.7	−0.1	+18.6
95	🇳🇵 Nepal	29.1	−1.6	+7.4
96	🇭🇹 Haiti	28.0	−0.2	+20.0
97	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	27.6	+0.1	+11.4
98	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	27.4	−0.5	+20.3
99	🇲🇬 Madagascar	27.2	0.0	+16.2
100	🇷🇸 Serbia	27.2	+8.7	+12.2
101	🇰🇼 Kuwait	26.7	−0.2	+15.6
102	🇸🇨 Seychelles	26.4	+0.5	+8.6
103	🇱🇸 Lesotho	25.9	−0.1	+7.9
104	🇰🇪 Kenya	25.3	+2.8	+13.0
105	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	24.3	−13.2	−17.1
106	🇺🇬 Uganda	23.6	−0.3	+7.5
107	🇺🇦 Ukraine	22.9	−1.6	+0.2
108	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	22.8	+2.7	+18.0
109	🇷🇺 Russia	22.3	−6.1	+12.7
110	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	21.7	0.0	+9.4
111	Zanzibar	21.7	+1.3	+9.5
112	🇲🇦 Morocco	21.3	+1.5	+4.4
113	🇦🇲 Armenia	21.0	−0.1	−11.7
114	🇫🇯 Fiji	20.8	−19.5	+6.1
115	🇬🇪 Georgia	20.5	−0.9	+7.4
116	🇬🇦 Gabon	19.9	−0.4	+4.7
117	🇱🇧 Lebanon	19.4	+0.6	−0.1
118	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	18.7	−4.1	−3.5
119	🇵🇪 Peru	18.5	+6.5	−20.8
120	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	18.3	+9.4	—
121	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	17.4	−7.0	−1.4
122	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	17.4	−0.3	+3.3
123	🇹🇬 Togo	16.7	+1.3	+10.3
124	🇲🇾 Malaysia	16.5	+0.3	+0.2
125	🇮🇷 Iran	16.2	+0.2	+5.1
126	🇱🇷 Liberia	16.1	+0.2	+9.8
127	🇩🇿 Algeria	16.1	0.0	−0.3
128	🇨🇲 Cameroon	15.7	+1.0	+3.0
129	🇪🇬 Egypt	15.4	−0.1	−0.7
130	🇽🇰 Kosovo	15.3	+1.3	—
131	🇧🇹 Bhutan	15.0	+0.2	+2.2
132	🇧🇮 Burundi	14.7	−0.1	+6.1
133	Somaliland	13.9	+0.1	—
134	🇲🇷 Mauritania	13.8	+0.5	+9.3
135	🇾🇪 Yemen	13.6	+0.5	+2.2
136	🇯🇴 Jordan	13.2	−6.4	−6.5
137	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	12.9	+0.1	−2.1
138	🇰🇭 Cambodia	12.4	−0.1	+9.7
139	🇬🇲 The Gambia	12.3	−0.4	−20.9
140	🇩🇯 Djibouti	11.6	+0.2	+3.2
141	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	11.0	−0.1	+7.8
142	🇬🇳 Guinea	11.0	0.0	+6.3
143	🇧🇾 Belarus	10.7	−0.7	−23.6
144	🇷🇼 Rwanda	10.4	−2.1	−5.3
145	🇴🇲 Oman	10.4	+1.7	+3.8
146	🇰🇲 Comoros	10.1	−3.4	−7.7
147	🇹🇩 Chad	9.7	0.0	+5.4
148	🇸🇿 Eswatini	9.7	+0.1	−0.7
149	🇵🇰 Pakistan	9.4	−7.3	−10.4
150	🇻🇳 Vietnam	9.2	+0.3	+1.9
151	🇹🇳 Tunisia	9.2	+0.1	0.0
152	🇶🇦 Qatar	9.1	+0.3	+1.1
153	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	8.8	+0.7	+0.2
154	🇱🇦 Laos	8.8	0.0	−0.4
155	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	8.3	+1.2	−4.0
156	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	8.1	+0.2	+0.3
157	🇦🇴 Angola	7.7	+0.1	+2.7
158	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	7.5	0.0	+1.0
159	🇨🇳 China	7.0	0.0	+0.5
160	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	7.0	0.0	+1.5
161	🇮🇶 Iraq	6.9	−0.1	+0.7
162	🇲🇻 Maldives	5.7	0.0	−0.2
163	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	5.3	+1.0	+0.2
164	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	5.2	+0.1	+0.3
165	🇸🇾 Syria	5.1	+1.3	+1.4
166	🇱🇾 Libya	4.8	0.0	0.0
167	🇨🇺 Cuba	4.0	0.0	+0.7
168	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	4.0	+0.1	+0.3
169	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	3.5	0.0	−3.4
170	🇸🇴 Somalia	2.8	+0.1	−1.1
171	🇪🇷 Eritrea	2.7	−0.4	+1.2
172	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	2.2	0.0	−2.3
173	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	1.8	+0.1	−0.2
174	🇸🇩 Sudan	1.8	−1.6	+0.6
175	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	1.5	−0.9	—
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 2000, with the highest score of 87.8 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 2000?

In 2000, 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 2000?

North Korea ranks #176 of 176 with a score of 1.4.

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

South Africa shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 49.0 points over the past decade, standing at 62.9 (rank #46) in 2000.

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 2000 edition covers 176 countries.