Combined polity score by country
The Combined Polity score is computed by subtracting the AUTOCRACY score (UPP.INS.AUTO.XQ) from the DEMOCRACY score (UPP.INS.DEMO.XQ); the resulting unified polity scale ranges from +10 (strongly democratic) to -10 (strongly autocratic). Note: The POLITY score was added to the Polity IV data series in recognition...
What the numbers show
Combined polity score is currently reported for 51 countries. The highest value is 10 in Cape Verde; the lowest is -88 in Tunisia.
The median across all reporting countries is 3, and the mean is -2.41.
Over the past decade 23 countries rose and 5 fell. The largest increase was in Guinea (up 600.0%), and the largest decrease in Tunisia (down 2,833.3%).
Combined polity score: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Verde | 10 | 2011 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Mauritius | 10 | 2011 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | South Africa | 9 | 2011 | unchanged | volatile |
| 3 | Comoros | 9 | 2011 | — | volatile |
| 5 | Ghana | 8 | 2011 | up 33.3% | volatile |
| 5 | Botswana | 8 | 2011 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Kenya | 8 | 2011 | up 500.0% | volatile |
| 5 | Lesotho | 8 | 2011 | up 109.1% | volatile |
| 9 | Zambia | 7 | 2011 | up 40.0% | volatile |
| 9 | Senegal | 7 | 2011 | down 12.5% | volatile |
| 9 | Sierra Leone | 7 | 2011 | up 108.0% | volatile |
| 9 | Mali | 7 | 2011 | up 16.7% | volatile |
| 9 | Benin | 7 | 2011 | up 16.7% | volatile |
| 14 | Liberia | 6 | 2011 | — | volatile |
| 14 | Niger | 6 | 2011 | up 20.0% | volatile |
| 14 | Namibia | 6 | 2011 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Malawi | 6 | 2011 | up 50.0% | volatile |
| 14 | Guinea-Bissau | 6 | 2011 | up 20.0% | volatile |
| 14 | Burundi | 6 | 2011 | up 106.8% | volatile |
| 20 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 5 | 2011 | up 106.5% | volatile |
| 20 | Mozambique | 5 | 2011 | unchanged | volatile |
| 20 | Guinea | 5 | 2011 | up 600.0% | volatile |
| 23 | Nigeria | 4 | 2011 | unchanged | volatile |
| 23 | Cote d'Ivoire | 4 | 2011 | unchanged | volatile |
| 25 | Gabon | 3 | 2011 | up 175.0% | volatile |
| 25 | Madagascar | 3 | 2011 | down 57.1% | volatile |
| 27 | Algeria | 2 | 2011 | up 166.7% | volatile |
| 27 | Djibouti | 2 | 2011 | unchanged | volatile |
| 29 | Zimbabwe | 1 | 2011 | up 125.0% | volatile |
| 29 | Ethiopia | 1 | 2011 | unchanged | volatile |
| 31 | Burkina Faso | 0 | 2011 | — | volatile |
| 32 | Central African Republic | -1 | 2011 | down 120.0% | volatile |
| 32 | Uganda | -1 | 2011 | up 75.0% | volatile |
| 32 | Tanzania | -1 | 2011 | unchanged | volatile |
| 35 | Angola | -2 | 2011 | up 33.3% | volatile |
| 35 | Mauritania | -2 | 2011 | up 66.7% | rising |
| 35 | Egypt | -2 | 2011 | up 66.7% | rising |
| 35 | Sudan | -2 | 2011 | up 71.4% | volatile |
| 35 | Togo | -2 | 2011 | unchanged | volatile |
| 35 | Chad | -2 | 2011 | unchanged | volatile |
| 41 | Cameroon | -4 | 2011 | unchanged | rising |
| 41 | Morocco | -4 | 2011 | up 33.3% | volatile |
| 41 | Congo | -4 | 2011 | up 20.0% | volatile |
| 41 | Rwanda | -4 | 2011 | unchanged | rising |
| 45 | Gambia | -5 | 2011 | unchanged | volatile |
| 45 | Equatorial Guinea | -5 | 2011 | unchanged | rising |
| 47 | Eritrea | -7 | 2011 | unchanged | falling |
| 48 | Eswatini | -9 | 2011 | unchanged | falling |
| 49 | Somalia | -77 | 2011 | unchanged | volatile |
| 49 | Libya | -77 | 2011 | down 1,000.0% | volatile |
| 51 | Tunisia | -88 | 2011 | down 2,833.3% | volatile |
About this data
The Combined Polity score is computed by subtracting the AUTOCRACY score (UPP.INS.AUTO.XQ) from the DEMOCRACY score (UPP.INS.DEMO.XQ); the resulting unified polity scale ranges from +10 (strongly democratic) to -10 (strongly autocratic). Note: The POLITY score was added to the Polity IV data series in recognition of its common usage by users in quantitative research and in the overriding interest of maintaining uniformity among users in this application. The simple combination of the original DEMOC and AUTOC index values in a unitary POLITY scale, in many ways, runs contrary to the original theory stated by Eckstein and Gurr in Patterns of Authority Polity IV Project: Dataset Users’ Manual 17 (1975) and, so, should be treated and interpreted with due caution. Its primary utility is in investigative research which should be augmented by more detailed analysis. The original theory posits that autocratic and democratic authority are distinct patterns of authority, elements of which may co-exist in any particular regime context. The inclusion of this variable in the data series should not be seen as an acceptance of the counter-proposal that autocracy and democracy are alternatives or opposites in a unified authority spectrum, even though elements of this perspective may be implied in the original theory. The POLITY variable provides a convenient avenue for examining general regime effects in analyses but researchers should note that the middle of the implied POLITY “spectrum” is somewhat muddled in terms of the original theory, masking various combinations of DEMOC and AUTOC scores with the same POLITY score. Investigations involving hypotheses of varying effects of democracy and/or autocracy should employ the original Polity scheme and test DEMOC and AUTOC separately.