Which countries rank highest on participatory democracy?

Every country ranked by the V-Dem participatory democracy index index for 2025 (179 countries, 0–100 scale).

Participatory Democracy Index rankings, 2025 — 179 countries scored 0–100 (V-Dem)
Rank	Country	Score (0–100)	1y change	10y change
1	🇨🇭 Switzerland	78.5	0.0	−2.0
2	🇺🇾 Uruguay	71.6	+1.4	−3.4
3	🇩🇰 Denmark	70.0	−0.4	−1.0
4	🇹🇼 Taiwan	65.2	+2.6	+5.1
5	🇦🇺 Australia	64.8	+1.7	+4.5
6	🇳🇴 Norway	63.8	+0.1	−1.5
7	🇸🇪 Sweden	63.5	+0.6	−2.2
8	🇧🇪 Belgium	63.3	−0.3	−1.7
9	🇪🇪 Estonia	62.1	−0.4	−1.2
10	🇮🇪 Ireland	61.9	−0.7	−2.5
11	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	60.6	−0.2	−7.2
12	🇫🇷 France	59.7	−0.9	−3.2
13	🇫🇮 Finland	59.7	+1.5	−1.3
14	🇱🇻 Latvia	59.5	+0.1	−6.3
15	🇩🇪 Germany	59.3	+0.3	−4.6
16	🇨🇦 Canada	58.9	+0.6	+3.7
17	🇦🇹 Austria	58.2	+0.2	−7.7
18	🇳🇿 New Zealand	58.1	−3.7	−10.6
19	🇨🇱 Chile	57.4	−2.1	−1.5
20	🇪🇸 Spain	57.2	−0.2	−4.0
21	🇮🇹 Italy	56.9	−3.6	−10.2
22	🇮🇸 Iceland	56.5	−4.0	−7.3
23	🇨🇿 Czechia	56.2	−1.2	−0.6
24	🇱🇹 Lithuania	56.0	−1.8	−7.9
25	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	55.6	−0.5	−7.6
26	🇳🇱 Netherlands	55.3	−0.1	−5.5
27	🇰🇷 South Korea	55.1	+7.3	+8.9
28	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	53.3	−4.4	−9.8
29	🇵🇹 Portugal	52.9	−3.2	−11.0
30	🇲🇹 Malta	52.9	−0.9	−4.5
31	🇧🇷 Brazil	52.8	−2.2	−8.7
32	🇯🇵 Japan	52.6	0.0	−0.1
33	🇯🇲 Jamaica	52.4	−0.7	−1.5
34	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	52.0	+8.1	+16.0
35	🇵🇱 Poland	51.9	+2.7	−9.7
36	🇺🇸 United States of America	51.0	−9.2	−14.3
37	🇸🇷 Suriname	50.9	+0.9	+3.2
38	🇸🇰 Slovakia	50.8	−1.3	−12.7
39	🇸🇮 Slovenia	50.6	−4.3	−18.3
40	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	50.5	+1.1	−0.2
41	🇬🇷 Greece	49.3	−1.7	−14.9
42	🇨🇾 Cyprus	49.0	−0.2	−8.7
43	🇲🇺 Mauritius	48.1	+16.5	+1.6
44	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	47.5	+1.1	+11.0
45	🇿🇦 South Africa	47.0	+0.7	−3.0
46	🇨🇴 Colombia	46.7	−1.0	+0.6
47	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	46.2	+0.1	+10.0
48	🇪🇨 Ecuador	46.2	−2.9	+9.9
49	🇭🇷 Croatia	45.9	−1.9	−13.4
50	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	45.8	+0.1	−1.4
51	🇮🇱 Israel	45.5	−0.6	−1.4
52	🇵🇪 Peru	44.8	+1.8	−13.6
53	🇵🇦 Panama	44.1	+1.5	−3.4
54	🇳🇵 Nepal	43.5	+0.4	+7.8
55	🇦🇷 Argentina	42.9	−3.3	−8.4
56	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	42.9	+0.5	+7.6
57	🇬🇹 Guatemala	42.1	+3.2	+7.6
58	🇷🇴 Romania	41.6	−0.6	−8.5
59	🇧🇴 Bolivia	41.4	+2.5	−4.9
60	🇬🇲 The Gambia	40.6	+0.6	+26.6
61	🇱🇸 Lesotho	40.4	+0.6	+4.4
62	🇲🇪 Montenegro	40.3	−0.2	+8.3
63	🇸🇳 Senegal	40.2	+1.5	−3.2
64	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	39.7	−5.6	−6.6
65	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	39.1	−0.1	−1.8
66	🇲🇩 Moldova	38.9	−5.3	+2.0
67	🇧🇼 Botswana	36.9	+3.8	−6.9
68	🇲🇼 Malawi	36.6	0.0	+2.3
69	🇬🇭 Ghana	36.1	+4.3	−0.7
70	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	35.4	−0.7	+5.5
71	🇧🇹 Bhutan	34.9	0.0	−0.5
72	🇳🇦 Namibia	34.9	+0.5	−9.5
73	🇿🇲 Zambia	34.8	−0.7	+5.0
74	🇧🇧 Barbados	34.7	−0.3	+1.0
75	🇽🇰 Kosovo	34.6	−1.5	−1.8
76	🇵🇾 Paraguay	34.2	−0.1	−3.2
77	🇸🇨 Seychelles	34.1	+1.9	+13.3
78	🇲🇽 Mexico	33.7	−0.5	−6.2
79	🇰🇪 Kenya	33.5	−2.3	−4.1
80	🇳🇬 Nigeria	32.3	−1.3	−4.9
81	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	32.3	−19.1	−12.8
82	🇱🇷 Liberia	32.1	−0.8	−1.9
83	🇭🇳 Honduras	32.0	−1.0	+4.4
84	🇦🇲 Armenia	31.9	−0.2	+12.9
85	🇲🇻 Maldives	31.6	−1.0	+8.1
86	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	30.7	0.0	−3.3
87	🇲🇾 Malaysia	30.3	−0.6	+7.1
88	🇮🇩 Indonesia	29.8	−2.5	−14.3
89	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	29.8	−0.5	−2.2
90	🇦🇱 Albania	29.0	−1.5	−2.3
91	🇬🇾 Guyana	28.3	0.0	−11.9
92	🇲🇳 Mongolia	28.1	+3.2	−9.7
93	🇧🇯 Benin	28.0	+0.1	−15.0
94	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	28.0	+0.3	+1.2
95	Somaliland	26.8	+1.4	+2.1
96	🇭🇺 Hungary	26.8	−1.0	−13.6
97	🇫🇯 Fiji	26.5	−0.3	+7.5
98	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	26.2	−2.6	−4.7
99	🇵🇭 Philippines	26.1	−1.3	−10.0
100	🇺🇦 Ukraine	25.2	−0.5	−4.1
101	🇮🇳 India	24.6	0.0	−8.4
102	🇹🇿 Tanzania	24.5	−2.1	−4.3
103	🇹🇳 Tunisia	24.2	−1.2	−16.5
104	🇬🇦 Gabon	24.0	+3.2	−2.2
105	🇬🇪 Georgia	23.6	−4.6	−19.8
106	🇹🇬 Togo	23.3	+2.6	+4.9
107	🇮🇶 Iraq	22.4	+0.6	−3.5
108	🇱🇧 Lebanon	22.2	+2.8	−4.0
109	🇲🇷 Mauritania	22.1	−0.6	+4.6
110	🇲🇬 Madagascar	21.7	−1.9	−8.4
111	🇷🇸 Serbia	21.7	−0.6	−6.4
112	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	20.2	−0.2	−3.4
113	🇲🇿 Mozambique	20.1	−0.8	−6.9
114	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	20.0	−0.1	−0.4
115	🇰🇲 Comoros	20.0	+0.5	−6.7
116	🇵🇰 Pakistan	19.2	−0.5	−8.0
117	🇳🇪 Niger	18.9	−1.0	−25.9
118	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	18.8	−0.8	+5.6
119	🇹🇭 Thailand	18.6	−0.7	+11.3
120	Zanzibar	17.0	+1.2	−3.0
121	🇹🇷 Türkiye	16.5	−0.3	−9.9
122	🇲🇱 Mali	16.4	−0.5	−16.3
123	🇻🇳 Vietnam	16.4	+1.5	−0.3
124	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	16.3	−1.1	−11.4
125	🇸🇻 El Salvador	15.9	−4.0	−24.8
126	🇺🇬 Uganda	15.6	−0.5	−6.2
127	🇲🇦 Morocco	15.1	−0.2	−2.4
128	🇵🇸 Palestine/West Bank	15.0	−0.1	−1.6
129	🇻🇪 Venezuela	14.8	−0.6	−6.1
130	🇧🇮 Burundi	14.2	+3.8	−2.5
131	🇩🇯 Djibouti	14.2	−0.2	+0.9
132	🇯🇴 Jordan	13.2	+0.3	+1.9
133	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	13.0	−0.2	0.0
134	🇷🇼 Rwanda	13.0	−0.3	−6.9
135	🇹🇩 Chad	12.9	+1.0	+0.5
136	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	12.8	−0.3	+3.4
137	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	12.8	−0.8	−9.1
138	🇷🇺 Russia	12.4	+0.3	−2.5
139	🇸🇬 Singapore	12.1	+0.5	+1.1
140	🇬🇳 Guinea	12.0	+1.5	−13.1
141	🇴🇲 Oman	12.0	−0.5	−0.3
142	🇭🇹 Haiti	11.9	0.0	−13.2
143	🇱🇦 Laos	11.8	+0.5	+2.2
144	🇸🇿 Eswatini	11.0	0.0	−1.1
145	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	10.7	−1.6	+3.4
146	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	10.4	−1.6	−12.8
147	🇦🇴 Angola	10.3	+0.3	+3.7
148	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	9.9	−0.7	−2.3
149	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	9.8	0.0	−8.8
150	🇩🇿 Algeria	9.5	+0.1	−2.4
151	🇸🇴 Somalia	9.5	+0.3	+0.8
152	🇨🇲 Cameroon	9.3	−1.5	−7.6
153	🇱🇾 Libya	8.7	0.0	−9.2
154	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	8.2	+0.2	+4.4
155	🇪🇬 Egypt	7.6	−0.3	+2.4
156	🇾🇪 Yemen	7.2	+0.1	−1.8
157	Palestine/Gaza	7.1	+0.4	−3.2
158	🇰🇭 Cambodia	6.0	−0.3	−5.4
159	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	5.9	+0.4	+0.8
160	🇸🇾 Syria	5.8	−0.7	+1.3
161	🇧🇾 Belarus	5.4	0.0	−3.6
162	🇧🇭 Bahrain	5.4	0.0	+0.8
163	🇨🇺 Cuba	5.4	−0.1	+0.9
164	🇰🇼 Kuwait	5.3	−1.2	−5.5
165	🇸🇩 Sudan	5.1	−1.9	−3.6
166	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	5.1	+3.9	−9.1
167	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	4.9	−0.3	−7.9
168	🇸🇸 South Sudan	4.7	−4.3	−4.0
169	🇰🇵 North Korea	4.4	0.0	+0.1
170	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	4.3	−0.1	−1.3
171	🇮🇷 Iran	4.2	0.0	−0.6
172	🇲🇲 Burma/Myanmar	4.1	−0.5	−17.4
173	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	4.1	−0.6	−1.6
174	🇨🇳 China	3.6	+0.5	−0.4
175	🇶🇦 Qatar	3.4	−0.5	+1.0
176	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	3.3	0.0	+0.2
177	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	3.1	0.0	+0.1
178	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	2.6	+0.2	−0.3
179	🇪🇷 Eritrea	0.8	0.0	−0.2

Frequently asked questions

Switzerland ranks #1 of 179 countries on the V-Dem participatory democracy index index in 2025, with the highest score of 78.5 on a 0–100 scale.

What are the top 3 countries for participatory democracy index in 2025?

In 2025, the top three of 179 ranked countries are Switzerland (78.5), Uruguay (71.6), and Denmark (70.0).

Which country ranks last on participatory democracy index in 2025?

Eritrea ranks #179 of 179 with a score of 0.8.

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

The Gambia shows the largest 10-year shift: its score improved by 26.6 points over the past decade, standing at 40.6 (rank #60) in 2025.

How is the participatory 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 2025 edition covers 179 countries.