Democracy Index 2016

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 2016 — 179 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 2016 — 179 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	89.2	−0.2	−0.4
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	88.0	−0.1	+0.1
3	🇪🇪 Estonia	85.9	+1.4	+4.8
4	🇳🇴 Norway	85.9	−1.2	−0.5
5	🇨🇭 Switzerland	85.7	−0.1	+1.6
6	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	85.2	−0.2	+0.1
7	🇩🇪 Germany	84.8	+0.3	−1.6
8	🇨🇱 Chile	83.9	0.0	0.0
9	🇧🇪 Belgium	83.7	0.0	+1.9
10	🇦🇺 Australia	83.3	+0.8	−0.5
11	🇺🇾 Uruguay	83.2	0.0	+0.9
12	🇳🇱 Netherlands	83.1	0.0	+1.4
13	🇺🇸 United States of America	83.0	−1.8	+2.9
14	🇵🇹 Portugal	83.0	+0.1	−0.9
15	🇳🇿 New Zealand	82.8	0.0	+0.6
16	🇫🇮 Finland	82.7	0.0	−1.5
17	🇮🇪 Ireland	81.5	−1.0	+0.9
18	🇫🇷 France	81.2	0.0	+1.0
19	🇸🇮 Slovenia	79.5	−0.9	+6.1
20	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	79.3	0.0	+0.6
21	🇮🇹 Italy	79.1	+0.5	+1.6
22	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	78.7	−0.1	−2.0
23	🇦🇹 Austria	78.0	−2.5	−0.8
24	🇬🇷 Greece	77.6	−0.9	−2.7
25	🇮🇸 Iceland	77.6	−0.1	−0.5
26	🇱🇹 Lithuania	77.2	−0.8	+1.1
27	🇪🇸 Spain	76.6	+0.7	−4.6
28	🇨🇿 Czechia	76.3	−0.3	−5.8
29	🇨🇦 Canada	76.2	+2.7	+0.5
30	🇱🇻 Latvia	74.8	−0.6	+4.5
31	🇯🇵 Japan	74.0	0.0	−3.3
32	🇨🇾 Cyprus	73.9	+0.2	+2.6
33	🇹🇼 Taiwan	72.7	+4.1	+4.8
34	🇸🇰 Slovakia	72.6	+0.1	+0.3
35	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	71.3	+0.6	+2.0
36	🇯🇲 Jamaica	68.5	+0.6	+5.2
37	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	67.6	0.0	+1.1
38	🇵🇪 Peru	67.3	−1.5	+2.1
39	🇧🇧 Barbados	66.2	0.0	+1.4
40	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	66.1	+2.2	+14.7
41	🇧🇷 Brazil	65.3	−11.6	−11.7
42	🇭🇷 Croatia	65.1	−5.2	+2.1
43	🇮🇱 Israel	64.6	−0.8	−4.1
44	🇿🇦 South Africa	64.5	−0.4	−1.6
45	🇷🇴 Romania	63.0	+2.1	+15.9
46	🇹🇳 Tunisia	62.6	−0.3	+53.1
47	🇸🇷 Suriname	62.2	−1.1	−2.7
48	🇰🇷 South Korea	62.0	+2.1	−14.2
49	🇲🇺 Mauritius	62.0	−0.7	−2.5
50	🇦🇷 Argentina	61.2	+2.2	−0.2
51	🇬🇭 Ghana	61.0	−2.1	−2.4
52	🇵🇱 Poland	59.8	−17.7	−20.9
53	🇳🇦 Namibia	58.4	+0.5	+3.3
54	🇧🇼 Botswana	58.2	−0.5	−4.1
55	🇧🇯 Benin	57.9	+5.6	+4.4
56	🇸🇳 Senegal	57.8	−0.8	+4.2
57	🇲🇹 Malta	57.2	−1.2	−2.7
58	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	56.1	−0.5	−4.9
59	🇳🇵 Nepal	55.7	+2.3	+34.7
60	🇵🇦 Panama	55.0	−0.3	+0.3
61	🇲🇳 Mongolia	54.8	−0.8	−1.8
62	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	54.8	−0.6	+2.2
63	🇨🇴 Colombia	54.7	−0.4	+9.8
64	🇬🇪 Georgia	51.8	+1.4	+14.0
65	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	50.4	+19.8	+16.4
66	🇮🇩 Indonesia	49.6	−1.5	−3.8
67	🇸🇨 Seychelles	49.1	+6.4	+13.9
68	🇭🇺 Hungary	47.4	−0.3	−26.8
69	🇧🇹 Bhutan	47.1	−0.8	+30.9
70	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	46.6	+1.0	+10.5
71	🇸🇻 El Salvador	46.1	−0.1	+11.3
72	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	46.0	−0.6	+5.5
73	🇳🇪 Niger	45.9	−3.4	+3.3
74	🇬🇾 Guyana	45.6	+1.2	+8.7
75	🇽🇰 Kosovo	45.4	+0.4	+9.0
76	🇱🇷 Liberia	45.2	+0.1	−4.6
77	🇬🇹 Guatemala	45.1	+2.6	+7.7
78	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	45.0	+5.3	+20.7
79	🇲🇼 Malawi	44.2	−0.2	+7.8
80	🇦🇱 Albania	43.6	+0.1	−0.8
81	🇲🇽 Mexico	43.4	+0.1	−4.4
82	🇲🇩 Moldova	43.3	−4.3	+9.0
83	🇱🇸 Lesotho	42.4	−2.1	−2.7
84	🇰🇪 Kenya	42.1	−0.5	+6.3
85	🇵🇾 Paraguay	41.4	−0.2	−1.9
86	🇮🇳 India	40.6	−1.1	−16.3
87	🇳🇬 Nigeria	39.5	−0.6	+10.1
88	🇲🇪 Montenegro	38.3	−0.4	+0.1
89	🇧🇴 Bolivia	37.5	+0.7	−8.7
90	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	35.8	−0.5	−5.1
91	🇹🇿 Tanzania	35.5	−3.6	−4.0
92	🇲🇱 Mali	34.9	0.0	−6.9
93	🇵🇭 Philippines	34.6	−6.3	0.0
94	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	34.6	+0.1	−7.1
95	🇸🇬 Singapore	33.7	+0.6	+2.6
96	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	33.5	+3.1	+5.4
97	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	33.3	−1.1	−4.5
98	🇿🇲 Zambia	32.8	−4.3	−9.0
99	🇷🇸 Serbia	32.1	−2.0	−20.3
100	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	31.4	−0.4	−3.6
101	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	30.3	−1.4	+10.5
102	🇱🇧 Lebanon	29.6	+0.1	+4.1
103	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	29.4	−0.9	−3.0
104	🇲🇿 Mozambique	29.2	−0.7	−2.1
105	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	28.9	−0.1	+2.9
106	🇰🇼 Kuwait	28.1	+0.3	−0.7
107	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	27.9	+0.9	−17.2
108	🇫🇯 Fiji	27.5	+0.5	+0.8
109	🇪🇨 Ecuador	26.4	+0.1	−18.7
110	🇹🇬 Togo	26.0	+0.2	+8.0
111	🇵🇰 Pakistan	25.8	−0.6	+7.1
112	🇲🇬 Madagascar	25.8	0.0	−0.9
113	🇭🇹 Haiti	25.5	+1.2	+4.4
114	🇭🇳 Honduras	25.4	+0.9	−5.8
115	Somaliland	25.2	+0.5	+1.3
116	🇺🇦 Ukraine	24.0	+1.2	−13.6
117	🇰🇲 Comoros	23.9	−0.1	+0.2
118	🇮🇶 Iraq	23.8	+0.2	+0.5
119	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	23.1	+5.2	+4.0
120	🇲🇦 Morocco	23.1	+0.1	+0.5
121	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	22.6	+4.5	+20.8
122	🇬🇦 Gabon	22.4	+0.1	+2.0
123	Zanzibar	20.9	−2.5	−1.8
124	🇺🇬 Uganda	20.5	−1.7	−3.8
125	🇦🇲 Armenia	20.4	+0.1	+1.9
126	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	20.3	−0.9	+5.1
127	🇲🇾 Malaysia	20.2	−0.2	−0.8
128	🇯🇴 Jordan	19.5	−2.6	−0.9
129	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	18.8	−1.3	−0.4
130	🇲🇻 Maldives	18.2	−0.5	+5.6
131	🇲🇷 Mauritania	17.8	0.0	+5.6
132	🇱🇾 Libya	17.0	−0.2	+12.5
133	🇬🇳 Guinea	16.6	+0.5	+4.8
134	🇩🇿 Algeria	16.5	−1.0	−0.3
135	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	16.2	0.0	−15.1
136	🇹🇷 Türkiye	14.3	−8.7	−34.0
137	🇴🇲 Oman	14.1	0.0	+1.4
138	🇨🇲 Cameroon	13.9	−1.3	−1.6
139	🇮🇷 Iran	13.7	+0.1	+1.1
140	🇷🇼 Rwanda	12.8	−1.0	+0.4
141	🇦🇴 Angola	12.3	+0.1	+3.7
142	🇪🇬 Egypt	12.2	+2.9	−3.1
143	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	12.0	−0.4	−20.2
144	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	11.9	−0.3	+0.3
145	🇻🇪 Venezuela	11.8	+1.5	−5.0
146	🇻🇳 Vietnam	11.7	+0.2	+1.3
147	🇩🇯 Djibouti	11.4	0.0	−0.1
148	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	11.4	+0.4	−0.7
149	🇬🇲 The Gambia	11.0	+0.4	−0.4
150	🇸🇴 Somalia	11.0	−1.3	+1.7
151	🇧🇾 Belarus	10.7	+0.7	+1.3
152	🇷🇺 Russia	10.6	−0.3	−4.4
153	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	10.6	−0.2	−10.8
154	🇹🇭 Thailand	10.5	0.0	−6.1
155	🇰🇭 Cambodia	10.3	−1.2	−2.0
156	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	10.1	−0.1	+0.4
157	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	9.9	−0.3	−1.2
158	🇸🇿 Eswatini	9.7	0.0	+0.1
159	🇹🇩 Chad	9.2	+0.1	−0.3
160	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	9.1	+0.1	+1.9
161	🇶🇦 Qatar	8.9	0.0	−0.7
162	🇱🇦 Laos	8.8	−0.1	0.0
163	🇸🇩 Sudan	6.4	0.0	+0.3
164	Palestine/Gaza	6.3	0.0	—
165	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	6.2	−0.1	−1.0
166	🇨🇺 Cuba	5.5	−0.2	+1.4
167	🇸🇸 South Sudan	5.3	−1.3	—
168	🇨🇳 China	5.2	0.0	−0.5
169	🇧🇭 Bahrain	5.1	0.0	−4.5
170	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	5.1	+0.1	−0.3
171	🇧🇮 Burundi	4.6	−1.7	−14.0
172	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	4.4	−0.2	+0.1
173	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	3.9	−0.3	−3.0
174	🇾🇪 Yemen	3.7	−3.2	−11.7
175	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	3.7	+0.1	+0.5
176	🇸🇾 Syria	2.5	0.0	−2.5
177	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	2.5	+0.1	+1.0
178	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0
179	🇪🇷 Eritrea	0.6	0.0	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 2016, with the highest score of 89.2 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 2016?

In 2016, the top three of 179 ranked countries are Denmark (89.2), Sweden (88.0), and Estonia (85.9).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 2016?

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 53.1 points over the past decade, standing at 62.6 (rank #46) in 2016.

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 2016 edition covers 179 countries.