Democracy Index 2021

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 2021 — 179 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 2021 — 179 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	88.2	0.0	−1.2
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	86.6	−0.2	−1.5
3	🇪🇪 Estonia	85.3	+1.1	+2.1
4	🇨🇭 Switzerland	85.1	−0.5	−0.1
5	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	84.3	−0.1	−1.3
6	🇳🇴 Norway	84.3	+0.3	−2.6
7	🇫🇮 Finland	83.5	−0.9	−0.8
8	🇮🇪 Ireland	83.3	+0.9	+1.2
9	🇧🇪 Belgium	82.7	+0.1	−0.8
10	🇩🇪 Germany	81.4	−0.7	−5.0
11	🇳🇿 New Zealand	81.3	−1.3	−2.4
12	🇳🇱 Netherlands	81.2	−0.1	−1.5
13	🇵🇹 Portugal	81.0	+0.4	−1.9
14	🇫🇷 France	78.9	0.0	−2.9
15	🇺🇾 Uruguay	78.9	−1.9	−5.8
16	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.5	−0.1	−0.7
17	🇦🇹 Austria	78.4	−0.2	−2.0
18	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	78.1	−1.9	−2.0
19	🇦🇺 Australia	77.9	−1.1	−7.8
20	🇨🇱 Chile	77.7	+1.1	−6.2
21	🇰🇷 South Korea	77.5	−0.7	+11.0
22	🇪🇸 Spain	77.5	−1.1	−4.6
23	🇮🇹 Italy	77.4	0.0	−1.2
24	🇸🇰 Slovakia	75.7	0.0	+0.2
25	🇺🇸 United States of America	75.6	+2.2	−8.9
26	🇨🇦 Canada	74.9	+0.4	+0.9
27	🇮🇸 Iceland	74.5	−3.9	−5.0
28	🇱🇻 Latvia	74.0	+0.3	+1.7
29	🇯🇵 Japan	73.6	−0.6	−4.2
30	🇱🇹 Lithuania	73.2	−1.3	−5.9
31	🇹🇼 Taiwan	71.1	−0.8	+4.3
32	🇨🇿 Czechia	69.8	−1.1	−11.0
33	🇯🇲 Jamaica	69.1	−1.1	+4.0
34	🇧🇧 Barbados	68.6	−0.6	+1.9
35	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	67.6	−2.5	−2.6
36	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	67.3	+1.4	+5.4
37	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	67.2	0.0	−1.5
38	🇵🇪 Peru	66.0	−4.6	−1.0
39	🇨🇾 Cyprus	65.3	−3.8	−8.1
40	🇭🇷 Croatia	64.1	−0.6	−10.3
41	🇸🇷 Suriname	63.9	+1.1	+1.2
42	🇦🇷 Argentina	63.9	+0.5	+6.6
43	🇮🇱 Israel	63.9	0.0	−3.6
44	🇸🇨 Seychelles	63.4	+5.9	+25.7
45	🇬🇷 Greece	63.0	−3.9	−18.4
46	🇸🇮 Slovenia	62.4	−4.1	−16.5
47	🇲🇩 Moldova	61.8	+10.0	+5.6
48	🇷🇴 Romania	61.1	−6.5	+5.8
49	🇿🇦 South Africa	60.9	+0.5	−5.7
50	🇲🇹 Malta	60.5	0.0	−1.8
51	🇸🇳 Senegal	55.8	−0.5	+2.6
52	🇬🇭 Ghana	55.4	−5.0	−10.9
53	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	55.4	−0.3	+1.4
54	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	54.9	+4.8	−1.6
55	🇵🇦 Panama	54.4	+1.1	−1.0
56	🇦🇲 Armenia	53.2	−4.4	+34.3
57	🇧🇷 Brazil	53.1	−0.3	−25.0
58	🇲🇼 Malawi	52.2	+6.0	+11.2
59	🇳🇦 Namibia	50.6	−1.0	−2.7
60	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	50.1	+0.9	+2.3
61	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	50.1	+0.7	+5.6
62	🇨🇴 Colombia	49.9	+0.3	−4.0
63	🇱🇸 Lesotho	49.8	−0.7	+6.8
64	🇲🇳 Mongolia	49.5	−2.8	−6.8
65	🇽🇰 Kosovo	49.4	+0.1	+12.1
66	🇳🇵 Nepal	49.1	+1.4	+1.9
67	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	48.4	+3.5	+12.0
68	🇧🇹 Bhutan	48.2	−3.3	−2.6
69	🇧🇼 Botswana	47.7	−0.7	−14.7
70	🇹🇳 Tunisia	46.4	−15.9	+21.7
71	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	45.6	−3.0	+10.2
72	🇪🇨 Ecuador	45.4	−2.7	+15.0
73	🇬🇪 Georgia	45.4	−1.6	+11.0
74	🇦🇱 Albania	43.8	−0.4	−0.3
75	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	43.6	+1.0	+10.8
76	🇲🇪 Montenegro	43.2	+3.7	+2.2
77	🇵🇾 Paraguay	42.7	+0.7	−7.6
78	🇵🇱 Poland	42.4	−2.6	−40.3
79	🇲🇻 Maldives	42.4	−0.5	+3.2
80	🇰🇪 Kenya	42.3	+1.9	+6.1
81	🇲🇺 Mauritius	42.3	−2.8	−23.3
82	🇬🇲 The Gambia	41.7	+1.4	+30.5
83	🇱🇷 Liberia	40.8	−1.1	−7.9
84	🇳🇪 Niger	40.1	0.0	+1.1
85	🇮🇩 Indonesia	39.8	−1.3	−14.0
86	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	39.3	+1.4	+15.0
87	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	38.9	−1.1	+4.9
88	🇲🇽 Mexico	37.1	−3.5	−9.7
89	🇧🇴 Bolivia	36.2	+15.3	−3.6
90	🇬🇹 Guatemala	35.9	−4.3	−3.4
91	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	35.5	−0.4	−1.1
92	🇭🇺 Hungary	34.6	−0.5	−29.3
93	🇿🇲 Zambia	33.9	+4.7	−8.1
94	🇬🇾 Guyana	33.5	−5.1	−3.4
95	🇳🇬 Nigeria	33.1	−1.8	−1.7
96	🇸🇬 Singapore	32.9	−0.3	+0.5
97	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	32.8	−0.7	−4.2
98	🇹🇿 Tanzania	32.4	−0.6	−8.0
99	🇺🇦 Ukraine	32.3	−0.2	+5.9
100	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	32.1	−0.7	+6.1
101	🇮🇳 India	30.7	+1.5	−22.5
102	🇲🇾 Malaysia	30.0	−0.7	+8.4
103	🇰🇼 Kuwait	27.4	−0.8	−0.8
104	🇵🇭 Philippines	27.1	+0.1	−14.2
105	🇧🇯 Benin	27.1	−1.3	−21.5
106	🇫🇯 Fiji	26.9	−0.7	+16.4
107	🇱🇧 Lebanon	26.2	−1.2	−1.5
108	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	25.6	+0.1	−7.7
109	Somaliland	25.0	+0.7	−1.1
110	🇯🇴 Jordan	24.9	+0.9	+3.4
111	🇭🇳 Honduras	24.8	+1.5	0.0
112	🇵🇰 Pakistan	24.8	−0.5	−3.5
113	🇲🇿 Mozambique	24.4	+0.6	−5.2
114	🇲🇦 Morocco	24.0	+0.2	+0.6
115	🇲🇬 Madagascar	23.7	−0.9	+13.6
116	🇷🇸 Serbia	23.6	−0.8	−26.5
117	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	23.3	−2.8	−4.2
118	Zanzibar	22.7	+1.4	−2.3
119	🇮🇶 Iraq	21.8	+0.6	−3.3
120	🇹🇬 Togo	21.4	−1.9	−2.4
121	🇭🇹 Haiti	20.4	−3.3	−5.8
122	🇬🇦 Gabon	19.9	+0.3	−0.7
123	🇲🇷 Mauritania	19.5	−1.1	−3.3
124	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	19.4	+0.2	−0.7
125	🇹🇭 Thailand	18.7	0.0	−18.6
126	🇺🇬 Uganda	18.0	−1.2	−5.3
127	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	17.6	−2.5	−0.7
128	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	16.8	−3.6	−15.4
129	🇸🇻 El Salvador	15.6	−16.0	−26.9
130	🇲🇱 Mali	15.5	−9.9	−25.2
131	🇦🇴 Angola	15.1	−0.9	+3.0
132	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	14.0	−1.2	−1.0
133	🇴🇲 Oman	14.0	+0.3	+0.4
134	🇩🇿 Algeria	13.9	−1.3	−2.6
135	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	13.6	−1.6	+3.1
136	🇱🇾 Libya	12.9	−1.6	+6.8
137	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	12.8	−2.0	−1.4
138	🇰🇲 Comoros	12.4	0.0	−13.2
139	🇨🇲 Cameroon	12.1	−0.2	−3.4
140	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	12.1	+0.4	+0.2
141	🇩🇯 Djibouti	12.0	+0.1	+0.6
142	🇪🇬 Egypt	11.6	−0.1	−0.6
143	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	11.6	−0.2	+2.1
144	🇹🇷 Türkiye	11.3	−0.2	−24.1
145	🇸🇴 Somalia	11.1	+0.6	+0.7
146	🇷🇼 Rwanda	11.0	−1.0	−2.3
147	🇻🇳 Vietnam	10.9	+0.3	+0.5
148	🇱🇦 Laos	10.4	+1.0	+1.5
149	🇬🇳 Guinea	9.8	−1.5	−1.7
150	🇸🇿 Eswatini	9.5	−2.0	+0.2
151	🇷🇺 Russia	9.4	−0.3	−4.0
152	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	9.2	−0.2	−7.6
153	🇮🇷 Iran	9.1	−2.8	−2.7
154	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	8.4	−0.6	+0.5
155	🇶🇦 Qatar	8.1	−0.2	−1.5
156	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	7.8	−0.5	+4.2
157	🇧🇮 Burundi	6.7	+1.8	−6.6
158	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	6.6	+0.2	−0.2
159	🇧🇭 Bahrain	6.3	+0.1	+1.1
160	🇰🇭 Cambodia	5.9	−0.4	−5.9
161	🇸🇸 South Sudan	5.8	−1.1	−4.2
162	🇻🇪 Venezuela	5.6	0.0	−9.6
163	🇨🇺 Cuba	5.6	−0.4	+0.5
164	🇹🇩 Chad	5.4	−3.4	−4.5
165	Palestine/Gaza	5.3	+0.5	−4.2
166	🇸🇩 Sudan	5.1	−0.3	−0.6
167	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	5.1	0.0	+0.2
168	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	4.5	0.0	−0.1
169	🇨🇳 China	4.4	+0.2	−1.2
170	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	4.1	−12.6	−15.1
171	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	3.9	−0.2	−2.5
172	🇧🇾 Belarus	3.5	−1.0	−5.8
173	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	3.4	−1.1	−15.4
174	🇾🇪 Yemen	3.3	0.0	−10.8
175	🇸🇾 Syria	3.3	+0.2	−0.5
176	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	3.3	0.0	+1.0
177	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	2.0	−23.2	−8.7
178	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0
179	🇪🇷 Eritrea	1.0	0.0	+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 2021, with the highest score of 88.2 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 2021?

In 2021, the top three of 179 ranked countries are Denmark (88.2), Sweden (86.6), and Estonia (85.3).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 2021?

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

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

Poland shows the largest 10-year shift: its score declined by 40.3 points over the past decade, standing at 42.4 (rank #78) in 2021.

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 2021 edition covers 179 countries.