Democracy Index 2019

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 2019 — 179 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 2019 — 179 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	88.6	−0.4	−0.9
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	86.6	−0.9	−1.5
3	🇨🇭 Switzerland	86.0	0.0	+1.0
4	🇳🇴 Norway	85.2	+0.5	−1.4
5	🇪🇪 Estonia	84.8	−1.5	+3.4
6	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	84.2	+0.8	−1.3
7	🇫🇮 Finland	84.2	−0.7	0.0
8	🇧🇪 Belgium	83.7	+0.1	+0.3
9	🇺🇾 Uruguay	83.6	0.0	+1.1
10	🇩🇪 Germany	83.1	−0.3	−3.1
11	🇳🇿 New Zealand	83.1	−0.2	−0.8
12	🇮🇪 Ireland	82.2	+0.1	+0.2
13	🇵🇹 Portugal	82.0	−2.9	−1.8
14	🇳🇱 Netherlands	81.9	−1.1	−0.4
15	🇪🇸 Spain	80.4	+2.8	−1.7
16	🇫🇷 France	79.3	−0.9	−2.3
17	🇦🇹 Austria	79.3	+1.7	−1.1
18	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.8	−0.5	−0.2
19	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	78.7	−2.4	−2.0
20	🇮🇸 Iceland	78.4	−0.9	−1.2
21	🇦🇺 Australia	77.9	−3.8	−7.0
22	🇰🇷 South Korea	77.7	−1.7	+11.5
23	🇮🇹 Italy	77.7	−1.0	+0.2
24	🇨🇦 Canada	76.3	0.0	+1.0
25	🇬🇷 Greece	76.3	−0.4	−4.9
26	🇨🇱 Chile	76.1	−4.2	−7.5
27	🇱🇹 Lithuania	75.6	+0.2	−3.2
28	🇯🇵 Japan	75.3	−0.2	−2.6
29	🇸🇮 Slovenia	74.3	−1.6	−4.8
30	🇱🇻 Latvia	74.1	−0.4	+4.7
31	🇺🇸 United States of America	74.0	+0.1	−10.8
32	🇸🇰 Slovakia	73.7	+3.9	+0.3
33	🇹🇼 Taiwan	72.5	−1.4	+5.8
34	🇨🇾 Cyprus	71.0	−1.2	−1.2
35	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	70.7	+0.6	+1.0
36	🇯🇲 Jamaica	70.3	+1.5	+4.9
37	🇨🇿 Czechia	69.9	−0.9	−11.4
38	🇵🇪 Peru	69.4	−0.4	+4.5
39	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	67.6	+0.6	−0.8
40	🇧🇧 Barbados	66.8	+1.2	+0.2
41	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	66.2	−1.8	+4.4
42	🇹🇳 Tunisia	63.2	−0.1	+53.7
43	🇿🇦 South Africa	62.3	−1.7	−3.3
44	🇮🇱 Israel	62.3	−0.3	−5.7
45	🇦🇲 Armenia	62.0	+21.6	+44.0
46	🇦🇷 Argentina	61.8	−1.2	+3.5
47	🇭🇷 Croatia	61.7	+0.2	−3.6
48	🇬🇭 Ghana	60.6	−1.7	−4.6
49	🇲🇺 Mauritius	59.5	−3.6	−4.6
50	🇸🇷 Suriname	58.3	−2.6	−6.4
51	🇲🇹 Malta	56.9	+1.7	−5.5
52	🇧🇼 Botswana	56.0	−1.3	−5.4
53	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	55.6	+2.5	+2.9
54	🇷🇴 Romania	55.5	+7.2	+2.6
55	🇸🇳 Senegal	54.3	+0.7	+2.3
56	🇲🇳 Mongolia	54.0	+0.4	−0.6
57	🇵🇦 Panama	53.5	−0.4	−1.4
58	🇸🇨 Seychelles	53.5	+1.1	+16.4
59	🇧🇷 Brazil	52.8	−8.0	−24.1
60	🇧🇹 Bhutan	51.7	+2.8	+1.9
61	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	51.7	+1.5	+5.5
62	🇳🇦 Namibia	51.2	−5.0	−2.9
63	🇨🇴 Colombia	51.1	−2.2	+4.6
64	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	50.6	−0.2	−8.1
65	🇵🇱 Poland	50.5	−1.9	−32.0
66	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	50.3	+2.3	+6.7
67	🇽🇰 Kosovo	49.7	+2.7	+12.3
68	🇱🇸 Lesotho	48.8	+4.7	+7.5
69	🇳🇵 Nepal	48.4	−3.9	+1.3
70	🇬🇪 Georgia	48.0	−3.4	+14.0
71	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	47.7	−0.8	+14.3
72	🇮🇩 Indonesia	45.9	−0.4	−6.7
73	🇪🇨 Ecuador	44.6	−1.2	+11.7
74	🇲🇩 Moldova	44.5	+5.5	+8.7
75	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	43.9	−4.2	+20.6
76	🇲🇽 Mexico	42.8	−2.4	−3.1
77	🇦🇱 Albania	42.6	−0.6	−2.0
78	🇬🇾 Guyana	42.6	−2.4	+5.7
79	🇬🇲 The Gambia	42.1	−0.1	+31.0
80	🇵🇾 Paraguay	42.0	+0.3	−8.2
81	🇬🇹 Guatemala	41.5	0.0	+1.9
82	🇲🇼 Malawi	41.3	−2.9	+1.3
83	🇱🇷 Liberia	41.2	−1.3	−9.5
84	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	41.1	+2.5	+3.3
85	🇲🇻 Maldives	41.0	+21.4	+0.6
86	🇰🇪 Kenya	40.2	+0.8	+9.7
87	🇳🇪 Niger	40.1	−0.4	+12.6
88	🇸🇻 El Salvador	39.3	−3.5	−0.6
89	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	39.2	+1.2	+6.8
90	🇲🇪 Montenegro	37.6	−0.2	−3.4
91	🇭🇺 Hungary	36.4	−0.9	−40.2
92	🇳🇬 Nigeria	36.0	−3.1	+5.6
93	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	35.2	+0.1	−2.4
94	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	34.0	+0.1	−3.7
95	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	33.8	−0.2	−2.8
96	🇲🇾 Malaysia	33.8	+1.9	+12.0
97	🇧🇯 Benin	33.5	−13.7	−17.8
98	🇸🇬 Singapore	33.0	−0.6	+1.6
99	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	32.7	+2.0	+6.6
100	🇹🇿 Tanzania	32.5	−0.6	−7.0
101	🇮🇳 India	32.4	−3.9	−21.5
102	🇺🇦 Ukraine	31.8	+7.4	−7.6
103	🇲🇱 Mali	31.7	+1.0	−8.9
104	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	31.4	−1.2	+3.4
105	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	30.9	−1.8	+14.4
106	🇿🇲 Zambia	30.1	+0.7	−12.5
107	🇰🇼 Kuwait	28.8	+0.2	+0.2
108	🇵🇭 Philippines	28.0	−1.5	−6.8
109	🇷🇸 Serbia	28.0	−0.3	−24.1
110	🇱🇧 Lebanon	27.6	−0.6	+0.3
111	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	26.7	−1.4	−5.7
112	🇫🇯 Fiji	26.4	−1.6	+16.7
113	🇲🇿 Mozambique	25.5	−0.9	−5.2
114	🇲🇬 Madagascar	24.8	−2.0	+14.7
115	🇭🇹 Haiti	24.7	−1.0	−4.9
116	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	24.6	+1.4	+22.8
117	Somaliland	24.6	−0.2	+0.7
118	🇲🇦 Morocco	24.4	+0.1	+2.1
119	🇧🇴 Bolivia	24.1	−10.0	−19.4
120	🇯🇴 Jordan	24.0	−0.2	+3.5
121	🇵🇰 Pakistan	23.3	−1.7	−2.6
122	🇭🇳 Honduras	22.9	−0.4	−5.4
123	🇮🇶 Iraq	22.6	−1.2	−3.1
124	Zanzibar	21.6	−0.6	−1.6
125	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	21.4	−3.5	+2.3
126	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	20.2	−1.4	+2.3
127	🇬🇦 Gabon	20.1	−1.1	−0.3
128	🇺🇬 Uganda	19.3	−0.1	−4.8
129	🇹🇬 Togo	19.3	−1.9	−3.6
130	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	19.0	+1.4	+4.8
131	🇲🇷 Mauritania	18.6	+1.4	−0.6
132	🇹🇭 Thailand	18.4	+7.4	−15.3
133	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	16.2	−1.4	−3.4
134	🇦🇴 Angola	16.2	+0.1	+6.2
135	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	15.8	+2.7	+4.5
136	🇩🇿 Algeria	15.3	−0.8	−1.1
137	🇱🇾 Libya	14.8	−0.5	+10.4
138	🇬🇳 Guinea	14.1	−1.7	+8.5
139	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	14.1	+2.4	−1.2
140	🇴🇲 Oman	14.1	0.0	+1.5
141	🇰🇲 Comoros	12.9	−4.7	−10.3
142	🇮🇷 Iran	12.6	−0.5	+0.4
143	🇷🇼 Rwanda	12.0	+0.2	−1.0
144	🇩🇯 Djibouti	11.9	+0.6	+0.5
145	🇻🇳 Vietnam	11.7	+0.4	+1.2
146	🇪🇬 Egypt	11.6	+0.4	−3.6
147	🇨🇲 Cameroon	11.6	−0.4	−3.8
148	🇸🇿 Eswatini	11.4	−0.1	+1.7
149	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	11.3	+0.5	−0.9
150	🇧🇾 Belarus	11.0	+0.1	+1.3
151	🇱🇦 Laos	10.9	+1.9	+2.1
152	🇹🇷 Türkiye	10.7	+0.3	−29.6
153	🇷🇺 Russia	10.5	−0.2	−3.6
154	🇸🇴 Somalia	10.4	−0.2	+1.0
155	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	10.0	−0.9	+0.5
156	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	9.4	−0.3	−9.9
157	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	9.0	−0.3	+0.9
158	🇹🇩 Chad	8.8	+0.9	−0.9
159	🇶🇦 Qatar	8.2	−0.6	−1.5
160	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	7.7	+1.2	+4.3
161	Palestine/Gaza	6.9	+3.0	−2.1
162	🇸🇩 Sudan	6.6	−0.2	+0.3
163	🇰🇭 Cambodia	6.6	−0.4	−5.2
164	🇸🇸 South Sudan	6.4	+1.1	—
165	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	6.3	+0.5	−0.7
166	🇨🇺 Cuba	6.2	+0.1	+1.2
167	🇻🇪 Venezuela	6.0	−0.1	−10.0
168	🇧🇭 Bahrain	5.9	+0.7	−3.2
169	🇧🇮 Burundi	5.5	+1.1	−12.0
170	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	5.1	−0.1	−0.2
171	🇨🇳 China	4.7	−0.1	−1.0
172	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	4.6	−0.5	−15.1
173	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	4.5	+0.3	0.0
174	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	4.1	−0.3	−2.8
175	🇾🇪 Yemen	3.8	+0.4	−11.5
176	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	3.5	+0.7	+1.2
177	🇸🇾 Syria	2.6	+0.1	−2.4
178	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0
179	🇪🇷 Eritrea	0.9	+0.2	+0.4

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 2019, with the highest score of 88.6 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 2019?

In 2019, the top three of 179 ranked countries are Denmark (88.6), Sweden (86.6), and Switzerland (86.0).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 2019?

Eritrea ranks #179 of 179 with a score of 0.9.

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 63.2 (rank #42) in 2019.

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 2019 edition covers 179 countries.