Democracy Index 2015

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 2015 — 179 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 2015 — 179 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	89.4	−0.1	−0.1
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	88.1	−0.4	+0.4
3	🇳🇴 Norway	87.1	+0.5	+0.9
4	🇨🇭 Switzerland	85.8	−0.3	+1.7
5	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	85.4	0.0	+1.5
6	🇺🇸 United States of America	84.8	0.0	+5.4
7	🇩🇪 Germany	84.5	0.0	−1.4
8	🇪🇪 Estonia	84.5	+0.7	+3.4
9	🇨🇱 Chile	83.9	−1.1	+1.8
10	🇧🇪 Belgium	83.7	−0.1	+2.1
11	🇺🇾 Uruguay	83.2	−1.1	+1.3
12	🇳🇱 Netherlands	83.1	0.0	+1.8
13	🇵🇹 Portugal	82.9	0.0	−0.6
14	🇳🇿 New Zealand	82.8	−0.3	+0.4
15	🇫🇮 Finland	82.7	−3.1	−0.3
16	🇦🇺 Australia	82.5	+1.0	−1.3
17	🇮🇪 Ireland	82.5	+0.1	+1.9
18	🇫🇷 France	81.2	−0.9	+1.0
19	🇦🇹 Austria	80.5	0.0	+2.1
20	🇸🇮 Slovenia	80.4	+1.0	+7.1
21	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	79.3	0.0	+0.6
22	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	78.8	−0.6	−1.2
23	🇮🇹 Italy	78.6	0.0	+2.5
24	🇬🇷 Greece	78.5	−1.9	−1.9
25	🇱🇹 Lithuania	78.0	+0.7	+1.8
26	🇮🇸 Iceland	77.7	+0.4	−0.4
27	🇵🇱 Poland	77.5	−3.7	−4.0
28	🇧🇷 Brazil	76.9	−1.4	−0.3
29	🇨🇿 Czechia	76.6	0.0	−5.0
30	🇪🇸 Spain	75.9	−1.5	−5.2
31	🇱🇻 Latvia	75.4	+0.6	+4.4
32	🇯🇵 Japan	74.0	+0.1	−2.6
33	🇨🇾 Cyprus	73.7	+0.4	+3.3
34	🇨🇦 Canada	73.5	−0.7	−1.6
35	🇸🇰 Slovakia	72.5	−0.1	−2.3
36	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	70.7	0.0	+2.5
37	🇭🇷 Croatia	70.3	−0.1	+6.8
38	🇵🇪 Peru	68.8	−0.3	+2.9
39	🇹🇼 Taiwan	68.6	+0.1	+1.1
40	🇯🇲 Jamaica	67.9	0.0	+5.0
41	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	67.6	+1.4	+1.4
42	🇧🇧 Barbados	66.2	0.0	+1.2
43	🇮🇱 Israel	65.4	0.0	−2.9
44	🇿🇦 South Africa	64.9	+0.8	−0.9
45	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	63.9	+1.3	+12.5
46	🇸🇷 Suriname	63.3	+0.6	−2.1
47	🇬🇭 Ghana	63.1	+0.1	−0.3
48	🇹🇳 Tunisia	62.9	−0.3	+53.7
49	🇲🇺 Mauritius	62.7	+1.0	−1.7
50	🇷🇴 Romania	60.9	+3.9	+14.1
51	🇰🇷 South Korea	59.9	−0.1	−16.3
52	🇦🇷 Argentina	59.0	−0.5	−3.5
53	🇧🇼 Botswana	58.7	−2.3	−3.2
54	🇸🇳 Senegal	58.6	+0.2	+5.0
55	🇲🇹 Malta	58.4	−0.3	−1.5
56	🇳🇦 Namibia	57.9	+3.7	+2.9
57	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	56.6	+0.5	−3.8
58	🇲🇳 Mongolia	55.6	0.0	−0.1
59	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	55.4	+0.6	+3.0
60	🇵🇦 Panama	55.3	+0.9	+0.6
61	🇨🇴 Colombia	55.1	+0.6	+12.3
62	🇳🇵 Nepal	53.4	+3.3	+38.5
63	🇧🇯 Benin	52.3	+3.8	+1.5
64	🇮🇩 Indonesia	51.1	−0.1	−2.3
65	🇬🇪 Georgia	50.4	+0.4	+13.1
66	🇳🇪 Niger	49.3	−0.9	+6.8
67	🇧🇹 Bhutan	47.9	+0.4	+32.1
68	🇭🇺 Hungary	47.7	−4.4	−27.7
69	🇲🇩 Moldova	47.6	−4.0	+13.1
70	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	46.6	−0.5	+5.8
71	🇸🇻 El Salvador	46.2	−0.3	+12.4
72	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	45.6	+0.6	+6.0
73	🇱🇷 Liberia	45.1	+0.1	+18.4
74	🇽🇰 Kosovo	45.0	+3.6	+8.6
75	🇱🇸 Lesotho	44.5	−3.5	−0.7
76	🇲🇼 Malawi	44.4	+0.7	+7.7
77	🇬🇾 Guyana	44.4	+5.9	+7.2
78	🇦🇱 Albania	43.5	−0.1	+1.0
79	🇲🇽 Mexico	43.3	+1.2	−7.2
80	🇸🇨 Seychelles	42.7	+2.7	+7.9
81	🇰🇪 Kenya	42.6	0.0	+6.8
82	🇬🇹 Guatemala	42.5	+1.3	+5.2
83	🇮🇳 India	41.7	−7.1	−15.6
84	🇵🇾 Paraguay	41.6	+0.2	−1.1
85	🇵🇭 Philippines	40.9	+0.1	+6.1
86	🇳🇬 Nigeria	40.1	+1.2	+10.5
87	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	39.7	+13.0	+11.9
88	🇹🇿 Tanzania	39.1	−0.3	+1.9
89	🇲🇪 Montenegro	38.7	−0.1	−0.1
90	🇿🇲 Zambia	37.1	−1.7	−4.8
91	🇧🇴 Bolivia	36.8	−2.3	−16.6
92	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	36.3	−0.7	−6.2
93	🇲🇱 Mali	34.9	+2.2	−6.7
94	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	34.5	−0.1	−6.8
95	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	34.4	−0.8	−3.9
96	🇷🇸 Serbia	34.1	−0.9	−18.2
97	🇸🇬 Singapore	33.1	+0.1	+2.4
98	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	31.8	0.0	−3.5
99	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	31.7	+0.3	+12.7
100	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	30.6	−11.1	−2.0
101	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	30.4	+0.5	+2.4
102	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	30.3	−0.8	−2.1
103	🇲🇿 Mozambique	29.9	0.0	−1.3
104	🇱🇧 Lebanon	29.5	−0.7	+6.3
105	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	29.0	+2.0	+2.7
106	🇰🇼 Kuwait	27.8	−0.1	−0.9
107	🇫🇯 Fiji	27.0	+12.5	−10.1
108	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	27.0	−0.6	−18.5
109	🇵🇰 Pakistan	26.4	−1.9	+7.5
110	🇪🇨 Ecuador	26.3	+0.1	−19.1
111	🇲🇬 Madagascar	25.8	+2.6	−1.1
112	🇹🇬 Togo	25.8	+0.7	+10.9
113	Somaliland	24.7	0.0	+1.5
114	🇭🇳 Honduras	24.5	−2.5	−8.6
115	🇭🇹 Haiti	24.3	−1.9	+14.6
116	🇰🇲 Comoros	24.0	−3.7	−0.1
117	🇮🇶 Iraq	23.6	−0.1	+12.9
118	Zanzibar	23.4	−1.7	+0.9
119	🇲🇦 Morocco	23.0	0.0	+0.3
120	🇹🇷 Türkiye	23.0	−2.2	−25.4
121	🇺🇦 Ukraine	22.8	+1.3	−5.7
122	🇬🇦 Gabon	22.3	0.0	+2.0
123	🇺🇬 Uganda	22.2	−0.4	−0.9
124	🇯🇴 Jordan	22.1	0.0	+1.8
125	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	21.2	−0.1	+5.9
126	🇲🇾 Malaysia	20.4	−0.4	−0.5
127	🇦🇲 Armenia	20.3	+0.2	+1.8
128	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	20.1	+0.2	+9.0
129	🇲🇻 Maldives	18.7	−2.2	+7.0
130	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	18.1	+1.8	+16.3
131	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	17.9	+0.9	+0.5
132	🇲🇷 Mauritania	17.8	+0.3	+5.8
133	🇩🇿 Algeria	17.5	+0.2	+0.7
134	🇱🇾 Libya	17.2	−0.3	+12.7
135	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	16.2	−0.3	−16.4
136	🇬🇳 Guinea	16.1	0.0	+4.4
137	🇨🇲 Cameroon	15.2	0.0	−0.3
138	🇴🇲 Oman	14.1	+0.1	+1.6
139	🇷🇼 Rwanda	13.8	−0.1	+1.4
140	🇮🇷 Iran	13.6	+0.5	+0.8
141	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	12.4	−0.2	−24.8
142	🇸🇴 Somalia	12.3	+0.5	+3.1
143	🇦🇴 Angola	12.2	0.0	+3.6
144	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	12.2	−0.4	+2.4
145	🇻🇳 Vietnam	11.5	0.0	+1.2
146	🇰🇭 Cambodia	11.5	+0.1	−0.8
147	🇩🇯 Djibouti	11.4	0.0	−0.2
148	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	11.0	0.0	−1.0
149	🇷🇺 Russia	10.9	0.0	−4.0
150	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	10.8	+0.1	−12.5
151	🇬🇲 The Gambia	10.6	+0.1	−1.0
152	🇹🇭 Thailand	10.5	−1.1	−25.4
153	🇻🇪 Venezuela	10.3	+0.1	−7.9
154	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	10.2	−0.2	−1.3
155	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	10.2	+0.1	+0.5
156	🇧🇾 Belarus	10.0	+0.1	+0.5
157	🇸🇿 Eswatini	9.7	0.0	+0.1
158	🇪🇬 Egypt	9.3	+0.8	−5.9
159	🇹🇩 Chad	9.1	0.0	−0.5
160	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	9.0	+0.3	+2.0
161	🇶🇦 Qatar	8.9	+0.1	−0.8
162	🇱🇦 Laos	8.9	−0.1	0.0
163	🇾🇪 Yemen	6.9	−4.8	−8.4
164	🇸🇸 South Sudan	6.6	−0.2	—
165	🇸🇩 Sudan	6.4	+0.2	+0.3
166	🇧🇮 Burundi	6.3	−3.8	−8.5
167	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	6.3	−0.1	−1.1
168	Palestine/Gaza	6.3	−0.3	—
169	🇨🇺 Cuba	5.7	0.0	+1.6
170	🇨🇳 China	5.2	0.0	−0.5
171	🇧🇭 Bahrain	5.1	−0.1	−3.9
172	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	5.0	−0.3	−0.3
173	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	4.6	0.0	+0.4
174	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	4.2	−1.0	−2.8
175	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	3.6	−0.1	+0.5
176	🇸🇾 Syria	2.5	+0.1	−2.5
177	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	2.4	0.0	+0.9
178	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0
179	🇪🇷 Eritrea	0.6	−0.1	0.0

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 2015, with the highest score of 89.4 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 2015?

In 2015, the top three of 179 ranked countries are Denmark (89.4), Sweden (88.1), and Norway (87.1).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 2015?

Eritrea ranks #179 of 179 with a score of 0.6.

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

Tunisia shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 53.7 points over the past decade, standing at 62.9 (rank #48) in 2015.

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 2015 edition covers 179 countries.