Democracy Index 2018

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 2018 — 179 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 2018 — 179 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	89.0	−0.1	−0.5
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	87.5	−0.5	−0.6
3	🇪🇪 Estonia	86.3	+0.2	+5.2
4	🇨🇭 Switzerland	86.0	0.0	+1.0
5	🇵🇹 Portugal	84.9	+0.1	+1.0
6	🇫🇮 Finland	84.9	+1.3	+0.7
7	🇳🇴 Norway	84.7	−0.8	−1.7
8	🇺🇾 Uruguay	83.6	+0.8	+1.4
9	🇧🇪 Belgium	83.6	0.0	+0.4
10	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	83.4	−1.6	−2.0
11	🇩🇪 Germany	83.4	−0.8	−3.0
12	🇳🇿 New Zealand	83.3	+1.1	+0.8
13	🇳🇱 Netherlands	83.0	−0.3	+0.7
14	🇮🇪 Ireland	82.1	0.0	+0.1
15	🇦🇺 Australia	81.7	−1.1	−3.2
16	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	81.1	+1.0	+0.4
17	🇨🇱 Chile	80.3	−3.9	−3.8
18	🇫🇷 France	80.2	−1.5	−1.4
19	🇰🇷 South Korea	79.4	+0.3	+13.3
20	🇮🇸 Iceland	79.3	+1.4	−0.2
21	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	79.3	0.0	+0.6
22	🇮🇹 Italy	78.7	−1.0	+1.9
23	🇪🇸 Spain	77.6	+1.9	−4.3
24	🇦🇹 Austria	77.6	−0.6	−2.6
25	🇬🇷 Greece	76.7	−0.8	−4.4
26	🇨🇦 Canada	76.3	−0.6	+1.0
27	🇸🇮 Slovenia	75.9	−1.3	+2.2
28	🇯🇵 Japan	75.5	+1.1	−1.7
29	🇱🇹 Lithuania	75.4	+0.1	−1.1
30	🇱🇻 Latvia	74.5	+0.1	+5.9
31	🇺🇸 United States of America	73.9	−1.0	−10.6
32	🇹🇼 Taiwan	73.9	+0.2	+5.4
33	🇨🇾 Cyprus	72.2	−0.9	−0.1
34	🇨🇿 Czechia	70.8	−1.8	−11.3
35	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	70.1	−0.6	+0.4
36	🇵🇪 Peru	69.8	+2.1	+4.8
37	🇸🇰 Slovakia	69.8	−2.2	−3.7
38	🇯🇲 Jamaica	68.8	−0.8	+3.4
39	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	68.0	−0.2	+13.1
40	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	67.0	−0.6	−1.4
41	🇧🇧 Barbados	65.6	−0.4	−0.9
42	🇿🇦 South Africa	64.0	+1.4	−1.7
43	🇹🇳 Tunisia	63.3	+0.1	+53.8
44	🇲🇺 Mauritius	63.1	+0.9	−1.0
45	🇦🇷 Argentina	63.0	+2.1	+4.0
46	🇮🇱 Israel	62.6	−0.6	−5.8
47	🇬🇭 Ghana	62.3	−0.5	−0.9
48	🇭🇷 Croatia	61.5	−0.8	−2.3
49	🇸🇷 Suriname	60.9	−1.7	−3.8
50	🇧🇷 Brazil	60.8	−3.3	−16.1
51	🇧🇼 Botswana	57.3	+0.5	−4.4
52	🇳🇦 Namibia	56.2	−1.5	+1.4
53	🇲🇹 Malta	55.2	−0.6	−5.8
54	🇵🇦 Panama	53.9	−1.4	−0.8
55	🇸🇳 Senegal	53.6	−2.0	+1.0
56	🇲🇳 Mongolia	53.6	−0.8	−0.3
57	🇨🇴 Colombia	53.3	−1.5	+7.1
58	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	53.1	−0.6	+0.4
59	🇵🇱 Poland	52.4	−1.8	−30.1
60	🇸🇨 Seychelles	52.4	+1.5	+15.1
61	🇳🇵 Nepal	52.3	−3.0	+11.0
62	🇬🇪 Georgia	51.4	+1.6	+17.5
63	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	50.8	−1.3	−10.9
64	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	50.2	+1.3	+4.2
65	🇧🇹 Bhutan	48.9	+0.9	+5.8
66	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	48.5	−2.6	+15.2
67	🇷🇴 Romania	48.3	−4.9	−1.2
68	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	48.1	+3.3	+24.5
69	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	48.0	+0.3	+4.6
70	🇧🇯 Benin	47.2	−12.1	−4.3
71	🇽🇰 Kosovo	47.0	+7.1	+10.8
72	🇮🇩 Indonesia	46.3	−2.1	−8.2
73	🇪🇨 Ecuador	45.8	+12.0	+11.5
74	🇲🇽 Mexico	45.2	+1.2	−0.4
75	🇬🇾 Guyana	45.0	−0.7	+8.4
76	🇲🇼 Malawi	44.2	−1.5	+7.5
77	🇱🇸 Lesotho	44.1	+6.9	+2.6
78	🇦🇱 Albania	43.2	−0.5	−1.5
79	🇸🇻 El Salvador	42.8	−3.7	+7.1
80	🇱🇷 Liberia	42.5	−3.4	−8.1
81	🇬🇲 The Gambia	42.2	+2.9	+31.1
82	🇵🇾 Paraguay	41.7	−0.1	−7.6
83	🇬🇹 Guatemala	41.5	−2.9	+2.0
84	🇳🇪 Niger	40.5	−2.1	−1.6
85	🇦🇲 Armenia	40.4	+18.5	+23.2
86	🇰🇪 Kenya	39.4	−1.4	+8.9
87	🇳🇬 Nigeria	39.1	−0.2	+8.8
88	🇲🇩 Moldova	39.0	−0.4	+4.5
89	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	38.6	+1.0	−2.6
90	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	38.0	+3.4	+5.5
91	🇲🇪 Montenegro	37.8	+0.3	−2.8
92	🇭🇺 Hungary	37.3	−5.9	−39.3
93	🇮🇳 India	36.3	−0.8	−20.6
94	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	35.1	+0.7	−2.5
95	🇧🇴 Bolivia	34.1	−1.9	−11.2
96	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	34.0	−1.5	−2.7
97	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	33.9	+1.1	−3.7
98	🇸🇬 Singapore	33.6	−0.9	+2.5
99	🇹🇿 Tanzania	33.1	−2.0	−6.5
100	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	32.7	+2.4	+15.8
101	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	32.6	0.0	+4.4
102	🇲🇾 Malaysia	31.9	+11.3	+10.3
103	🇲🇱 Mali	30.7	−2.1	−9.9
104	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	30.7	+2.1	+7.9
105	🇵🇭 Philippines	29.5	−2.6	−5.2
106	🇿🇲 Zambia	29.4	0.0	−13.0
107	🇰🇼 Kuwait	28.6	−0.2	−0.1
108	🇷🇸 Serbia	28.3	−0.7	−24.2
109	🇱🇧 Lebanon	28.2	−1.2	+2.3
110	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	28.1	−0.8	−4.3
111	🇫🇯 Fiji	28.0	−0.3	+17.5
112	🇲🇬 Madagascar	26.8	+0.8	−0.9
113	🇲🇿 Mozambique	26.4	−1.1	−4.5
114	🇭🇹 Haiti	25.7	+0.6	−4.4
115	🇵🇰 Pakistan	25.0	−0.7	+2.7
116	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	24.9	+1.8	+5.8
117	Somaliland	24.8	−0.6	+0.9
118	🇺🇦 Ukraine	24.4	+0.4	−15.0
119	🇲🇦 Morocco	24.3	+0.2	+1.9
120	🇯🇴 Jordan	24.2	+1.2	+3.7
121	🇮🇶 Iraq	23.8	+0.5	−2.3
122	🇭🇳 Honduras	23.3	−1.1	−9.0
123	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	23.2	+0.3	+21.4
124	Zanzibar	22.2	+0.4	−0.9
125	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	21.6	−0.9	+6.7
126	🇬🇦 Gabon	21.2	−2.1	+0.8
127	🇹🇬 Togo	21.2	−2.7	−1.5
128	🇲🇻 Maldives	19.6	+1.8	−5.0
129	🇺🇬 Uganda	19.4	−0.7	−4.9
130	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	17.6	−0.7	−2.0
131	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	17.6	+0.5	+3.8
132	🇰🇲 Comoros	17.6	−1.8	−5.9
133	🇲🇷 Mauritania	17.2	+1.5	−3.6
134	🇩🇿 Algeria	16.1	+0.1	−0.4
135	🇦🇴 Angola	16.1	+2.2	+6.9
136	🇬🇳 Guinea	15.8	−0.3	+6.2
137	🇱🇾 Libya	15.3	−1.4	+10.8
138	🇴🇲 Oman	14.1	+0.1	+1.5
139	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	13.1	+3.3	+1.8
140	🇮🇷 Iran	13.1	−0.3	+0.6
141	🇨🇲 Cameroon	12.0	−1.1	−3.3
142	🇷🇼 Rwanda	11.8	+0.2	−0.7
143	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	11.7	+0.7	−3.2
144	🇸🇿 Eswatini	11.5	+1.6	+1.8
145	🇻🇳 Vietnam	11.3	−0.2	+0.8
146	🇩🇯 Djibouti	11.3	+0.3	−0.1
147	🇪🇬 Egypt	11.2	−0.1	−4.0
148	🇹🇭 Thailand	11.0	+0.8	−22.6
149	🇧🇾 Belarus	10.9	+0.2	+1.3
150	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	10.9	+0.6	+1.4
151	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	10.8	−0.4	−1.4
152	🇷🇺 Russia	10.7	0.0	−3.2
153	🇸🇴 Somalia	10.6	−1.7	+1.2
154	🇹🇷 Türkiye	10.4	+0.3	−30.7
155	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	9.7	−0.9	−0.8
156	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	9.3	+0.2	+1.3
157	🇱🇦 Laos	9.0	−0.3	+0.2
158	🇶🇦 Qatar	8.8	+0.3	−0.9
159	🇹🇩 Chad	7.9	−0.5	−1.5
160	🇰🇭 Cambodia	7.0	−0.8	−5.1
161	🇸🇩 Sudan	6.8	−0.6	+0.4
162	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	6.5	+1.3	+3.1
163	🇻🇪 Venezuela	6.1	−2.1	−9.8
164	🇨🇺 Cuba	6.1	+0.3	+2.2
165	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	5.8	−0.9	−1.2
166	🇸🇸 South Sudan	5.3	−0.6	—
167	🇧🇭 Bahrain	5.2	+0.2	−3.9
168	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	5.2	+0.3	−0.1
169	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	5.1	−5.2	−15.2
170	🇨🇳 China	4.8	−0.4	−0.9
171	🇧🇮 Burundi	4.4	−0.1	−13.4
172	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	4.4	+0.4	−2.4
173	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	4.2	−0.1	−0.2
174	Palestine/Gaza	3.9	−2.0	−5.0
175	🇾🇪 Yemen	3.4	−0.2	−11.9
176	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	2.8	+0.1	+0.3
177	🇸🇾 Syria	2.5	0.0	−2.5
178	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0
179	🇪🇷 Eritrea	0.7	0.0	+0.1

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 2018, with the highest score of 89.0 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 2018?

In 2018, the top three of 179 ranked countries are Denmark (89.0), Sweden (87.5), and Estonia (86.3).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 2018?

Eritrea ranks #179 of 179 with a score of 0.7.

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

Tunisia shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 53.8 points over the past decade, standing at 63.3 (rank #43) in 2018.

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 2018 edition covers 179 countries.