Democracy Index 2023

V-Dem liberal democracy rankings as they stood in 2023 — 179 countries scored on a 0–100 scale, with changes versus one and ten years earlier.

Liberal Democracy Index rankings, 2023 — 179 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	88.4	−0.3	−1.1
2	🇸🇪 Sweden	84.9	−1.2	−3.6
3	🇪🇪 Estonia	84.5	−0.8	+1.1
4	🇳🇴 Norway	84.1	−0.1	−2.2
5	🇨🇭 Switzerland	83.8	−1.0	−2.3
6	🇮🇪 Ireland	82.9	+0.2	+0.6
7	🇳🇿 New Zealand	82.4	+0.2	−0.8
8	🇩🇪 Germany	81.2	+0.6	−4.1
9	🇧🇪 Belgium	81.2	−2.1	−2.7
10	🇫🇮 Finland	81.2	−1.5	−4.6
11	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	80.9	−0.4	−4.4
12	🇫🇷 France	80.7	0.0	−1.5
13	🇦🇺 Australia	80.2	+0.8	−1.9
14	🇨🇿 Czechia	79.6	+1.2	+1.7
15	🇳🇱 Netherlands	79.1	−0.7	−3.9
16	🇺🇸 United States of America	78.9	+2.0	−6.3
17	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	78.9	+0.1	−0.3
18	🇨🇱 Chile	77.9	+0.3	−6.7
19	🇦🇹 Austria	77.5	+1.3	−3.2
20	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	77.1	+0.3	−2.5
21	🇱🇻 Latvia	76.2	+2.2	+1.9
22	🇪🇸 Spain	75.9	−2.3	−1.9
23	🇵🇹 Portugal	75.7	−0.1	−7.2
24	🇺🇾 Uruguay	75.6	+0.9	−8.7
25	🇮🇸 Iceland	75.1	+0.9	−2.4
26	🇯🇵 Japan	74.5	+0.7	+0.4
27	🇨🇦 Canada	74.2	−0.3	0.0
28	🇮🇹 Italy	72.7	−3.6	−5.9
29	🇹🇼 Taiwan	72.5	−0.4	+4.1
30	🇱🇹 Lithuania	72.4	−1.0	−4.7
31	🇸🇰 Slovakia	72.4	−3.6	−0.6
32	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	70.4	+2.3	+7.8
33	🇧🇷 Brazil	69.5	+15.5	−8.6
34	🇦🇷 Argentina	69.5	+4.1	+10.7
35	🇧🇧 Barbados	68.4	+0.2	+2.0
36	🇯🇲 Jamaica	67.7	−1.5	−0.2
37	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	66.1	0.0	−0.4
38	🇸🇮 Slovenia	65.9	−6.9	−11.9
39	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	64.6	−0.5	−6.2
40	🇨🇾 Cyprus	64.3	−0.2	−8.9
41	🇸🇨 Seychelles	64.1	−0.7	+24.5
42	🇸🇷 Suriname	63.3	−2.2	+0.6
43	🇭🇷 Croatia	62.8	−0.8	−8.2
44	🇲🇹 Malta	62.3	+0.6	+2.6
45	🇰🇷 South Korea	62.0	−9.8	+1.1
46	🇮🇱 Israel	61.6	−2.4	−3.9
47	🇿🇦 South Africa	60.2	−0.8	−4.8
48	🇲🇩 Moldova	60.2	−4.1	+7.2
49	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	58.0	−2.2	+3.8
50	🇬🇷 Greece	57.3	−3.4	−22.8
51	🇵🇪 Peru	57.2	−4.9	−11.7
52	🇨🇴 Colombia	57.0	+0.9	+3.3
53	🇵🇦 Panama	55.7	−0.2	+1.0
54	🇬🇭 Ghana	55.5	−0.4	−8.0
55	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	54.0	−0.2	−0.7
56	🇳🇵 Nepal	52.8	+2.7	+33.7
57	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	52.6	+1.0	+2.5
58	🇱🇸 Lesotho	52.1	+1.2	+4.4
59	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	51.7	+1.2	+7.0
60	🇬🇲 The Gambia	51.6	+1.6	+41.1
61	🇳🇦 Namibia	50.3	0.0	−3.3
62	🇷🇴 Romania	50.3	−3.9	−6.0
63	🇽🇰 Kosovo	49.4	−1.4	+13.0
64	🇲🇪 Montenegro	49.1	+6.2	+9.7
65	🇲🇼 Malawi	47.9	−3.3	+4.0
66	🇸🇳 Senegal	47.4	−6.2	−11.1
67	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	47.1	−0.7	+11.7
68	🇰🇪 Kenya	46.3	+1.3	+5.0
69	🇪🇨 Ecuador	46.3	−4.1	+19.8
70	🇵🇱 Poland	45.7	+4.0	−36.4
71	🇬🇪 Georgia	45.6	−0.8	0.0
72	🇲🇻 Maldives	45.3	+1.7	+21.5
73	🇧🇹 Bhutan	44.7	−1.9	−3.5
74	🇧🇼 Botswana	44.4	−1.5	−16.5
75	🇿🇲 Zambia	42.7	−0.9	+3.6
76	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	42.6	−1.4	+15.8
77	🇱🇷 Liberia	42.1	+1.2	−3.5
78	🇦🇲 Armenia	42.1	−2.7	+21.5
79	🇵🇾 Paraguay	42.0	−1.0	+1.3
80	🇲🇳 Mongolia	41.2	−5.0	−14.5
81	🇫🇯 Fiji	41.1	+14.8	+29.7
82	🇭🇳 Honduras	39.8	+0.9	+14.3
83	🇦🇱 Albania	39.4	−3.4	−3.9
84	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	39.1	−4.8	+7.3
85	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	37.2	+0.3	+2.4
86	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	36.3	−1.0	+7.6
87	🇲🇾 Malaysia	36.2	+4.6	+15.6
88	🇹🇿 Tanzania	35.5	+0.8	−4.1
89	🇲🇺 Mauritius	35.3	−2.0	−28.9
90	🇮🇩 Indonesia	34.8	−4.2	−17.2
91	🇧🇴 Bolivia	34.4	+0.6	−5.2
92	🇬🇹 Guatemala	33.8	+2.4	−7.2
93	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	33.6	−0.8	−3.3
94	🇸🇬 Singapore	33.4	+0.6	+0.4
95	🇭🇺 Hungary	32.3	−1.2	−25.2
96	🇳🇬 Nigeria	31.6	−0.5	−6.5
97	🇧🇯 Benin	31.3	+2.8	−16.9
98	🇬🇾 Guyana	31.3	−1.6	−7.3
99	🇲🇽 Mexico	30.2	−2.8	−11.8
100	🇰🇼 Kuwait	29.4	+1.3	+1.6
101	🇵🇭 Philippines	28.8	+1.1	−12.0
102	🇳🇪 Niger	28.5	−10.2	−21.6
103	🇹🇳 Tunisia	28.3	+8.7	−35.2
104	🇮🇳 India	27.3	−1.8	−24.9
105	🇲🇦 Morocco	25.2	0.0	+2.2
106	Somaliland	25.1	0.0	+0.3
107	🇯🇴 Jordan	25.0	+0.6	+3.0
108	🇷🇸 Serbia	24.8	−1.1	−15.3
109	🇹🇭 Thailand	24.6	+5.1	−10.6
110	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	24.0	+0.4	−5.5
111	🇺🇦 Ukraine	23.9	+0.4	−1.2
112	Zanzibar	23.5	−0.1	−1.8
113	🇱🇧 Lebanon	23.4	−1.6	−6.7
114	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	23.1	+8.4	+3.6
115	🇲🇬 Madagascar	22.5	−1.2	+10.0
116	🇲🇿 Mozambique	22.4	−1.6	−7.7
117	🇮🇶 Iraq	20.8	+0.4	−3.0
118	🇵🇰 Pakistan	20.5	−2.2	−8.0
119	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	19.7	−4.0	−11.9
120	🇹🇬 Togo	19.4	−2.2	−4.4
121	🇬🇦 Gabon	18.5	−1.4	−3.8
122	🇲🇷 Mauritania	18.3	−1.2	+0.9
123	🇺🇬 Uganda	17.9	−0.6	−5.1
124	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	17.9	−4.5	−22.6
125	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	17.5	−1.1	−3.4
126	🇦🇴 Angola	15.4	+0.1	+3.2
127	🇲🇱 Mali	14.5	−0.2	−4.9
128	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	13.9	+0.5	+3.0
129	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	13.9	−1.0	−17.5
130	🇴🇲 Oman	13.9	+0.1	0.0
131	🇸🇴 Somalia	13.1	+1.7	+1.3
132	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	12.4	+0.2	−3.9
133	🇪🇬 Egypt	12.3	0.0	+2.6
134	🇩🇿 Algeria	12.3	−0.3	−4.8
135	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	12.3	−2.7	−0.1
136	🇨🇲 Cameroon	12.2	−1.6	−2.8
137	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	12.1	+0.7	+2.0
138	🇩🇯 Djibouti	11.8	−0.1	+0.4
139	🇰🇲 Comoros	11.8	−0.6	−16.0
140	🇻🇳 Vietnam	11.1	+0.5	−0.2
141	🇹🇷 Türkiye	10.8	−0.2	−18.1
142	🇸🇻 El Salvador	10.6	−1.2	−33.1
143	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	10.6	−2.8	+0.2
144	🇱🇦 Laos	10.6	−0.7	+1.6
145	🇱🇾 Libya	10.5	−0.3	−19.5
146	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	10.2	−6.7	−4.8
147	🇷🇼 Rwanda	9.9	−1.1	−3.7
148	🇸🇿 Eswatini	9.9	+0.2	+0.2
149	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	9.4	+0.3	−5.0
150	🇭🇹 Haiti	8.4	−7.0	−17.8
151	🇶🇦 Qatar	8.3	+0.2	−0.6
152	🇬🇳 Guinea	7.9	−0.3	−3.8
153	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	7.9	+0.1	+4.2
154	🇮🇷 Iran	7.7	−0.1	−5.2
155	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	7.7	−0.9	−1.0
156	Palestine/Gaza	7.3	+1.8	+0.5
157	🇸🇸 South Sudan	7.0	+0.7	−0.5
158	🇷🇺 Russia	6.5	−0.5	−5.1
159	🇧🇭 Bahrain	6.4	0.0	+1.3
160	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	6.2	0.0	−0.5
161	🇧🇮 Burundi	5.6	−2.1	−5.3
162	🇨🇺 Cuba	5.5	−0.1	−0.2
163	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	5.4	+0.5	+0.2
164	🇻🇪 Venezuela	5.3	−0.1	−5.6
165	🇰🇭 Cambodia	5.2	−0.7	−6.2
166	🇹🇩 Chad	5.1	+1.0	−4.2
167	🇾🇪 Yemen	4.5	+0.4	−10.3
168	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	4.5	−0.1	−0.1
169	🇸🇾 Syria	4.4	+1.3	+2.0
170	🇸🇩 Sudan	3.9	−0.9	−2.4
171	🇨🇳 China	3.7	−0.5	−1.6
172	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	3.6	0.0	−1.7
173	🇧🇾 Belarus	3.5	−0.1	−6.4
174	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	3.4	+0.2	+1.0
175	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	2.1	−0.6	−10.4
176	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	1.5	−0.1	−14.2
177	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	1.5	+0.4	−17.9
178	🇰🇵 North Korea	1.4	0.0	0.0
179	🇪🇷 Eritrea	1.0	−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 2023, with the highest score of 88.4 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for liberal democracy index in 2023?

In 2023, the top three of 179 ranked countries are Denmark (88.4), Sweden (84.9), and Estonia (84.5).

Which country ranks last on liberal democracy index in 2023?

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

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

The Gambia shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 41.1 points over the past decade, standing at 51.6 (rank #60) in 2023.

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 2023 edition covers 179 countries.