Democracy Index 2006

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 2006 — 177 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 2006 — 177 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	89.6	+0.1	+1.6
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	87.9	+0.2	0.0
3	🇩🇪 Germany	86.4	+0.5	+1.0
4	🇳🇴 Norway	86.4	+0.2	+1.7
5	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	85.1	+1.2	+1.1
6	🇫🇮 Finland	84.2	+1.2	+1.0
7	🇨🇭 Switzerland	84.1	0.0	+0.2
8	🇵🇹 Portugal	83.9	+0.4	+2.3
9	🇨🇱 Chile	83.9	+1.8	+5.5
10	🇦🇺 Australia	83.8	0.0	−1.1
11	🇺🇾 Uruguay	82.3	+0.4	+2.7
12	🇳🇿 New Zealand	82.2	−0.2	+0.2
13	🇨🇿 Czechia	82.1	+0.5	+0.4
14	🇧🇪 Belgium	81.8	+0.2	+0.6
15	🇳🇱 Netherlands	81.7	+0.4	+0.5
16	🇪🇸 Spain	81.2	+0.1	−0.8
17	🇪🇪 Estonia	81.1	0.0	+0.7
18	🇵🇱 Poland	80.7	−0.8	+0.5
19	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	80.7	+0.7	+5.6
20	🇮🇪 Ireland	80.6	0.0	+1.3
21	🇬🇷 Greece	80.3	−0.1	+0.6
22	🇫🇷 France	80.2	0.0	0.0
23	🇺🇸 United States of America	80.1	+0.7	−0.7
24	🇦🇹 Austria	78.8	+0.4	+0.8
25	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.7	0.0	+0.3
26	🇮🇸 Iceland	78.1	0.0	−0.2
27	🇮🇹 Italy	77.5	+1.4	+2.5
28	🇯🇵 Japan	77.3	+0.7	+1.4
29	🇧🇷 Brazil	77.0	−0.2	+5.9
30	🇰🇷 South Korea	76.2	0.0	+14.4
31	🇱🇹 Lithuania	76.1	−0.1	+0.8
32	🇨🇦 Canada	75.7	+0.6	−0.8
33	🇭🇺 Hungary	74.2	−1.2	−1.4
34	🇸🇮 Slovenia	73.4	+0.1	−3.3
35	🇸🇰 Slovakia	72.3	−2.5	+18.6
36	🇨🇾 Cyprus	71.3	+0.9	+7.8
37	🇱🇻 Latvia	70.3	−0.7	+2.9
38	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	69.3	+1.1	+0.3
39	🇮🇱 Israel	68.7	+0.4	−0.8
40	🇹🇼 Taiwan	67.9	+0.4	+29.0
41	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	66.5	+0.3	+1.9
42	🇿🇦 South Africa	66.1	+0.3	+10.1
43	🇵🇪 Peru	65.2	−0.7	+52.3
44	🇸🇷 Suriname	64.9	−0.5	−0.1
45	🇧🇧 Barbados	64.8	−0.2	+0.1
46	🇲🇺 Mauritius	64.5	+0.1	+2.8
47	🇬🇭 Ghana	63.4	0.0	+20.9
48	🇯🇲 Jamaica	63.3	+0.4	+14.3
49	🇭🇷 Croatia	63.0	−0.5	+38.8
50	🇧🇼 Botswana	62.3	+0.4	+3.6
51	🇦🇷 Argentina	61.4	−1.1	−2.0
52	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	61.0	+0.6	+1.3
53	🇲🇹 Malta	59.9	0.0	+0.3
54	🇮🇳 India	56.9	−0.4	−1.9
55	🇲🇳 Mongolia	56.6	+0.9	−2.5
56	🇳🇦 Namibia	55.1	+0.1	−0.2
57	🇵🇦 Panama	54.7	0.0	+1.3
58	🇸🇳 Senegal	53.6	0.0	+6.5
59	🇧🇯 Benin	53.5	+2.7	+2.8
60	🇮🇩 Indonesia	53.4	0.0	+48.3
61	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	52.6	+0.2	+2.6
62	🇷🇸 Serbia	52.4	+0.1	+33.9
63	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	51.4	0.0	−0.4
64	🇱🇷 Liberia	49.8	+23.1	+38.1
65	🇹🇷 Türkiye	48.3	−0.1	+10.1
66	🇲🇽 Mexico	47.8	−2.7	+18.5
67	🇷🇴 Romania	47.1	+0.3	+6.3
68	🇧🇴 Bolivia	46.2	−7.2	−3.0
69	🇪🇨 Ecuador	45.1	−0.3	+1.0
70	🇱🇸 Lesotho	45.1	−0.1	+19.3
71	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	45.1	−0.4	+9.4
72	🇨🇴 Colombia	44.9	+2.1	+2.3
73	🇦🇱 Albania	44.4	+1.9	+12.3
74	🇵🇾 Paraguay	43.3	+0.6	+5.3
75	🇳🇪 Niger	42.6	+0.1	+24.4
76	🇲🇱 Mali	41.8	+0.2	−0.4
77	🇿🇲 Zambia	41.8	−0.1	+3.4
78	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	41.7	+0.4	+0.4
79	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	40.9	−1.6	+26.8
80	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	40.5	−0.3	—
81	🇹🇿 Tanzania	39.5	+2.3	−0.8
82	🇲🇪 Montenegro	38.2	−0.6	—
83	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	37.8	−0.5	+9.7
84	🇬🇪 Georgia	37.8	+0.5	+17.0
85	🇺🇦 Ukraine	37.6	+9.1	+5.7
86	🇬🇹 Guatemala	37.4	+0.1	+11.3
87	🇬🇾 Guyana	36.9	−0.3	+7.1
88	🇽🇰 Kosovo	36.4	0.0	—
89	🇲🇼 Malawi	36.4	−0.3	−7.5
90	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	36.1	−3.5	−5.2
91	🇰🇪 Kenya	35.8	0.0	+14.7
92	🇸🇨 Seychelles	35.2	+0.4	+9.7
93	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	35.0	−0.3	+23.0
94	🇸🇻 El Salvador	34.8	+1.0	+6.8
95	🇵🇭 Philippines	34.6	−0.2	−7.0
96	🇲🇩 Moldova	34.3	−0.2	−6.8
97	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	34.0	+1.4	+8.4
98	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	32.4	0.0	+0.4
99	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	32.2	−5.0	−12.8
100	🇲🇿 Mozambique	31.3	+0.1	+0.9
101	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	31.3	−1.3	+4.1
102	🇭🇳 Honduras	31.2	−1.9	+0.7
103	🇸🇬 Singapore	31.1	+0.4	+1.2
104	🇳🇬 Nigeria	29.4	−0.2	+20.0
105	🇰🇼 Kuwait	28.8	+0.1	+2.0
106	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	28.1	+0.1	+4.2
107	🇲🇬 Madagascar	26.7	−0.2	−8.4
108	🇫🇯 Fiji	26.7	−10.4	−11.5
109	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	26.0	−0.3	+5.7
110	🇱🇧 Lebanon	25.5	+2.3	+6.7
111	🇺🇬 Uganda	24.3	+1.2	+0.2
112	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	24.3	−3.5	−10.3
113	Somaliland	23.9	+0.7	+11.2
114	🇰🇲 Comoros	23.7	−0.4	+9.5
115	🇮🇶 Iraq	23.3	+12.6	+16.3
116	Zanzibar	22.7	+0.2	+2.6
117	🇲🇦 Morocco	22.6	−0.1	+3.0
118	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	21.4	−1.9	−5.7
119	🇭🇹 Haiti	21.1	+11.4	−6.4
120	🇳🇵 Nepal	21.0	+6.1	−10.2
121	🇲🇾 Malaysia	21.0	+0.1	+4.9
122	🇯🇴 Jordan	20.4	+0.1	+0.8
123	🇬🇦 Gabon	20.4	+0.1	+0.6
124	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	19.8	+0.8	+1.9
125	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	19.2	+8.1	+17.3
126	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	19.1	+1.7	−2.9
127	🇵🇰 Pakistan	18.7	−0.2	−1.4
128	🇧🇮 Burundi	18.6	+3.8	+3.1
129	🇦🇲 Armenia	18.5	0.0	−5.0
130	🇹🇬 Togo	18.0	+3.1	+1.3
131	🇻🇪 Venezuela	16.8	−1.4	−43.6
132	🇩🇿 Algeria	16.8	0.0	+1.1
133	🇹🇭 Thailand	16.6	−19.3	−11.2
134	🇧🇹 Bhutan	16.2	+0.4	+3.1
135	🇨🇲 Cameroon	15.5	0.0	+1.1
136	🇾🇪 Yemen	15.4	+0.1	+2.2
137	🇪🇬 Egypt	15.3	+0.1	−0.3
138	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	15.2	−0.1	−7.6
139	🇷🇺 Russia	15.0	+0.1	−14.0
140	🇴🇲 Oman	12.7	+0.2	+4.1
141	🇮🇷 Iran	12.6	−0.2	+0.3
142	🇲🇻 Maldives	12.6	+0.9	+6.8
143	🇷🇼 Rwanda	12.4	0.0	+0.4
144	🇰🇭 Cambodia	12.3	0.0	−1.7
145	🇲🇷 Mauritania	12.2	+0.2	−1.3
146	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	12.1	+0.1	−1.1
147	🇬🇳 Guinea	11.8	+0.1	+0.9
148	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	11.6	+1.8	+8.0
149	🇩🇯 Djibouti	11.5	−0.1	+0.5
150	🇬🇲 The Gambia	11.4	−0.2	+3.4
151	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	11.1	−0.4	0.0
152	🇻🇳 Vietnam	10.4	+0.1	+2.2
153	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	9.7	0.0	−20.0
154	🇶🇦 Qatar	9.6	−0.1	+0.9
155	🇸🇿 Eswatini	9.6	0.0	−0.2
156	🇧🇭 Bahrain	9.6	+0.6	—
157	🇹🇳 Tunisia	9.5	+0.3	+0.4
158	🇹🇩 Chad	9.5	−0.1	+1.3
159	🇧🇾 Belarus	9.4	−0.1	−11.9
160	🇸🇴 Somalia	9.3	+0.1	+6.6
161	🇱🇦 Laos	8.8	−0.1	+0.1
162	🇦🇴 Angola	8.6	0.0	+1.0
163	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	7.2	−0.2	−1.1
164	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	7.2	+0.2	+0.2
165	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	6.9	−0.1	+1.3
166	🇸🇩 Sudan	6.1	0.0	+3.7
167	🇨🇳 China	5.7	0.0	−1.1
168	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	5.4	+0.1	+0.2
169	🇸🇾 Syria	5.0	0.0	+1.3
170	🇱🇾 Libya	4.5	0.0	−0.3
171	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	4.3	+0.1	+0.4
172	🇨🇺 Cuba	4.1	0.0	+0.3
173	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	3.2	+0.1	−0.9
174	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	1.8	0.0	+0.1
175	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	1.5	0.0	−1.3
176	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0
177	🇪🇷 Eritrea	0.6	0.0	−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 2006, with the highest score of 89.6 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 2006?

In 2006, the top three of 177 ranked countries are Denmark (89.6), Sweden (87.9), and Germany (86.4).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 2006?

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 52.3 points over the past decade, standing at 65.2 (rank #43) in 2006.

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 2006 edition covers 177 countries.