Democracy Index 2008

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 2008 — 178 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 2008 — 178 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	89.5	−0.1	+1.6
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	88.1	0.0	+0.2
3	🇩🇪 Germany	86.4	0.0	+0.8
4	🇳🇴 Norway	86.4	0.0	+1.6
5	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	85.4	0.0	+1.3
6	🇨🇭 Switzerland	85.0	+0.8	+1.1
7	🇦🇺 Australia	84.9	+1.0	+0.8
8	🇺🇸 United States of America	84.5	+0.5	+3.5
9	🇫🇮 Finland	84.2	0.0	+1.0
10	🇨🇱 Chile	84.1	−0.1	+5.5
11	🇵🇹 Portugal	83.9	0.0	+2.3
12	🇧🇪 Belgium	83.2	+0.4	+1.9
13	🇵🇱 Poland	82.5	+2.2	+2.9
14	🇳🇿 New Zealand	82.5	+0.3	0.0
15	🇳🇱 Netherlands	82.3	0.0	+2.4
16	🇺🇾 Uruguay	82.2	−0.1	+1.8
17	🇨🇿 Czechia	82.1	−0.3	+1.3
18	🇮🇪 Ireland	82.0	+0.5	+1.6
19	🇪🇸 Spain	81.9	+1.1	−0.1
20	🇫🇷 France	81.6	+0.9	+1.8
21	🇪🇪 Estonia	81.1	0.0	+0.6
22	🇬🇷 Greece	81.1	+0.6	+1.3
23	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	80.7	0.0	+5.8
24	🇦🇹 Austria	80.2	0.0	+2.2
25	🇮🇸 Iceland	79.5	+0.8	+1.2
26	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.7	0.0	+0.3
27	🇯🇵 Japan	77.2	−0.1	+1.5
28	🇧🇷 Brazil	76.9	0.0	+5.8
29	🇮🇹 Italy	76.8	−1.4	+1.0
30	🇭🇺 Hungary	76.6	+0.1	+1.2
31	🇱🇹 Lithuania	76.5	+0.3	+1.1
32	🇨🇦 Canada	75.3	−0.6	−0.3
33	🇸🇮 Slovenia	73.7	−0.1	−2.7
34	🇸🇰 Slovakia	73.5	−0.1	+10.9
35	🇨🇾 Cyprus	72.3	−0.1	+9.4
36	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	69.7	+0.1	+0.5
37	🇱🇻 Latvia	68.6	+0.1	−1.0
38	🇹🇼 Taiwan	68.5	+0.6	+19.2
39	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	68.4	+1.8	+3.8
40	🇮🇱 Israel	68.4	0.0	−1.2
41	🇧🇧 Barbados	66.5	+1.5	+1.8
42	🇰🇷 South Korea	66.1	−9.8	−6.8
43	🇿🇦 South Africa	65.7	−0.5	+9.3
44	🇯🇲 Jamaica	65.4	+1.0	+13.2
45	🇵🇪 Peru	65.0	+0.3	+53.0
46	🇸🇷 Suriname	64.7	+0.2	−0.5
47	🇲🇺 Mauritius	64.1	−0.4	+2.4
48	🇭🇷 Croatia	63.8	−0.4	+37.7
49	🇬🇭 Ghana	63.2	−0.4	+12.7
50	🇧🇼 Botswana	61.7	−0.6	+1.3
51	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	61.7	+0.6	+0.8
52	🇲🇹 Malta	61.0	+1.4	+1.2
53	🇦🇷 Argentina	59.0	−2.0	−4.4
54	🇮🇳 India	56.9	0.0	−2.4
55	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	54.9	+3.5	+3.2
56	🇳🇦 Namibia	54.8	+0.4	−0.5
57	🇵🇦 Panama	54.7	0.0	+2.3
58	🇮🇩 Indonesia	54.5	+0.8	+42.8
59	🇲🇳 Mongolia	53.9	−2.7	−6.1
60	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	52.7	0.0	+3.2
61	🇸🇳 Senegal	52.6	+0.3	+5.2
62	🇷🇸 Serbia	52.5	−0.2	+34.0
63	🇧🇯 Benin	51.5	−0.9	+1.5
64	🇱🇷 Liberia	50.6	0.0	+34.5
65	🇷🇴 Romania	49.5	+1.1	+5.7
66	🇵🇾 Paraguay	49.3	+4.7	+10.7
67	🇨🇴 Colombia	46.2	+0.1	+3.9
68	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	46.0	+0.6	—
69	🇲🇽 Mexico	45.6	+0.2	+7.8
70	🇧🇴 Bolivia	45.3	−0.5	−6.5
71	🇦🇱 Albania	44.7	+0.1	+12.4
72	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	43.4	0.0	+3.8
73	🇧🇹 Bhutan	43.1	+26.2	+29.0
74	🇿🇲 Zambia	42.4	+0.4	+5.0
75	🇳🇪 Niger	42.1	−0.6	+19.3
76	🇱🇸 Lesotho	41.5	−0.4	+12.7
77	🇳🇵 Nepal	41.3	+13.6	+10.3
78	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	41.2	−2.6	+2.4
79	🇹🇷 Türkiye	41.1	−5.0	+2.2
80	🇲🇱 Mali	40.6	−0.7	+4.0
81	🇲🇪 Montenegro	40.6	+1.4	+21.5
82	🇹🇿 Tanzania	39.6	+0.3	−0.7
83	🇬🇹 Guatemala	39.5	+0.9	+11.1
84	🇺🇦 Ukraine	39.4	−0.6	+13.7
85	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	37.6	−2.0	−3.9
86	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	37.6	0.0	+0.4
87	🇸🇨 Seychelles	37.3	+0.5	+11.4
88	🇲🇼 Malawi	36.7	+0.2	−7.2
89	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	36.7	−0.2	+1.7
90	🇬🇾 Guyana	36.6	0.0	+3.0
91	🇽🇰 Kosovo	36.2	−0.8	—
92	🇸🇻 El Salvador	35.7	+0.6	+6.8
93	🇵🇭 Philippines	34.7	+0.1	−8.1
94	🇲🇩 Moldova	34.5	−0.1	−8.4
95	🇪🇨 Ecuador	34.3	−6.4	−11.6
96	🇬🇪 Georgia	33.9	−3.0	+12.6
97	🇹🇭 Thailand	33.6	+15.6	−4.8
98	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	33.3	−0.2	+7.1
99	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	32.5	−2.1	+25.0
100	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	32.4	0.0	−0.1
101	🇭🇳 Honduras	32.3	+0.8	+1.4
102	🇸🇬 Singapore	31.1	0.0	+0.7
103	🇲🇿 Mozambique	30.9	−0.4	+0.7
104	🇰🇪 Kenya	30.5	−5.1	+8.0
105	🇳🇬 Nigeria	30.3	+0.6	+19.6
106	🇭🇹 Haiti	30.1	+0.2	+1.3
107	🇰🇼 Kuwait	28.7	+0.1	+1.7
108	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	28.2	−0.1	+4.1
109	🇲🇬 Madagascar	27.7	+0.3	+0.6
110	🇮🇶 Iraq	26.1	0.0	+19.1
111	🇱🇧 Lebanon	25.9	+0.1	+7.1
112	🇲🇻 Maldives	24.6	+11.8	+18.8
113	🇺🇬 Uganda	24.3	−0.3	+0.4
114	Somaliland	23.9	0.0	+10.2
115	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	23.6	−0.4	−10.1
116	🇰🇲 Comoros	23.5	0.0	+2.6
117	Zanzibar	23.1	+0.3	+2.9
118	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	22.8	−3.1	+2.7
119	🇹🇬 Togo	22.7	+3.3	+6.5
120	🇲🇦 Morocco	22.4	−0.3	+2.6
121	🇵🇰 Pakistan	22.3	+3.8	+2.4
122	🇲🇾 Malaysia	21.6	+0.6	+5.5
123	🇲🇷 Mauritania	20.8	−2.9	+7.5
124	🇯🇴 Jordan	20.5	+0.1	+1.0
125	🇬🇦 Gabon	20.4	0.0	+0.1
126	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	20.3	−1.3	−20.6
127	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	19.6	+0.3	+17.4
128	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	19.1	0.0	−2.9
129	🇧🇮 Burundi	17.8	−0.5	+3.0
130	🇦🇲 Armenia	17.2	−1.6	−4.2
131	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	16.9	−1.2	−0.8
132	🇩🇿 Algeria	16.5	−0.1	+1.5
133	🇻🇪 Venezuela	15.9	−0.3	−41.6
134	🇾🇪 Yemen	15.3	0.0	+2.1
135	🇨🇲 Cameroon	15.3	0.0	+0.6
136	🇪🇬 Egypt	15.2	0.0	−0.3
137	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	14.9	−0.3	−7.7
138	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	14.9	0.0	+11.0
139	🇷🇺 Russia	13.9	−0.7	−14.3
140	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	13.8	−4.3	−14.3
141	🇴🇲 Oman	12.6	+0.1	+4.0
142	🇮🇷 Iran	12.5	−0.2	−3.4
143	🇷🇼 Rwanda	12.5	+0.2	+0.1
144	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	12.2	0.0	−1.2
145	🇰🇭 Cambodia	12.1	−0.2	−1.1
146	🇩🇯 Djibouti	11.4	−0.1	0.0
147	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	11.3	0.0	+0.2
148	🇬🇲 The Gambia	11.1	−0.1	−1.8
149	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	10.5	+0.2	−17.0
150	🇻🇳 Vietnam	10.5	0.0	+2.2
151	🇫🇯 Fiji	10.5	0.0	−29.9
152	🇶🇦 Qatar	9.7	0.0	+0.9
153	🇸🇿 Eswatini	9.7	+0.2	+0.2
154	🇬🇳 Guinea	9.6	−2.7	−1.2
155	🇧🇾 Belarus	9.6	+0.1	−3.5
156	🇹🇳 Tunisia	9.5	0.0	+0.4
157	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	9.5	−0.1	+1.6
158	🇹🇩 Chad	9.4	0.0	−0.3
159	🇸🇴 Somalia	9.4	−0.1	+6.7
160	🇦🇴 Angola	9.2	+0.4	+1.6
161	🇧🇭 Bahrain	9.1	0.0	—
162	Palestine/Gaza	8.9	0.0	—
163	🇱🇦 Laos	8.8	0.0	+0.1
164	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	8.0	0.0	+1.0
165	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	7.0	−0.1	−1.3
166	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	6.8	0.0	+0.2
167	🇸🇩 Sudan	6.4	+0.1	+3.8
168	🇨🇳 China	5.7	0.0	−1.2
169	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	5.3	0.0	+0.2
170	🇸🇾 Syria	5.0	0.0	+1.2
171	🇱🇾 Libya	4.5	0.0	−0.3
172	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	4.4	+0.1	+0.5
173	🇨🇺 Cuba	3.9	−0.2	0.0
174	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	3.4	+0.1	−0.3
175	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	2.5	+0.2	+0.1
176	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	1.8	+0.1	+0.1
177	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0
178	🇪🇷 Eritrea	0.6	0.0	−2.7

Frequently asked questions

Which countries are the most liberal democracies?

Denmark ranks #1 of 178 countries on the V-Dem liberal democracy index index in 2008, with the highest score of 89.5 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 2008?

In 2008, the top three of 178 ranked countries are Denmark (89.5), Sweden (88.1), and Germany (86.4).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 2008?

Eritrea ranks #178 of 178 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 53.0 points over the past decade, standing at 65.0 (rank #45) in 2008.

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 2008 edition covers 178 countries.