Democracy Index 2020

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 2020 — 179 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 2020 — 179 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	88.2	−0.4	−1.3
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	86.8	+0.2	−1.3
3	🇨🇭 Switzerland	85.6	−0.4	+0.6
4	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	84.4	+0.2	−1.3
5	🇫🇮 Finland	84.4	+0.2	+0.2
6	🇪🇪 Estonia	84.2	−0.6	+1.3
7	🇳🇴 Norway	84.0	−1.2	−2.9
8	🇧🇪 Belgium	82.6	−1.1	−0.8
9	🇳🇿 New Zealand	82.6	−0.5	−1.3
10	🇮🇪 Ireland	82.4	+0.2	+0.4
11	🇩🇪 Germany	82.1	−1.0	−4.1
12	🇳🇱 Netherlands	81.3	−0.6	−1.5
13	🇺🇾 Uruguay	80.8	−2.8	−3.9
14	🇵🇹 Portugal	80.6	−1.4	−3.2
15	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	80.0	+1.3	−0.2
16	🇦🇺 Australia	79.0	+1.1	−6.6
17	🇫🇷 France	78.9	−0.4	−2.7
18	🇪🇸 Spain	78.6	−1.8	−3.9
19	🇦🇹 Austria	78.6	−0.7	−1.7
20	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.6	−0.2	−0.6
21	🇮🇸 Iceland	78.4	0.0	−1.5
22	🇰🇷 South Korea	78.2	+0.5	+11.7
23	🇮🇹 Italy	77.4	−0.3	−0.1
24	🇨🇱 Chile	76.6	+0.5	−7.1
25	🇸🇰 Slovakia	75.7	+2.0	+0.5
26	🇨🇦 Canada	74.5	−1.8	−1.0
27	🇱🇹 Lithuania	74.5	−1.1	−4.9
28	🇯🇵 Japan	74.2	−1.1	−3.6
29	🇱🇻 Latvia	73.7	−0.4	+3.3
30	🇺🇸 United States of America	73.4	−0.6	−11.4
31	🇹🇼 Taiwan	71.9	−0.6	+5.1
32	🇨🇿 Czechia	70.9	+1.0	−9.6
33	🇵🇪 Peru	70.6	+1.2	+4.8
34	🇯🇲 Jamaica	70.2	−0.1	+4.6
35	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	70.1	−0.6	+0.6
36	🇧🇧 Barbados	69.2	+2.4	+2.5
37	🇨🇾 Cyprus	69.1	−1.9	−4.3
38	🇷🇴 Romania	67.6	+12.1	+12.6
39	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	67.2	−0.4	−1.4
40	🇬🇷 Greece	66.9	−9.4	−14.3
41	🇸🇮 Slovenia	66.5	−7.8	−13.1
42	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	65.9	−0.3	+4.0
43	🇭🇷 Croatia	64.7	+3.0	−8.3
44	🇮🇱 Israel	63.9	+1.6	−3.6
45	🇦🇷 Argentina	63.4	+1.6	+5.6
46	🇸🇷 Suriname	62.8	+4.5	−0.4
47	🇹🇳 Tunisia	62.3	−0.9	+52.0
48	🇲🇹 Malta	60.5	+3.6	−1.8
49	🇬🇭 Ghana	60.4	−0.2	−5.9
50	🇿🇦 South Africa	60.4	−1.9	−6.2
51	🇦🇲 Armenia	57.6	−4.4	+38.8
52	🇸🇨 Seychelles	57.5	+4.0	+20.2
53	🇸🇳 Senegal	56.3	+2.0	+3.1
54	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	55.7	+0.1	+2.1
55	🇧🇷 Brazil	53.4	+0.6	−24.2
56	🇵🇦 Panama	53.3	−0.2	−2.1
57	🇲🇳 Mongolia	52.3	−1.7	−4.2
58	🇲🇩 Moldova	51.8	+7.3	+1.0
59	🇳🇦 Namibia	51.6	+0.4	−1.2
60	🇧🇹 Bhutan	51.5	−0.2	+0.8
61	🇱🇸 Lesotho	50.5	+1.7	+8.0
62	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	50.1	−0.5	−6.7
63	🇨🇴 Colombia	49.6	−1.5	−0.2
64	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	49.4	−0.9	+5.4
65	🇽🇰 Kosovo	49.3	−0.4	+10.7
66	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	49.2	−2.5	+1.4
67	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	48.6	+0.9	+13.5
68	🇧🇼 Botswana	48.4	−7.6	−13.8
69	🇪🇨 Ecuador	48.1	+3.5	+17.2
70	🇳🇵 Nepal	47.7	−0.7	+1.2
71	🇬🇪 Georgia	47.0	−1.0	+13.0
72	🇲🇼 Malawi	46.2	+4.9	+5.6
73	🇲🇺 Mauritius	45.1	−14.4	−20.4
74	🇵🇱 Poland	45.0	−5.5	−37.7
75	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	44.9	+10.9	+7.8
76	🇦🇱 Albania	44.2	+1.6	+0.2
77	🇲🇻 Maldives	42.9	+1.9	+3.4
78	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	42.6	+3.4	+9.8
79	🇵🇾 Paraguay	42.0	0.0	−8.9
80	🇱🇷 Liberia	41.9	+0.7	−7.0
81	🇮🇩 Indonesia	41.1	−4.8	−12.8
82	🇲🇽 Mexico	40.6	−2.2	−5.9
83	🇰🇪 Kenya	40.4	+0.2	+4.3
84	🇬🇲 The Gambia	40.3	−1.8	+29.1
85	🇬🇹 Guatemala	40.2	−1.3	+0.5
86	🇳🇪 Niger	40.1	0.0	+21.6
87	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	40.0	−1.1	+2.7
88	🇲🇪 Montenegro	39.5	+1.9	−1.6
89	🇬🇾 Guyana	38.6	−4.0	+1.7
90	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	37.9	−6.0	+13.5
91	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	35.9	+0.7	−1.1
92	🇭🇺 Hungary	35.1	−1.3	−32.6
93	🇳🇬 Nigeria	34.9	−1.1	+3.0
94	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	33.5	−0.3	−3.5
95	🇸🇬 Singapore	33.2	+0.2	+1.8
96	🇹🇿 Tanzania	33.0	+0.5	−6.7
97	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	32.8	+0.1	+6.6
98	🇺🇦 Ukraine	32.5	+0.7	+6.1
99	🇸🇻 El Salvador	31.6	−7.7	−10.6
100	🇲🇾 Malaysia	30.7	−3.1	+9.1
101	🇮🇳 India	29.2	−3.2	−24.0
102	🇿🇲 Zambia	29.2	−0.9	−13.5
103	🇧🇯 Benin	28.4	−5.1	−23.2
104	🇰🇼 Kuwait	28.2	−0.6	−0.2
105	🇫🇯 Fiji	27.6	+1.2	+17.1
106	🇱🇧 Lebanon	27.4	−0.2	+0.3
107	🇵🇭 Philippines	27.0	−1.0	−12.5
108	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	26.1	−5.3	−2.3
109	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	25.5	−5.4	−0.5
110	🇲🇱 Mali	25.4	−6.3	−15.1
111	🇵🇰 Pakistan	25.3	+2.0	−3.2
112	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	25.2	+0.6	+21.9
113	🇲🇬 Madagascar	24.6	−0.2	+16.7
114	🇷🇸 Serbia	24.4	−3.6	−25.9
115	Somaliland	24.3	−0.3	−0.6
116	🇯🇴 Jordan	24.0	0.0	+3.0
117	🇲🇿 Mozambique	23.8	−1.7	−5.5
118	🇲🇦 Morocco	23.8	−0.6	+0.7
119	🇭🇹 Haiti	23.7	−1.0	−3.8
120	🇭🇳 Honduras	23.3	+0.4	−0.6
121	🇹🇬 Togo	23.3	+4.0	−0.2
122	Zanzibar	21.3	−0.3	−2.8
123	🇮🇶 Iraq	21.2	−1.4	−3.9
124	🇧🇴 Bolivia	20.9	−3.2	−19.1
125	🇲🇷 Mauritania	20.6	+2.0	−2.2
126	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	20.4	−6.3	−11.9
127	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	20.1	−1.3	+0.8
128	🇬🇦 Gabon	19.6	−0.5	−1.0
129	🇺🇬 Uganda	19.2	−0.1	−4.6
130	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	19.2	−1.0	−0.8
131	🇹🇭 Thailand	18.7	+0.3	−14.3
132	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	16.7	+0.5	−2.5
133	🇦🇴 Angola	16.0	−0.2	+6.2
134	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	15.2	−0.6	+4.3
135	🇩🇿 Algeria	15.2	−0.1	−1.2
136	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	15.2	+1.1	0.0
137	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	14.8	−4.2	+0.6
138	🇱🇾 Libya	14.5	−0.3	+10.0
139	🇴🇲 Oman	13.7	−0.4	+1.1
140	🇰🇲 Comoros	12.4	−0.5	−11.9
141	🇨🇲 Cameroon	12.3	+0.7	−3.1
142	🇷🇼 Rwanda	12.0	0.0	−1.3
143	🇮🇷 Iran	11.9	−0.7	+0.2
144	🇩🇯 Djibouti	11.9	0.0	+0.6
145	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	11.8	+1.8	+2.3
146	🇪🇬 Egypt	11.7	+0.1	−3.5
147	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	11.7	+0.4	−0.3
148	🇹🇷 Türkiye	11.5	+0.8	−24.5
149	🇸🇿 Eswatini	11.5	+0.1	+2.1
150	🇬🇳 Guinea	11.3	−2.8	+2.1
151	🇻🇳 Vietnam	10.6	−1.1	+0.1
152	🇸🇴 Somalia	10.5	+0.1	+0.3
153	🇷🇺 Russia	9.7	−0.8	−3.8
154	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	9.4	0.0	−7.9
155	🇱🇦 Laos	9.4	−1.5	+0.5
156	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	9.0	0.0	+0.8
157	🇹🇩 Chad	8.8	0.0	−1.1
158	🇶🇦 Qatar	8.3	+0.1	−1.2
159	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	8.3	+0.6	+4.8
160	🇸🇸 South Sudan	6.9	+0.5	—
161	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	6.4	+0.1	−0.5
162	🇰🇭 Cambodia	6.3	−0.3	−5.5
163	🇧🇭 Bahrain	6.2	+0.3	−2.6
164	🇨🇺 Cuba	6.0	−0.2	+1.0
165	🇻🇪 Venezuela	5.6	−0.4	−9.8
166	🇸🇩 Sudan	5.4	−1.2	−1.2
167	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	5.1	0.0	+0.2
168	🇧🇮 Burundi	4.9	−0.6	−9.5
169	Palestine/Gaza	4.8	−2.1	−4.9
170	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	4.5	−0.1	−14.7
171	🇧🇾 Belarus	4.5	−6.5	−5.0
172	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	4.5	0.0	−0.1
173	🇨🇳 China	4.2	−0.5	−1.5
174	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	4.1	0.0	−2.2
175	🇾🇪 Yemen	3.3	−0.5	−12.0
176	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	3.3	−0.2	+1.0
177	🇸🇾 Syria	3.1	+0.5	−1.8
178	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0
179	🇪🇷 Eritrea	1.0	+0.1	+0.5

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 2020, with the highest score of 88.2 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 2020?

In 2020, the top three of 179 ranked countries are Denmark (88.2), Sweden (86.8), and Switzerland (85.6).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 2020?

Eritrea ranks #179 of 179 with a score of 1.0.

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

Tunisia shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 52.0 points over the past decade, standing at 62.3 (rank #47) in 2020.

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 2020 edition covers 179 countries.