Democracy by country
Identifies the political regime of a country. It distinguishes between hard-line autocracies (score 1), moderate autocracies (score 2), highly defective democracies (score 3), defective democracies (score 4), and consolidating democracies (score 5).
Countries reporting
128
Highest
5
Botswana
Lowest
1
Zimbabwe
Median
2
Years covered
21
2005–2025
Data points
1,394
What the numbers show
Democracy is currently reported for 128 countries. The highest value is 5 in Botswana; the lowest is 1 in Zimbabwe.
The median across all reporting countries is 2, and the mean is 2.54.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 5.
Over the past decade 8 countries rose and 38 fell. The largest increase was in Armenia (up 100.0%), and the largest decrease in Niger (down 75.0%).
Democracy: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Botswana | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Chile | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Costa Rica | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Czechia | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Estonia | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Croatia | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Jamaica | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | South Korea | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Lithuania | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Latvia | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Poland | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 1 | Slovakia | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Slovenia | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Uruguay | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Taiwan | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Albania | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Argentina | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 16 | Armenia | 4 | 2025 | up 100.0% | rising |
| 16 | Bulgaria | 4 | 2025 | down 20.0% | falling |
| 16 | Bolivia | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Brazil | 4 | 2025 | down 20.0% | falling |
| 16 | Bhutan | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 16 | Colombia | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 16 | Dominican Republic | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Ecuador | 4 | 2025 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 16 | Ghana | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 16 | Hungary | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 16 | India | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 16 | Liberia | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 16 | Sri Lanka | 4 | 2025 | up 100.0% | rising |
| 16 | Lesotho | 4 | 2025 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 16 | Moldova | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 16 | North Macedonia | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Montenegro | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Mongolia | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Mauritius | 4 | 2025 | down 20.0% | falling |
| 16 | Malawi | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Malaysia | 4 | 2025 | up 100.0% | rising |
| 16 | Namibia | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 16 | Nepal | 4 | 2025 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 16 | Panama | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Paraguay | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Romania | 4 | 2025 | down 20.0% | falling |
| 16 | Senegal | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | Ukraine | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 16 | South Africa | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 16 | Zambia | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 48 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3 | 2025 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 48 | Honduras | 3 | 2025 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 48 | Indonesia | 3 | 2025 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 48 | Kenya | 3 | 2025 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 48 | Lebanon | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 48 | Mexico | 3 | 2025 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 48 | Peru | 3 | 2025 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 48 | Philippines | 3 | 2025 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 48 | Sierra Leone | 3 | 2025 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 57 | Angola | 2 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 57 | United Arab Emirates | 2 | 2025 | up 100.0% | rising |
| 57 | Benin | 2 | 2025 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 57 | Bangladesh | 2 | 2025 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 57 | Cote d'Ivoire | 2 | 2025 | down 33.3% | rising |
| 57 | Algeria | 2 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 57 | Georgia | 2 | 2025 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 57 | Guatemala | 2 | 2025 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 57 | Iraq | 2 | 2025 | up 100.0% | flat |
| 57 | Jordan | 2 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 57 | Kyrgyzstan | 2 | 2025 | down 33.3% | rising |
| 57 | Madagascar | 2 | 2025 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 57 | Mauritania | 2 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 57 | Nigeria | 2 | 2025 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 57 | Papua New Guinea | 2 | 2025 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 57 | Singapore | 2 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 57 | El Salvador | 2 | 2025 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 57 | Serbia | 2 | 2025 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 57 | Togo | 2 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 57 | Tunisia | 2 | 2025 | down 50.0% | volatile |
| 57 | Turkey | 2 | 2025 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 57 | Tanzania | 2 | 2025 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 57 | Uganda | 2 | 2025 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 80 | Afghanistan | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Azerbaijan | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 80 | Burundi | 1 | 2025 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 80 | Burkina Faso | 1 | 2025 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 80 | Bahrain | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 80 | Belarus | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Central African Republic | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | China | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Cameroon | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 80 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Congo | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Cuba | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Egypt | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 80 | Eritrea | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Ethiopia | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 80 | Guinea | 1 | 2025 | down 66.7% | rising |
| 80 | Haiti | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | volatile |
| 80 | Iran | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Kazakhstan | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 80 | Cambodia | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 80 | Kuwait | 1 | 2025 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 80 | Laos | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Libya | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 80 | Morocco | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 80 | Mali | 1 | 2025 | down 66.7% | falling |
| 80 | Myanmar | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Mozambique | 1 | 2025 | down 66.7% | falling |
| 80 | Niger | 1 | 2025 | down 75.0% | falling |
| 80 | Nicaragua | 1 | 2025 | down 66.7% | falling |
| 80 | Oman | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Pakistan | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | North Korea | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Qatar | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 80 | Russia | 1 | 2025 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 80 | Rwanda | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 80 | Saudi Arabia | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Sudan | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Somalia | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | South Sudan | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Syria | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Chad | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Thailand | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | volatile |
| 80 | Tajikistan | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Turkmenistan | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Uzbekistan | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Venezuela | 1 | 2025 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 80 | Vietnam | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 80 | Yemen | 1 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 80 | Zimbabwe | 1 | 2025 | down 50.0% | rising |
About this data
Identifies the political regime of a country. It distinguishes between hard-line autocracies (score 1), moderate autocracies (score 2), highly defective democracies (score 3), defective democracies (score 4), and consolidating democracies (score 5).