Democracy Index 2003

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 2003 — 177 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 2003 — 177 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	87.7	+0.1	0.0
3	🇳🇴 Norway	86.0	0.0	+1.4
4	🇩🇪 Germany	85.7	−0.2	+0.4
5	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	84.3	0.0	+0.2
6	🇨🇭 Switzerland	84.1	+0.4	+0.7
7	🇦🇺 Australia	83.8	0.0	−1.1
8	🇫🇮 Finland	83.1	−0.3	0.0
9	🇳🇿 New Zealand	82.5	−0.1	+1.1
10	🇵🇹 Portugal	82.1	0.0	+1.8
11	🇧🇪 Belgium	81.9	0.0	+1.1
12	🇨🇱 Chile	81.7	0.0	+7.1
13	🇨🇿 Czechia	81.4	+0.6	−0.5
14	🇵🇱 Poland	81.3	0.0	+0.5
15	🇳🇱 Netherlands	81.3	+1.0	−0.1
16	🇪🇪 Estonia	80.8	−0.3	−0.1
17	🇮🇪 Ireland	80.6	−0.1	+1.8
18	🇫🇷 France	80.2	+0.1	+0.4
19	🇬🇷 Greece	80.2	0.0	+1.2
20	🇺🇸 United States of America	79.8	+2.9	−0.7
21	🇪🇸 Spain	79.6	−2.1	−2.2
22	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	79.3	0.0	+4.6
23	🇺🇾 Uruguay	79.0	−1.2	+2.8
24	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.7	0.0	+0.2
25	🇦🇹 Austria	78.6	+0.4	+0.4
26	🇮🇸 Iceland	78.1	+0.1	+0.5
27	🇯🇵 Japan	76.2	0.0	+0.7
28	🇰🇷 South Korea	76.1	0.0	+15.4
29	🇭🇺 Hungary	75.9	+0.4	+0.2
30	🇮🇹 Italy	75.3	+0.2	+0.4
31	🇱🇹 Lithuania	75.2	−0.5	+1.1
32	🇸🇮 Slovenia	75.2	−0.4	−0.9
33	🇨🇦 Canada	74.6	0.0	−0.6
34	🇸🇰 Slovakia	74.6	−0.2	+11.8
35	🇧🇷 Brazil	72.2	+0.1	+1.8
36	🇱🇻 Latvia	71.4	+0.9	+8.5
37	🇹🇼 Taiwan	68.4	−0.3	+40.9
38	🇮🇱 Israel	68.3	−0.6	0.0
39	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	68.2	0.0	+4.7
40	🇨🇾 Cyprus	66.8	−1.6	+3.5
41	🇸🇷 Suriname	66.2	0.0	+2.7
42	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	66.2	+1.9	+1.8
43	🇧🇧 Barbados	65.2	−0.2	+0.6
44	🇵🇪 Peru	65.1	+0.3	+55.6
45	🇲🇺 Mauritius	64.8	0.0	+2.9
46	🇦🇷 Argentina	63.8	−2.3	+0.8
47	🇬🇭 Ghana	63.1	+0.2	+29.7
48	🇿🇦 South Africa	62.9	0.0	+47.0
49	🇭🇷 Croatia	62.4	+0.2	+41.1
50	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	62.1	+0.2	+2.8
51	🇯🇲 Jamaica	61.7	+5.1	+14.4
52	🇧🇼 Botswana	60.7	0.0	+3.0
53	🇲🇹 Malta	59.9	+0.2	+1.3
54	🇮🇳 India	58.3	−0.4	+0.7
55	🇵🇦 Panama	55.8	0.0	+3.6
56	🇲🇳 Mongolia	55.6	+0.5	−1.3
57	🇳🇦 Namibia	53.7	+0.3	+4.7
58	🇸🇳 Senegal	53.6	0.0	+8.8
59	🇷🇸 Serbia	53.0	+3.1	+34.9
60	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	51.9	0.0	+0.7
61	🇧🇴 Bolivia	51.5	+0.5	+4.6
62	🇮🇩 Indonesia	51.2	0.0	+46.0
63	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	51.1	+0.6	+1.0
64	🇲🇽 Mexico	49.9	+0.5	+28.4
65	🇹🇷 Türkiye	49.8	+1.1	+13.0
66	🇧🇯 Benin	49.4	−0.8	+0.3
67	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	46.5	+6.6	+20.5
68	🇪🇨 Ecuador	45.4	+0.8	−0.2
69	🇱🇸 Lesotho	45.0	+7.3	+9.0
70	🇷🇴 Romania	43.7	+1.3	+4.5
71	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	42.6	+0.8	+33.3
72	🇨🇴 Colombia	42.1	+0.7	−0.6
73	🇲🇱 Mali	41.6	+1.3	−1.0
74	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	41.6	+0.1	+0.3
75	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	41.1	−0.6	—
76	🇵🇾 Paraguay	40.9	+1.8	+4.5
77	🇳🇪 Niger	40.7	0.0	+0.8
78	🇿🇲 Zambia	40.5	0.0	+5.0
79	🇦🇱 Albania	39.8	+0.3	+7.7
80	🇵🇭 Philippines	39.3	−0.1	−1.3
81	🇹🇭 Thailand	39.1	−1.7	+8.8
82	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	38.9	+0.8	−2.4
83	🇲🇼 Malawi	38.7	0.0	+27.7
84	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	38.5	−0.3	+18.4
85	🇲🇩 Moldova	38.1	0.0	+1.4
86	🇲🇪 Montenegro	37.8	+1.5	—
87	🇽🇰 Kosovo	37.7	+3.1	—
88	🇹🇿 Tanzania	37.3	0.0	+3.7
89	🇬🇾 Guyana	37.2	+1.0	+7.6
90	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	37.1	−0.6	−11.1
91	🇫🇯 Fiji	37.1	+11.8	−2.4
92	🇬🇹 Guatemala	36.3	+0.1	+14.7
93	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	36.2	+10.1	+33.0
94	🇰🇪 Kenya	35.5	+6.4	+14.8
95	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	34.0	0.0	+5.6
96	🇭🇳 Honduras	33.3	+0.6	+6.9
97	🇸🇻 El Salvador	33.2	+0.1	+12.5
98	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	32.5	0.0	+0.7
99	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	32.4	−0.1	+6.8
100	🇸🇬 Singapore	30.8	0.0	+1.1
101	🇸🇨 Seychelles	30.5	+4.2	+5.7
102	🇳🇬 Nigeria	30.4	−2.3	+15.6
103	🇲🇿 Mozambique	29.9	+0.5	+14.5
104	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	29.4	+1.8	+21.1
105	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	28.3	−0.2	+7.9
106	🇲🇬 Madagascar	26.7	+2.2	+1.5
107	🇰🇼 Kuwait	26.5	+0.2	−0.2
108	🇺🇦 Ukraine	26.2	+1.7	−8.7
109	🇭🇹 Haiti	25.9	−0.6	+17.0
110	🇻🇪 Venezuela	24.3	−1.2	−37.1
111	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	23.7	+0.1	−3.2
112	Zanzibar	22.5	+0.1	+9.9
113	🇲🇦 Morocco	22.1	0.0	+3.7
114	🇬🇪 Georgia	22.0	+1.2	+6.2
115	Somaliland	21.8	+6.8	+9.8
116	🇺🇬 Uganda	21.2	−0.2	+1.7
117	🇱🇧 Lebanon	20.6	0.0	+1.6
118	🇬🇦 Gabon	20.2	0.0	+0.5
119	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	20.2	−3.7	+12.4
120	🇵🇰 Pakistan	19.0	+5.8	−1.1
121	🇦🇲 Armenia	18.6	−1.9	−14.1
122	🇲🇾 Malaysia	17.3	+0.2	+1.1
123	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	16.8	−0.2	−3.6
124	🇹🇬 Togo	16.6	0.0	+0.6
125	🇷🇺 Russia	16.5	−1.0	−12.9
126	🇩🇿 Algeria	16.3	+0.2	+8.4
127	🇧🇹 Bhutan	15.8	−0.1	+2.7
128	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	15.7	−1.0	−6.8
129	🇨🇲 Cameroon	15.7	+0.1	+0.9
130	🇰🇲 Comoros	15.6	+2.1	−0.2
131	🇮🇷 Iran	15.3	0.0	+3.5
132	🇾🇪 Yemen	15.2	+1.5	−0.9
133	🇯🇴 Jordan	15.2	+2.1	−4.6
134	🇪🇬 Egypt	15.1	0.0	−0.7
135	🇧🇮 Burundi	15.1	+0.2	−1.3
136	🇱🇷 Liberia	14.9	−0.9	−3.1
137	🇳🇵 Nepal	14.5	−7.6	−18.1
138	🇲🇷 Mauritania	14.0	−0.3	+1.9
139	🇰🇭 Cambodia	12.6	+0.2	+2.2
140	🇴🇲 Oman	12.3	+0.1	+3.9
141	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	12.1	−0.4	−6.0
142	🇩🇯 Djibouti	12.0	−0.2	+1.0
143	🇬🇲 The Gambia	11.9	−0.2	−19.9
144	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	11.8	−9.9	−9.4
145	🇮🇶 Iraq	11.8	+2.3	+5.8
146	🇬🇳 Guinea	11.7	+0.7	+3.6
147	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	11.1	+0.1	+1.4
148	🇷🇼 Rwanda	11.1	+0.7	−1.8
149	🇧🇾 Belarus	9.8	−0.2	−34.2
150	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	9.7	+1.2	−20.4
151	🇸🇿 Eswatini	9.7	0.0	−0.7
152	🇶🇦 Qatar	9.5	+0.5	+1.5
153	🇹🇩 Chad	9.5	0.0	+2.6
154	🇻🇳 Vietnam	9.2	0.0	+1.6
155	🇧🇭 Bahrain	9.2	+1.0	—
156	🇹🇳 Tunisia	9.1	0.0	−0.1
157	🇱🇦 Laos	8.9	0.0	+0.2
158	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	8.5	0.0	+6.2
159	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	8.5	+2.9	+5.0
160	🇦🇴 Angola	8.3	+0.4	+0.8
161	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	8.2	+0.2	+2.3
162	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	7.6	−0.3	−6.1
163	🇨🇳 China	7.4	+0.1	+0.7
164	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	6.9	−0.2	+1.4
165	🇲🇻 Maldives	5.7	+0.2	−0.1
166	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	5.3	0.0	+0.2
167	🇸🇾 Syria	5.0	−0.1	+1.3
168	🇱🇾 Libya	4.5	−0.3	−0.3
169	🇨🇺 Cuba	4.0	−0.1	+0.3
170	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.9	0.0	0.0
171	🇸🇩 Sudan	3.7	0.0	+1.9
172	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	3.5	+0.1	−1.4
173	🇸🇴 Somalia	2.8	0.0	+0.2
174	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	1.8	0.0	+0.1
175	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0
176	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	1.4	0.0	−1.4
177	🇪🇷 Eritrea	0.6	−0.5	−2.9

Frequently asked questions

Which countries are the most liberal democracies?

Denmark ranks #1 of 177 countries on the V-Dem liberal democracy index index in 2003, with the highest score of 88.0 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 2003?

In 2003, the top three of 177 ranked countries are Denmark (88.0), Sweden (87.7), and Norway (86.0).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 2003?

Eritrea ranks #177 of 177 with a score of 0.6.

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

Peru shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 55.6 points over the past decade, standing at 65.1 (rank #44) in 2003.

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 2003 edition covers 177 countries.