Democracy Index 2009

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 2009 — 178 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 2009 — 178 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	89.5	0.0	+1.7
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	88.1	0.0	+0.5
3	🇳🇴 Norway	86.6	+0.2	+1.8
4	🇩🇪 Germany	86.2	−0.2	+0.2
5	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	85.5	+0.1	+1.4
6	🇨🇭 Switzerland	85.0	0.0	+1.2
7	🇦🇺 Australia	84.9	0.0	+0.7
8	🇺🇸 United States of America	84.8	+0.3	+4.0
9	🇫🇮 Finland	84.2	0.0	+0.9
10	🇳🇿 New Zealand	83.9	+1.4	+1.4
11	🇵🇹 Portugal	83.8	−0.1	+2.3
12	🇨🇱 Chile	83.6	−0.5	+5.1
13	🇧🇪 Belgium	83.4	+0.2	+1.8
14	🇵🇱 Poland	82.5	0.0	+2.7
15	🇺🇾 Uruguay	82.5	+0.3	+2.3
16	🇳🇱 Netherlands	82.3	0.0	+0.6
17	🇪🇸 Spain	82.1	+0.2	+0.1
18	🇮🇪 Ireland	82.0	0.0	+1.6
19	🇫🇷 France	81.6	0.0	+1.8
20	🇪🇪 Estonia	81.4	+0.3	+0.7
21	🇨🇿 Czechia	81.3	−0.8	+1.2
22	🇬🇷 Greece	81.2	+0.1	+1.4
23	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	80.7	0.0	+3.7
24	🇦🇹 Austria	80.4	+0.2	+2.4
25	🇮🇸 Iceland	79.6	+0.1	+1.5
26	🇸🇮 Slovenia	79.1	+5.4	+3.2
27	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	79.0	+0.3	+0.5
28	🇱🇹 Lithuania	78.8	+2.3	+3.2
29	🇯🇵 Japan	77.9	+0.7	+2.2
30	🇮🇹 Italy	77.5	+0.7	+1.7
31	🇧🇷 Brazil	76.9	0.0	+5.6
32	🇭🇺 Hungary	76.6	0.0	+1.6
33	🇨🇦 Canada	75.3	0.0	−0.3
34	🇸🇰 Slovakia	73.4	−0.1	−1.1
35	🇨🇾 Cyprus	72.2	−0.1	+9.0
36	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	69.7	0.0	+0.5
37	🇱🇻 Latvia	69.4	+0.8	−0.7
38	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	68.4	0.0	+3.8
39	🇮🇱 Israel	68.0	−0.4	−1.6
40	🇹🇼 Taiwan	66.7	−1.8	+17.8
41	🇧🇧 Barbados	66.6	+0.1	+1.0
42	🇰🇷 South Korea	66.2	+0.1	−7.4
43	🇿🇦 South Africa	65.6	−0.1	+5.8
44	🇯🇲 Jamaica	65.4	0.0	+13.2
45	🇭🇷 Croatia	65.3	+1.5	+38.1
46	🇬🇭 Ghana	65.2	+2.0	+14.8
47	🇵🇪 Peru	64.9	−0.1	+52.9
48	🇸🇷 Suriname	64.7	0.0	−0.5
49	🇲🇺 Mauritius	64.1	0.0	+2.5
50	🇲🇹 Malta	62.4	+1.4	+2.7
51	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	61.8	+6.9	+10.1
52	🇧🇼 Botswana	61.4	−0.3	+0.7
53	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	58.7	−3.0	−2.9
54	🇦🇷 Argentina	58.3	−0.7	−5.7
55	🇵🇦 Panama	54.9	+0.2	+2.5
56	🇲🇳 Mongolia	54.6	+0.7	−5.7
57	🇳🇦 Namibia	54.1	−0.7	−0.9
58	🇮🇳 India	53.9	−3.0	−4.7
59	🇷🇴 Romania	52.9	+3.4	+9.4
60	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	52.7	0.0	+1.4
61	🇮🇩 Indonesia	52.6	−1.9	+10.9
62	🇷🇸 Serbia	52.1	−0.4	+33.6
63	🇸🇳 Senegal	52.0	−0.6	+4.5
64	🇧🇯 Benin	51.3	−0.2	+1.6
65	🇱🇷 Liberia	50.7	+0.1	+34.8
66	🇵🇾 Paraguay	50.2	+0.9	+11.7
67	🇧🇹 Bhutan	49.8	+6.7	+35.0
68	🇳🇵 Nepal	47.1	+5.8	+16.4
69	🇨🇴 Colombia	46.5	+0.3	+4.8
70	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	46.2	+0.2	+37.3
71	🇲🇽 Mexico	45.9	+0.3	+7.8
72	🇦🇱 Albania	44.6	−0.1	+12.0
73	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	43.6	+0.2	+6.1
74	🇧🇴 Bolivia	43.5	−1.8	−8.8
75	🇿🇲 Zambia	42.6	+0.2	+5.2
76	🇱🇸 Lesotho	41.3	−0.2	+15.3
77	🇲🇪 Montenegro	41.0	+0.4	+7.9
78	🇲🇱 Mali	40.6	0.0	+4.0
79	🇲🇻 Maldives	40.4	+15.8	+34.7
80	🇹🇷 Türkiye	40.3	−0.8	−1.0
81	🇲🇼 Malawi	40.0	+3.3	−0.1
82	🇸🇻 El Salvador	39.9	+4.2	+10.2
83	🇬🇹 Guatemala	39.6	+0.1	+10.5
84	🇹🇿 Tanzania	39.5	−0.1	−0.8
85	🇺🇦 Ukraine	39.4	0.0	+14.9
86	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	37.8	−3.4	−5.1
87	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	37.7	+0.1	−0.1
88	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	37.6	0.0	−3.9
89	🇽🇰 Kosovo	37.4	+1.2	+23.4
90	🇸🇨 Seychelles	37.1	−0.2	+11.2
91	🇬🇾 Guyana	36.9	+0.3	+3.2
92	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	36.6	−0.1	+0.5
93	🇲🇩 Moldova	35.8	+1.3	−9.4
94	🇵🇭 Philippines	34.8	+0.1	−8.9
95	🇬🇪 Georgia	34.0	+0.1	+12.6
96	🇹🇭 Thailand	33.7	+0.1	−4.8
97	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	33.4	+0.1	+3.0
98	🇪🇨 Ecuador	32.9	−1.4	−12.5
99	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	32.4	−0.1	+24.3
100	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	32.4	0.0	−0.1
101	🇸🇬 Singapore	31.4	+0.3	+1.3
102	🇲🇿 Mozambique	30.7	−0.2	+0.9
103	🇰🇪 Kenya	30.5	0.0	+8.0
104	🇳🇬 Nigeria	30.4	+0.1	+6.1
105	🇭🇹 Haiti	29.6	−0.5	+1.4
106	🇰🇼 Kuwait	28.6	−0.1	+1.7
107	🇭🇳 Honduras	28.3	−4.0	−3.3
108	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	28.0	−0.2	+3.6
109	🇳🇪 Niger	27.5	−14.6	+10.2
110	🇱🇧 Lebanon	27.3	+1.4	+8.5
111	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	26.1	+3.3	+6.0
112	🇵🇰 Pakistan	25.9	+3.6	+9.2
113	🇮🇶 Iraq	25.7	−0.4	+18.7
114	🇺🇬 Uganda	24.1	−0.2	+0.2
115	Somaliland	23.9	0.0	+10.1
116	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	23.3	−0.3	−10.3
117	🇰🇲 Comoros	23.2	−0.3	+9.7
118	Zanzibar	23.2	+0.1	+2.8
119	🇹🇬 Togo	22.9	+0.2	+7.5
120	🇲🇦 Morocco	22.3	−0.1	+2.5
121	🇲🇾 Malaysia	21.8	+0.2	+5.6
122	🇯🇴 Jordan	20.5	0.0	+0.9
123	🇬🇦 Gabon	20.4	0.0	+0.1
124	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	19.7	−0.6	−18.6
125	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	19.6	0.0	+17.4
126	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	19.3	+8.8	−8.2
127	🇲🇷 Mauritania	19.2	−1.6	+5.9
128	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	19.1	0.0	−2.6
129	🇦🇲 Armenia	18.0	+0.8	−3.1
130	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	17.9	+3.0	−4.9
131	🇧🇮 Burundi	17.5	−0.3	+2.7
132	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	16.5	−0.4	−1.2
133	🇩🇿 Algeria	16.4	−0.1	+0.3
134	🇻🇪 Venezuela	16.0	+0.1	−28.0
135	🇨🇲 Cameroon	15.4	+0.1	+0.7
136	🇾🇪 Yemen	15.3	0.0	+2.2
137	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	15.3	+0.4	+11.0
138	🇪🇬 Egypt	15.2	0.0	−0.3
139	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	14.2	+0.4	−13.7
140	🇷🇺 Russia	14.1	+0.2	−14.3
141	🇷🇼 Rwanda	13.0	+0.5	+0.5
142	🇴🇲 Oman	12.6	0.0	+3.9
143	🇮🇷 Iran	12.2	−0.3	−3.8
144	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	12.2	0.0	−0.6
145	🇰🇭 Cambodia	11.8	−0.3	−0.7
146	🇩🇯 Djibouti	11.4	0.0	0.0
147	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	11.3	0.0	+0.2
148	🇬🇲 The Gambia	11.1	0.0	−1.6
149	🇻🇳 Vietnam	10.5	0.0	+1.6
150	🇲🇬 Madagascar	10.1	−17.6	−17.1
151	🇦🇴 Angola	10.0	+0.8	+2.4
152	🇶🇦 Qatar	9.7	0.0	+0.9
153	🇧🇾 Belarus	9.7	+0.1	−1.7
154	🇹🇩 Chad	9.7	+0.3	0.0
155	🇸🇿 Eswatini	9.7	0.0	+0.1
156	🇫🇯 Fiji	9.7	−0.8	−30.6
157	🇹🇳 Tunisia	9.5	0.0	+0.4
158	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	9.5	0.0	+2.0
159	🇸🇴 Somalia	9.4	0.0	+6.7
160	🇧🇭 Bahrain	9.1	0.0	—
161	Palestine/Gaza	9.0	+0.1	—
162	🇱🇦 Laos	8.8	0.0	0.0
163	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	8.1	+0.1	+1.1
164	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	7.0	0.0	−0.9
165	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	6.9	+0.1	−0.2
166	🇸🇩 Sudan	6.3	−0.1	+2.9
167	🇨🇳 China	5.7	0.0	−1.3
168	🇬🇳 Guinea	5.6	−4.0	−5.4
169	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	5.3	0.0	+0.2
170	🇸🇾 Syria	5.0	0.0	+1.2
171	🇨🇺 Cuba	5.0	+1.1	+1.0
172	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	4.5	+0.1	+0.6
173	🇱🇾 Libya	4.4	−0.1	−0.4
174	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	3.4	0.0	−0.1
175	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	2.3	−0.2	−0.1
176	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	1.8	0.0	+0.1
177	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0
178	🇪🇷 Eritrea	0.5	−0.1	−2.6

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 2009, with the highest score of 89.5 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 2009?

In 2009, the top three of 178 ranked countries are Denmark (89.5), Sweden (88.1), and Norway (86.6).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 2009?

Eritrea ranks #178 of 178 with a score of 0.5.

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

Peru shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 52.9 points over the past decade, standing at 64.9 (rank #47) in 2009.

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 2009 edition covers 178 countries.