Democracy Index 2012

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 2012 — 179 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 2012 — 179 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	89.5	+0.1	+1.5
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	88.6	+0.5	+1.0
3	🇳🇴 Norway	86.9	0.0	+0.9
4	🇩🇪 Germany	86.3	−0.1	+0.4
5	🇨🇭 Switzerland	86.2	+1.0	+2.5
6	🇦🇺 Australia	85.8	+0.1	+2.0
7	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	85.7	+0.1	+1.4
8	🇺🇾 Uruguay	84.7	0.0	+4.5
9	🇨🇱 Chile	84.4	+0.5	+2.7
10	🇫🇮 Finland	84.4	+0.1	+1.0
11	🇺🇸 United States of America	84.2	−0.3	+7.3
12	🇳🇿 New Zealand	84.0	+0.3	+1.4
13	🇧🇪 Belgium	83.5	0.0	+1.6
14	🇪🇪 Estonia	83.2	0.0	+2.1
15	🇵🇹 Portugal	83.0	+0.1	+0.9
16	🇵🇱 Poland	82.5	−0.2	+1.2
17	🇳🇱 Netherlands	82.5	−0.2	+2.2
18	🇮🇪 Ireland	82.2	+0.1	+1.5
19	🇫🇷 France	82.0	+0.2	+1.9
20	🇨🇿 Czechia	81.4	+0.6	+0.6
21	🇬🇷 Greece	81.0	−0.4	+0.8
22	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	80.4	+0.3	+1.1
23	🇦🇹 Austria	80.3	−0.1	+2.1
24	🇪🇸 Spain	79.9	−2.2	−1.8
25	🇮🇸 Iceland	79.4	−0.1	+1.4
26	🇮🇹 Italy	79.3	+0.7	+4.2
27	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	79.2	0.0	+0.5
28	🇱🇹 Lithuania	78.3	−0.8	+2.6
29	🇧🇷 Brazil	77.7	−0.4	+5.6
30	🇯🇵 Japan	77.4	−0.4	+1.2
31	🇸🇮 Slovenia	76.8	−2.1	+1.2
32	🇭🇷 Croatia	74.4	0.0	+12.2
33	🇸🇰 Slovakia	73.9	−1.6	−0.9
34	🇨🇦 Canada	73.8	−0.2	−0.8
35	🇨🇾 Cyprus	73.3	−0.1	+4.9
36	🇱🇻 Latvia	72.8	+0.5	+2.3
37	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	70.2	0.0	+2.0
38	🇵🇪 Peru	69.8	+2.8	+5.0
39	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	68.7	0.0	+4.4
40	🇹🇼 Taiwan	67.6	+0.8	−1.1
41	🇮🇱 Israel	67.5	0.0	−1.4
42	🇿🇦 South Africa	66.8	+0.2	+3.9
43	🇯🇲 Jamaica	66.7	+1.6	+10.1
44	🇧🇧 Barbados	66.7	0.0	+1.3
45	🇬🇭 Ghana	66.1	−0.2	+3.2
46	🇰🇷 South Korea	65.8	−0.7	−10.3
47	🇲🇺 Mauritius	65.6	0.0	+0.8
48	🇹🇳 Tunisia	64.2	+39.5	+55.1
49	🇸🇷 Suriname	62.4	−0.3	−3.8
50	🇲🇹 Malta	62.4	+0.1	+2.7
51	🇭🇺 Hungary	62.1	−1.8	−13.4
52	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	62.0	+0.1	+10.1
53	🇧🇼 Botswana	61.7	−0.7	+1.0
54	🇦🇷 Argentina	58.2	+0.9	−7.9
55	🇲🇳 Mongolia	56.6	+0.3	+1.5
56	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	56.1	−0.4	−5.8
57	🇲🇩 Moldova	55.8	−0.4	+17.7
58	🇵🇦 Panama	55.4	0.0	−0.4
59	🇨🇴 Colombia	54.0	+0.1	+12.6
60	🇸🇳 Senegal	54.0	+0.8	+0.4
61	🇷🇴 Romania	54.0	−1.3	+11.6
62	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	53.7	−0.3	+3.2
63	🇮🇩 Indonesia	53.4	−0.4	+2.2
64	🇳🇦 Namibia	53.3	0.0	−0.1
65	🇮🇳 India	52.5	−0.7	−6.2
66	🇧🇹 Bhutan	50.7	−0.1	+34.8
67	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	49.5	+1.7	+7.8
68	🇷🇸 Serbia	48.6	−1.5	−1.3
69	🇧🇯 Benin	48.3	−0.3	−1.9
70	🇳🇪 Niger	48.2	+9.2	+7.5
71	🇱🇷 Liberia	48.2	−0.5	+32.4
72	🇵🇾 Paraguay	48.0	−2.3	+8.9
73	🇲🇽 Mexico	45.7	−1.1	−3.7
74	🇱🇸 Lesotho	45.3	+2.3	+7.6
75	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	44.7	+0.2	+6.6
76	🇦🇱 Albania	44.4	+0.3	+4.9
77	🇸🇻 El Salvador	42.9	+0.4	+9.8
78	🇲🇼 Malawi	42.4	+1.4	+3.7
79	🇿🇲 Zambia	42.1	+0.1	+1.6
80	🇵🇭 Philippines	41.3	0.0	+1.9
81	🇲🇪 Montenegro	41.3	+0.3	+5.0
82	🇹🇿 Tanzania	40.1	−0.3	+2.8
83	🇹🇭 Thailand	40.0	+2.7	−0.8
84	🇧🇴 Bolivia	39.1	−0.7	−11.9
85	🇬🇹 Guatemala	39.1	−0.2	+2.9
86	🇽🇰 Kosovo	37.6	+0.3	+3.0
87	🇸🇨 Seychelles	37.3	−0.4	+11.0
88	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	37.0	0.0	−4.8
89	🇬🇾 Guyana	36.9	0.0	+0.7
90	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	36.6	+0.2	−2.2
91	🇬🇪 Georgia	36.1	+1.7	+15.3
92	🇳🇬 Nigeria	36.0	+1.2	+3.3
93	🇰🇪 Kenya	35.8	−0.4	+6.7
94	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	35.8	+0.4	+3.3
95	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	35.4	−1.2	−6.1
96	🇹🇷 Türkiye	34.6	−0.8	−14.1
97	🇸🇬 Singapore	33.4	+1.0	+2.6
98	🇲🇻 Maldives	33.3	−5.9	+27.8
99	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	32.8	−0.5	+15.8
100	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	32.4	−0.4	+6.3
101	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	31.6	−0.6	−0.9
102	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	31.5	−2.5	−8.4
103	🇳🇵 Nepal	31.0	−16.2	+8.9
104	🇪🇨 Ecuador	30.6	+0.2	−14.0
105	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	30.3	+2.8	+1.8
106	🇲🇿 Mozambique	29.6	0.0	+0.2
107	🇵🇰 Pakistan	28.3	0.0	+15.1
108	🇱🇧 Lebanon	28.2	+0.5	+7.6
109	🇰🇼 Kuwait	27.9	−0.3	+1.6
110	🇭🇹 Haiti	26.8	+0.6	+0.3
111	Somaliland	26.2	+0.1	+11.2
112	🇺🇦 Ukraine	26.0	−0.4	+1.5
113	🇰🇲 Comoros	25.6	0.0	+12.1
114	Zanzibar	25.1	+0.1	+2.7
115	🇮🇶 Iraq	25.0	−0.1	+15.5
116	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	24.6	+0.3	−9.4
117	🇭🇳 Honduras	24.0	−0.8	−8.7
118	🇲🇦 Morocco	23.5	+0.1	+1.4
119	🇹🇬 Togo	23.5	−0.3	+6.9
120	🇲🇱 Mali	23.3	−17.4	−17.0
121	🇺🇬 Uganda	23.2	−0.1	+1.8
122	🇲🇷 Mauritania	23.0	+0.2	+8.7
123	🇲🇾 Malaysia	21.8	+0.2	+4.7
124	🇯🇴 Jordan	21.7	+0.2	+8.6
125	🇬🇦 Gabon	21.0	+0.4	+0.8
126	🇱🇾 Libya	21.0	+14.9	+16.2
127	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	20.2	+0.1	+3.5
128	🇦🇲 Armenia	20.1	+1.2	−0.4
129	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	19.4	+0.2	+10.9
130	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	18.2	−0.1	−3.5
131	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	17.1	−8.9	−6.8
132	🇩🇿 Algeria	16.7	+0.2	+0.6
133	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	16.6	−0.2	−7.0
134	🇾🇪 Yemen	16.4	+2.3	+2.7
135	🇨🇲 Cameroon	15.9	+0.4	+0.3
136	🇪🇬 Egypt	15.7	+3.5	+0.6
137	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	15.6	−3.2	−22.1
138	🇻🇪 Venezuela	14.5	−0.7	−11.0
139	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	14.2	0.0	−13.4
140	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	14.1	−0.9	+8.5
141	🇴🇲 Oman	13.8	+0.2	+1.6
142	🇷🇼 Rwanda	13.6	+0.3	+3.2
143	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	13.4	+2.7	+11.6
144	🇧🇮 Burundi	13.4	+0.1	−1.5
145	🇷🇺 Russia	12.2	−1.2	−5.3
146	🇮🇷 Iran	12.1	+0.3	−3.2
147	🇦🇴 Angola	12.1	0.0	+4.2
148	🇰🇭 Cambodia	11.8	0.0	−0.6
149	🇬🇳 Guinea	11.5	0.0	+0.5
150	🇩🇯 Djibouti	11.5	+0.1	−0.7
151	🇬🇲 The Gambia	11.3	+0.1	−0.8
152	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	11.3	−0.6	−1.2
153	🇸🇴 Somalia	10.7	+0.3	+7.9
154	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	10.6	+0.1	−0.4
155	🇫🇯 Fiji	10.6	+0.1	−14.7
156	🇻🇳 Vietnam	10.5	+0.1	+1.3
157	🇸🇸 South Sudan	10.0	0.0	—
158	🇲🇬 Madagascar	10.0	−0.1	−14.5
159	🇹🇩 Chad	9.9	0.0	+0.4
160	🇶🇦 Qatar	9.6	0.0	+0.6
161	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	9.5	0.0	+1.0
162	Palestine/Gaza	9.5	0.0	—
163	🇧🇾 Belarus	9.4	+0.1	−0.6
164	🇸🇿 Eswatini	9.3	0.0	−0.4
165	🇱🇦 Laos	8.9	0.0	0.0
166	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	8.6	+0.7	+1.5
167	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	6.7	−0.1	−1.2
168	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	6.2	−0.2	−1.8
169	🇸🇩 Sudan	6.0	+0.3	+2.3
170	🇨🇳 China	5.6	0.0	−1.7
171	🇨🇺 Cuba	5.2	+0.1	+1.1
172	🇧🇭 Bahrain	4.9	−0.3	−3.3
173	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	4.9	0.0	−0.4
174	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	4.6	0.0	+0.7
175	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	3.6	0.0	+0.2
176	🇸🇾 Syria	3.1	−0.7	−2.0
177	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	2.3	0.0	+0.9
178	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0
179	🇪🇷 Eritrea	0.5	0.0	−0.6

Frequently asked questions

Which countries are the most liberal democracies?

Denmark ranks #1 of 179 countries on the V-Dem liberal democracy index index in 2012, with the highest score of 89.5 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 2012?

In 2012, the top three of 179 ranked countries are Denmark (89.5), Sweden (88.6), and Norway (86.9).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 2012?

Eritrea ranks #179 of 179 with a score of 0.5.

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

Tunisia shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 55.1 points over the past decade, standing at 64.2 (rank #48) in 2012.

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 2012 edition covers 179 countries.