Democracy Index 2004

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 2004 — 177 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 2004 — 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	0.0	0.0
3	🇳🇴 Norway	86.0	0.0	+1.3
4	🇩🇪 Germany	85.7	0.0	+0.4
5	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	84.3	0.0	+0.2
6	🇨🇭 Switzerland	84.1	0.0	+0.7
7	🇦🇺 Australia	83.8	0.0	−1.0
8	🇫🇮 Finland	83.0	−0.1	−0.1
9	🇳🇿 New Zealand	82.5	0.0	+1.2
10	🇵🇹 Portugal	82.1	0.0	+1.8
11	🇨🇱 Chile	81.7	0.0	+3.4
12	🇨🇿 Czechia	81.5	+0.1	−0.4
13	🇵🇱 Poland	81.3	0.0	+0.2
14	🇳🇱 Netherlands	81.3	0.0	0.0
15	🇪🇪 Estonia	81.1	+0.3	+1.4
16	🇪🇸 Spain	80.8	+1.2	−1.0
17	🇺🇾 Uruguay	80.8	+1.8	+4.7
18	🇮🇪 Ireland	80.6	0.0	+1.8
19	🇬🇷 Greece	80.3	+0.1	+1.1
20	🇫🇷 France	80.2	0.0	+0.1
21	🇺🇸 United States of America	79.9	+0.1	−0.7
22	🇧🇪 Belgium	79.5	−2.4	−1.3
23	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	79.3	0.0	+4.2
24	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.7	0.0	+0.2
25	🇦🇹 Austria	78.5	−0.1	+0.3
26	🇮🇸 Iceland	78.2	+0.1	+0.6
27	🇯🇵 Japan	76.3	+0.1	+0.3
28	🇰🇷 South Korea	76.1	0.0	+14.9
29	🇱🇹 Lithuania	75.9	+0.7	+0.2
30	🇭🇺 Hungary	75.9	0.0	+0.4
31	🇮🇹 Italy	75.3	0.0	+1.0
32	🇨🇦 Canada	75.1	+0.5	−1.1
33	🇸🇰 Slovakia	74.8	+0.2	+20.9
34	🇸🇮 Slovenia	73.5	−1.7	−3.0
35	🇧🇷 Brazil	72.2	0.0	+1.5
36	🇱🇻 Latvia	71.5	+0.1	+3.5
37	🇨🇾 Cyprus	70.4	+3.6	+6.9
38	🇮🇱 Israel	68.3	0.0	−1.1
39	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	68.2	0.0	+4.7
40	🇹🇼 Taiwan	67.7	−0.7	+40.0
41	🇸🇷 Suriname	66.2	0.0	+2.3
42	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	66.2	0.0	+1.7
43	🇵🇪 Peru	65.1	0.0	+55.7
44	🇧🇧 Barbados	65.0	−0.2	+0.4
45	🇿🇦 South Africa	64.9	+2.0	+35.6
46	🇲🇺 Mauritius	64.8	0.0	+2.9
47	🇬🇭 Ghana	63.5	+0.4	+24.7
48	🇦🇷 Argentina	63.2	−0.6	−0.1
49	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	62.3	+0.2	+3.0
50	🇯🇲 Jamaica	61.7	0.0	+13.1
51	🇧🇼 Botswana	61.5	+0.8	+3.5
52	🇭🇷 Croatia	60.6	−1.8	+39.2
53	🇲🇹 Malta	59.9	0.0	+1.3
54	🇮🇳 India	57.8	−0.5	−0.4
55	🇵🇦 Panama	56.1	+0.3	+2.8
56	🇲🇳 Mongolia	55.5	−0.1	−2.6
57	🇧🇴 Bolivia	54.1	+2.6	+6.0
58	🇳🇦 Namibia	53.7	0.0	+5.0
59	🇸🇳 Senegal	53.6	0.0	+7.3
60	🇮🇩 Indonesia	52.8	+1.6	+47.6
61	🇷🇸 Serbia	52.1	−0.9	+34.1
62	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	51.7	+0.6	+1.4
63	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	51.7	−0.2	−0.1
64	🇲🇽 Mexico	50.5	+0.6	+24.5
65	🇹🇷 Türkiye	50.2	+0.4	+13.1
66	🇧🇯 Benin	49.2	−0.2	+0.1
67	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	46.8	+0.3	+18.9
68	🇪🇨 Ecuador	45.2	−0.2	+0.2
69	🇱🇸 Lesotho	44.9	−0.1	+11.6
70	🇷🇴 Romania	43.5	−0.2	+4.3
71	🇵🇾 Paraguay	42.8	+1.9	+5.1
72	🇨🇴 Colombia	42.4	+0.3	−0.2
73	🇲🇱 Mali	41.6	0.0	−1.0
74	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	41.6	−1.0	+35.0
75	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	41.3	−0.3	0.0
76	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	41.1	0.0	—
77	🇳🇪 Niger	40.9	+0.2	+0.2
78	🇦🇱 Albania	40.6	+0.8	+6.6
79	🇿🇲 Zambia	40.5	0.0	+2.8
80	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	40.1	+1.2	−1.2
81	🇲🇪 Montenegro	38.5	+0.7	—
82	🇹🇭 Thailand	38.2	−0.9	+7.9
83	🇲🇩 Moldova	38.1	0.0	−2.9
84	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	37.9	−0.6	+18.3
85	🇲🇼 Malawi	37.7	−1.0	+7.8
86	🇽🇰 Kosovo	37.5	−0.2	—
87	🇹🇿 Tanzania	37.3	0.0	+2.8
88	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	37.2	+0.1	−11.2
89	🇬🇹 Guatemala	37.2	+0.9	+14.3
90	🇬🇾 Guyana	37.2	0.0	+7.4
91	🇫🇯 Fiji	37.1	0.0	−1.2
92	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	36.0	−0.2	+32.6
93	🇬🇪 Georgia	35.7	+13.7	+19.2
94	🇰🇪 Kenya	35.5	0.0	+14.7
95	🇵🇭 Philippines	35.4	−3.9	−5.5
96	🇸🇨 Seychelles	34.7	+4.2	+9.4
97	🇸🇻 El Salvador	33.6	+0.4	+7.8
98	🇭🇳 Honduras	33.3	0.0	+4.7
99	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	32.9	−1.1	+1.4
100	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	32.5	0.0	+0.7
101	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	32.4	0.0	+6.8
102	🇸🇬 Singapore	30.8	0.0	+1.1
103	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	30.6	+1.2	+15.9
104	🇳🇬 Nigeria	29.6	−0.8	+19.8
105	🇲🇿 Mozambique	29.6	−0.3	+9.7
106	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	28.5	+0.2	+6.7
107	🇺🇦 Ukraine	27.1	+0.9	−8.0
108	🇲🇬 Madagascar	26.9	+0.2	−10.3
109	🇰🇼 Kuwait	26.5	0.0	−0.2
110	🇱🇷 Liberia	24.4	+9.5	+8.5
111	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	23.3	−0.4	−3.6
112	Somaliland	22.7	+0.9	+10.5
113	🇲🇦 Morocco	22.1	0.0	+3.4
114	Zanzibar	22.1	−0.4	+9.4
115	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	21.8	+1.6	+8.3
116	🇺🇬 Uganda	21.6	+0.4	+1.0
117	🇻🇪 Venezuela	21.6	−2.7	−38.6
118	🇰🇲 Comoros	21.5	+5.9	+1.7
119	🇱🇧 Lebanon	20.7	+0.1	+1.9
120	🇲🇾 Malaysia	20.7	+3.4	+4.5
121	🇯🇴 Jordan	20.2	+5.0	+0.6
122	🇬🇦 Gabon	20.2	0.0	+0.3
123	🇵🇰 Pakistan	19.2	+0.2	−0.9
124	🇦🇲 Armenia	18.1	−0.5	−13.7
125	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	16.8	0.0	−2.6
126	🇹🇬 Togo	16.6	0.0	+0.3
127	🇩🇿 Algeria	16.3	0.0	+6.2
128	🇧🇹 Bhutan	15.8	0.0	+2.7
129	🇨🇲 Cameroon	15.8	+0.1	+1.2
130	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	15.4	−0.3	−7.1
131	🇷🇺 Russia	15.3	−1.2	−14.0
132	🇾🇪 Yemen	15.3	+0.1	+0.6
133	🇪🇬 Egypt	15.1	0.0	−0.5
134	🇧🇮 Burundi	15.1	0.0	−1.7
135	🇲🇷 Mauritania	14.6	+0.6	+2.2
136	🇳🇵 Nepal	14.5	0.0	−18.1
137	🇮🇷 Iran	14.3	−1.0	+2.3
138	🇰🇭 Cambodia	12.6	0.0	−1.3
139	🇴🇲 Oman	12.4	+0.1	+4.0
140	🇷🇼 Rwanda	12.3	+1.2	+0.9
141	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	12.2	+0.1	−5.4
142	🇩🇯 Djibouti	12.1	+0.1	+1.1
143	🇬🇳 Guinea	11.6	−0.1	+3.1
144	🇬🇲 The Gambia	11.6	−0.3	−2.3
145	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	11.0	−0.1	+2.6
146	🇭🇹 Haiti	10.8	−15.1	+0.1
147	🇮🇶 Iraq	10.7	−1.1	+4.7
148	🇧🇾 Belarus	9.7	−0.1	−30.7
149	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	9.7	0.0	−19.4
150	🇶🇦 Qatar	9.6	+0.1	+1.5
151	🇹🇩 Chad	9.6	+0.1	+1.9
152	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	9.6	+1.1	+6.1
153	🇸🇿 Eswatini	9.6	−0.1	−0.3
154	🇻🇳 Vietnam	9.1	−0.1	+1.1
155	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	9.1	−2.7	−13.2
156	🇹🇳 Tunisia	9.1	0.0	0.0
157	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	8.9	+0.4	+6.6
158	🇱🇦 Laos	8.9	0.0	+0.3
159	🇧🇭 Bahrain	8.8	−0.4	—
160	🇦🇴 Angola	8.5	+0.2	+1.0
161	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	8.0	−0.2	+2.6
162	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	7.5	−0.1	−1.1
163	🇨🇳 China	7.3	−0.1	+0.6
164	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	6.8	−0.1	+0.3
165	🇲🇻 Maldives	6.1	+0.4	+0.4
166	🇸🇴 Somalia	5.8	+3.0	+3.2
167	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	5.3	0.0	+0.1
168	🇸🇾 Syria	4.9	−0.1	+1.2
169	🇱🇾 Libya	4.5	0.0	−0.3
170	🇸🇩 Sudan	4.0	+0.3	+2.2
171	🇨🇺 Cuba	4.0	0.0	+0.3
172	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	3.9	0.0	0.0
173	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	3.5	0.0	−1.0
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	0.0	−3.0

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 2004, with the highest score of 88.0 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 2004?

In 2004, 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 2004?

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 55.7 points over the past decade, standing at 65.1 (rank #43) in 2004.

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 2004 edition covers 177 countries.