Democracy Index 2010

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 2010 — 178 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 2010 — 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	86.9	+0.3	+1.2
4	🇩🇪 Germany	86.2	0.0	+0.2
5	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	85.7	+0.2	+1.7
6	🇦🇺 Australia	85.6	+0.7	+0.9
7	🇨🇭 Switzerland	85.0	0.0	+1.4
8	🇺🇸 United States of America	84.8	0.0	+4.0
9	🇺🇾 Uruguay	84.7	+2.2	+5.0
10	🇫🇮 Finland	84.2	0.0	+0.8
11	🇳🇿 New Zealand	83.9	0.0	+1.2
12	🇵🇹 Portugal	83.8	0.0	+2.5
13	🇨🇱 Chile	83.7	+0.1	+2.7
14	🇧🇪 Belgium	83.4	0.0	+1.5
15	🇪🇪 Estonia	82.9	+1.5	+2.1
16	🇳🇱 Netherlands	82.8	+0.5	+2.0
17	🇵🇱 Poland	82.7	+0.2	+2.7
18	🇪🇸 Spain	82.5	+0.4	+0.8
19	🇮🇪 Ireland	82.0	0.0	+1.1
20	🇫🇷 France	81.6	0.0	+1.8
21	🇬🇷 Greece	81.2	0.0	+1.4
22	🇨🇿 Czechia	80.5	−0.8	+0.4
23	🇦🇹 Austria	80.3	−0.1	+2.1
24	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	80.2	−0.5	+1.7
25	🇮🇸 Iceland	79.9	+0.3	+1.9
26	🇸🇮 Slovenia	79.6	+0.5	+4.7
27	🇱🇹 Lithuania	79.4	+0.6	+3.5
28	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	79.2	+0.2	+0.5
29	🇯🇵 Japan	77.8	−0.1	+1.6
30	🇧🇷 Brazil	77.6	+0.7	+5.9
31	🇮🇹 Italy	77.5	0.0	+1.9
32	🇨🇦 Canada	75.5	+0.2	−0.1
33	🇸🇰 Slovakia	75.2	+1.8	+0.2
34	🇨🇾 Cyprus	73.4	+1.2	+6.6
35	🇭🇷 Croatia	73.0	+7.7	+12.0
36	🇱🇻 Latvia	70.4	+1.0	+0.2
37	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	69.5	−0.2	+1.0
38	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	68.6	+0.2	+2.6
39	🇭🇺 Hungary	67.7	−8.9	−7.3
40	🇮🇱 Israel	67.5	−0.5	−1.8
41	🇹🇼 Taiwan	66.8	+0.1	−0.6
42	🇧🇧 Barbados	66.7	+0.1	+1.3
43	🇿🇦 South Africa	66.6	+1.0	+3.7
44	🇰🇷 South Korea	66.5	+0.3	−8.8
45	🇬🇭 Ghana	66.3	+1.1	+9.3
46	🇵🇪 Peru	65.8	+0.9	+47.3
47	🇯🇲 Jamaica	65.6	+0.2	+10.7
48	🇲🇺 Mauritius	65.5	+1.4	+1.4
49	🇸🇷 Suriname	63.2	−1.5	−3.3
50	🇲🇹 Malta	62.3	−0.1	+2.6
51	🇧🇼 Botswana	62.2	+0.8	+1.5
52	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	61.9	+0.1	+10.1
53	🇦🇷 Argentina	57.8	−0.5	−9.2
54	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	56.8	−1.9	−4.9
55	🇲🇳 Mongolia	56.5	+1.9	+1.3
56	🇵🇦 Panama	55.4	+0.5	+0.5
57	🇷🇴 Romania	55.0	+2.1	+11.8
58	🇮🇩 Indonesia	53.9	+1.3	+3.4
59	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	53.6	+0.9	+2.7
60	🇸🇳 Senegal	53.2	+1.2	+2.3
61	🇮🇳 India	53.2	−0.7	−5.2
62	🇳🇦 Namibia	52.8	−1.3	−1.2
63	🇧🇯 Benin	51.6	+0.3	+1.5
64	🇵🇾 Paraguay	50.9	+0.7	+11.8
65	🇲🇩 Moldova	50.8	+15.0	+7.0
66	🇧🇹 Bhutan	50.7	+0.9	+35.7
67	🇷🇸 Serbia	50.3	−1.8	+23.1
68	🇨🇴 Colombia	49.8	+3.3	+7.2
69	🇱🇷 Liberia	48.9	−1.8	+32.8
70	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	47.8	+1.6	+29.5
71	🇲🇽 Mexico	46.5	+0.6	−1.6
72	🇳🇵 Nepal	46.5	−0.6	+17.4
73	🇦🇱 Albania	44.0	−0.6	+9.8
74	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	44.0	+0.4	+19.7
75	🇿🇲 Zambia	42.7	+0.1	+4.7
76	🇱🇸 Lesotho	42.5	+1.2	+16.6
77	🇸🇻 El Salvador	42.2	+2.3	+10.7
78	🇲🇪 Montenegro	41.1	+0.1	+7.5
79	🇲🇼 Malawi	40.6	+0.6	+2.7
80	🇲🇱 Mali	40.5	−0.1	+3.5
81	🇧🇴 Bolivia	40.0	−3.5	−12.7
82	🇹🇿 Tanzania	39.7	+0.2	+0.1
83	🇬🇹 Guatemala	39.7	+0.1	+3.5
84	🇵🇭 Philippines	39.5	+4.7	−4.4
85	🇲🇻 Maldives	39.5	−0.9	+33.8
86	🇽🇰 Kosovo	38.6	+1.2	+23.3
87	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	37.3	−0.5	+2.1
88	🇸🇨 Seychelles	37.3	+0.2	+10.9
89	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	37.1	−0.6	−2.0
90	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	37.0	−0.6	−4.5
91	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	37.0	+0.4	−2.4
92	🇬🇾 Guyana	36.9	0.0	+3.5
93	🇰🇪 Kenya	36.1	+5.6	+10.8
94	🇹🇷 Türkiye	36.0	−4.3	−6.5
95	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	35.1	+1.7	+2.7
96	🇬🇪 Georgia	34.0	0.0	+13.5
97	🇹🇭 Thailand	33.0	−0.7	−6.1
98	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	32.8	+0.4	+24.0
99	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	32.3	−0.1	−0.2
100	🇳🇬 Nigeria	31.9	+1.5	−0.8
101	🇸🇬 Singapore	31.4	0.0	+0.5
102	🇪🇨 Ecuador	30.9	−2.0	−13.6
103	🇲🇿 Mozambique	29.3	−1.4	−0.4
104	🇵🇰 Pakistan	28.5	+2.6	+19.1
105	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	28.4	+0.4	+11.0
106	🇰🇼 Kuwait	28.4	−0.2	+1.7
107	🇭🇹 Haiti	27.5	−2.1	−0.5
108	🇱🇧 Lebanon	27.1	−0.2	+7.7
109	🇺🇦 Ukraine	26.4	−13.0	+3.5
110	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	26.2	+0.1	+3.4
111	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	26.0	+9.5	+8.6
112	🇮🇶 Iraq	25.1	−0.6	+18.2
113	Somaliland	24.9	+1.0	+11.0
114	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	24.4	+1.1	−7.4
115	🇰🇲 Comoros	24.3	+1.1	+14.2
116	Zanzibar	24.1	+0.9	+2.4
117	🇭🇳 Honduras	23.9	−4.4	−8.7
118	🇺🇬 Uganda	23.8	−0.3	+0.2
119	🇹🇬 Togo	23.5	+0.6	+6.8
120	🇲🇦 Morocco	23.1	+0.8	+1.8
121	🇲🇷 Mauritania	22.8	+3.6	+9.0
122	🇲🇾 Malaysia	21.6	−0.2	+5.1
123	🇯🇴 Jordan	21.0	+0.5	+7.8
124	🇬🇦 Gabon	20.6	+0.2	+0.7
125	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	20.0	+2.1	+1.3
126	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	19.3	+0.2	−2.4
127	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	19.2	−0.4	+17.0
128	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	19.2	−0.5	−18.6
129	🇦🇲 Armenia	18.8	+0.8	−2.2
130	🇳🇪 Niger	18.5	−9.0	−22.2
131	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	17.3	−2.0	−10.3
132	🇩🇿 Algeria	16.4	0.0	+0.3
133	🇻🇪 Venezuela	15.4	−0.6	−15.6
134	🇨🇲 Cameroon	15.4	0.0	−0.3
135	🇾🇪 Yemen	15.3	0.0	+1.7
136	🇪🇬 Egypt	15.2	0.0	−0.2
137	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	15.2	−0.1	+9.9
138	🇧🇮 Burundi	14.4	−3.1	−0.3
139	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	14.2	0.0	−13.2
140	🇷🇺 Russia	13.5	−0.6	−8.8
141	🇷🇼 Rwanda	13.3	+0.3	+2.9
142	🇴🇲 Oman	12.6	0.0	+2.2
143	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	12.0	−0.2	−0.9
144	🇰🇭 Cambodia	11.8	0.0	−0.6
145	🇮🇷 Iran	11.7	−0.5	−4.5
146	🇩🇯 Djibouti	11.3	−0.1	−0.3
147	🇬🇲 The Gambia	11.2	+0.1	−1.1
148	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	10.9	−0.4	−0.1
149	🇻🇳 Vietnam	10.5	0.0	+1.3
150	🇫🇯 Fiji	10.5	+0.8	−10.3
151	🇹🇳 Tunisia	10.3	+0.8	+1.1
152	🇸🇴 Somalia	10.2	+0.8	+7.4
153	🇹🇩 Chad	9.9	+0.2	+0.2
154	🇦🇴 Angola	9.8	−0.2	+2.1
155	Palestine/Gaza	9.7	+0.7	—
156	🇶🇦 Qatar	9.5	−0.2	+0.4
157	🇧🇾 Belarus	9.5	−0.2	−1.2
158	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	9.5	0.0	+2.0
159	🇸🇿 Eswatini	9.4	−0.3	−0.3
160	🇬🇳 Guinea	9.2	+3.6	−1.8
161	🇱🇦 Laos	8.9	+0.1	+0.1
162	🇧🇭 Bahrain	8.8	−0.3	—
163	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	8.2	+0.1	+1.2
164	🇲🇬 Madagascar	7.9	−2.2	−19.3
165	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	6.9	−0.1	−1.2
166	🇸🇩 Sudan	6.6	+0.3	+4.8
167	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	6.3	−0.6	−2.0
168	🇨🇳 China	5.7	0.0	−1.3
169	🇨🇺 Cuba	5.0	0.0	+1.0
170	🇸🇾 Syria	4.9	−0.1	−0.2
171	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	4.9	−0.4	−0.3
172	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	4.6	+0.1	+0.6
173	🇱🇾 Libya	4.5	+0.1	−0.3
174	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	3.5	+0.1	0.0
175	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	3.3	+1.5	+1.5
176	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	2.3	0.0	+0.8
177	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0
178	🇪🇷 Eritrea	0.5	0.0	−2.2

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 2010, with the highest score of 89.5 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 2010?

In 2010, the top three of 178 ranked countries are Denmark (89.5), Sweden (88.1), and Norway (86.9).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 2010?

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 47.3 points over the past decade, standing at 65.8 (rank #46) in 2010.

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 2010 edition covers 178 countries.