Effective Power to Govern Score by country

Indicates the extent to which no individual or group holds de facto veto power over democratically elected political leaders.

Countries reporting
128
Highest
10
Botswana
Lowest
1
Yemen
Median
3
Years covered
21
2005–2025
Data points
1,394

What the numbers show

Effective Power to Govern Score is currently reported for 128 countries. The highest value is 10 in Botswana; the lowest is 1 in Yemen.

The median across all reporting countries is 3, and the mean is 4.66.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 10.

Over the past decade 20 countries rose and 40 fell. The largest increase was in Central African Republic (up 200.0%), and the largest decrease in Nicaragua (down 87.5%).

Effective Power to Govern Score: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Botswana 10 2025 unchanged flat
1 Chile 10 2025 up 11.1% rising
1 Costa Rica 10 2025 unchanged flat
1 Czechia 10 2025 unchanged flat
1 Estonia 10 2025 unchanged flat
1 Croatia 10 2025 up 11.1% flat
1 South Korea 10 2025 unchanged flat
1 Lithuania 10 2025 unchanged flat
1 Latvia 10 2025 up 11.1% flat
1 Mauritius 10 2025 unchanged rising
1 Slovakia 10 2025 unchanged flat
1 Slovenia 10 2025 unchanged flat
1 Uruguay 10 2025 unchanged flat
1 Taiwan 10 2025 unchanged flat
15 Brazil 9 2025 unchanged flat
15 Ghana 9 2025 unchanged rising
15 Hungary 9 2025 down 10.0% falling
15 Jamaica 9 2025 unchanged falling
15 Montenegro 9 2025 unchanged falling
15 Namibia 9 2025 unchanged flat
15 Poland 9 2025 down 10.0% falling
15 El Salvador 9 2025 unchanged flat
23 Argentina 8 2025 unchanged falling
23 Bolivia 8 2025 down 11.1% rising
23 Dominican Republic 8 2025 unchanged falling
23 Ecuador 8 2025 down 11.1% rising
23 Lesotho 8 2025 up 100.0% rising
23 North Macedonia 8 2025 up 14.3% falling
23 Malawi 8 2025 unchanged rising
23 Romania 8 2025 down 11.1% falling
23 Senegal 8 2025 unchanged falling
23 Ukraine 8 2025 up 33.3% rising
23 South Africa 8 2025 unchanged falling
23 Zambia 8 2025 unchanged rising
35 Albania 7 2025 unchanged falling
35 Armenia 7 2025 up 133.3% rising
35 Bulgaria 7 2025 down 22.2% falling
35 Bhutan 7 2025 unchanged rising
35 Colombia 7 2025 up 16.7% rising
35 India 7 2025 down 12.5% falling
35 Liberia 7 2025 up 16.7% rising
35 Sri Lanka 7 2025 up 133.3% rising
35 Mongolia 7 2025 unchanged flat
35 Nepal 7 2025 up 16.7% rising
35 Panama 7 2025 down 22.2% flat
35 Peru 7 2025 unchanged flat
35 Paraguay 7 2025 down 12.5% flat
35 Sierra Leone 7 2025 unchanged flat
49 Iraq 6 2025 up 100.0% rising
49 Moldova 6 2025 unchanged falling
49 Mexico 6 2025 unchanged falling
49 Malaysia 6 2025 up 100.0% rising
49 Philippines 6 2025 unchanged flat
54 Bosnia and Herzegovina 5 2025 down 28.6% falling
54 Indonesia 5 2025 down 28.6% falling
54 Kenya 5 2025 down 16.7% falling
57 Guatemala 4 2025 unchanged falling
57 Honduras 4 2025 down 42.9% falling
57 Lebanon 4 2025 unchanged falling
60 Burundi 3 2025 unchanged falling
60 Benin 3 2025 down 66.7% falling
60 Bangladesh 3 2025 down 50.0% falling
60 Central African Republic 3 2025 up 200.0% rising
60 Cote d'Ivoire 3 2025 down 57.1% volatile
60 Democratic Republic of Congo 3 2025 up 50.0% rising
60 Ethiopia 3 2025 up 50.0% rising
60 Georgia 3 2025 down 62.5% falling
60 Kyrgyzstan 3 2025 down 40.0% rising
60 Madagascar 3 2025 down 57.1% falling
60 Mozambique 3 2025 down 50.0% falling
60 Nigeria 3 2025 down 50.0% falling
60 Pakistan 3 2025 unchanged rising
60 Papua New Guinea 3 2025 down 40.0% falling
60 Singapore 3 2025 up 50.0% rising
60 Serbia 3 2025 down 66.7% falling
60 Togo 3 2025 up 50.0% rising
60 Thailand 3 2025 up 200.0% volatile
60 Turkey 3 2025 down 70.0% falling
60 Tanzania 3 2025 down 62.5% falling
60 Uganda 3 2025 down 50.0% falling
81 Angola 2 2025 unchanged flat
81 Azerbaijan 2 2025 unchanged rising
81 Belarus 2 2025 unchanged rising
81 China 2 2025 unchanged rising
81 Cameroon 2 2025 unchanged falling
81 Congo 2 2025 unchanged flat
81 Algeria 2 2025 unchanged flat
81 Egypt 2 2025 unchanged flat
81 Iran 2 2025 unchanged flat
81 Jordan 2 2025 unchanged flat
81 Kazakhstan 2 2025 unchanged rising
81 Morocco 2 2025 unchanged flat
81 Mauritania 2 2025 unchanged falling
81 Russia 2 2025 down 33.3% falling
81 Rwanda 2 2025 unchanged rising
81 Somalia 2 2025 up 100.0% rising
81 Tajikistan 2 2025 unchanged rising
81 Tunisia 2 2025 down 75.0% volatile
81 Uzbekistan 2 2025 unchanged rising
81 Venezuela 2 2025 unchanged falling
81 Vietnam 2 2025 unchanged rising
81 Zimbabwe 2 2025 unchanged flat
103 Afghanistan 1 2025 down 66.7% falling
103 United Arab Emirates 1 2025 unchanged flat
103 Burkina Faso 1 2025 unchanged volatile
103 Bahrain 1 2025 unchanged falling
103 Cuba 1 2025 unchanged flat
103 Eritrea 1 2025 unchanged falling
103 Guinea 1 2025 down 83.3% volatile
103 Haiti 1 2025 down 50.0% volatile
103 Cambodia 1 2025 down 50.0% falling
103 Kuwait 1 2025 down 50.0% rising
103 Laos 1 2025 unchanged falling
103 Libya 1 2025 unchanged falling
103 Mali 1 2025 down 83.3% volatile
103 Myanmar 1 2025 down 66.7% rising
103 Niger 1 2025 down 85.7% falling
103 Nicaragua 1 2025 down 87.5% volatile
103 Oman 1 2025 unchanged flat
103 North Korea 1 2025 unchanged flat
103 Qatar 1 2025 unchanged flat
103 Saudi Arabia 1 2025 unchanged flat
103 Sudan 1 2025 down 50.0% falling
103 South Sudan 1 2025 down 50.0% volatile
103 Syria 1 2025 unchanged falling
103 Chad 1 2025 down 50.0% flat
103 Turkmenistan 1 2025 unchanged falling
103 Yemen 1 2025 unchanged falling

About this data

Indicator
Effective Power to Govern Score
Source
Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
128 places, 1,394 data points, 2005–2025
Last refreshed

Indicates the extent to which no individual or group holds de facto veto power over democratically elected political leaders.