Separation of Powers Score by country

Indicates the extent of mutual checks and balances on political powers.

Countries reporting
128
Highest
10
Chile
Lowest
1
Yemen
Median
4
Years covered
21
2005–2025
Data points
1,394

What the numbers show

Separation of Powers Score is currently reported for 128 countries. The highest value is 10 in Chile; the lowest is 1 in Yemen.

The median across all reporting countries is 4, and the mean is 4.3.

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

Over the past decade 14 countries rose and 68 fell. The largest increase was in Sri Lanka (up 100.0%), and the largest decrease in Niger (down 87.5%).

Separation of Powers Score: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Chile 10 2025 unchanged flat
1 Costa Rica 10 2025 unchanged flat
1 Czechia 10 2025 unchanged flat
1 Estonia 10 2025 unchanged flat
1 Lithuania 10 2025 unchanged flat
1 Slovenia 10 2025 unchanged falling
1 Uruguay 10 2025 unchanged flat
1 Taiwan 10 2025 unchanged flat
9 Brazil 9 2025 unchanged flat
9 Latvia 9 2025 unchanged falling
11 Bhutan 8 2025 up 14.3% rising
11 Dominican Republic 8 2025 up 33.3% falling
11 Ghana 8 2025 unchanged flat
11 Jamaica 8 2025 unchanged falling
11 South Korea 8 2025 down 11.1% flat
16 Albania 7 2025 up 75.0% flat
16 Bosnia and Herzegovina 7 2025 down 12.5% falling
16 Botswana 7 2025 unchanged flat
16 Colombia 7 2025 unchanged rising
16 Ecuador 7 2025 up 75.0% rising
16 Croatia 7 2025 down 22.2% falling
16 Indonesia 7 2025 down 22.2% flat
16 North Macedonia 7 2025 up 16.7% falling
16 Mongolia 7 2025 unchanged falling
16 Mauritius 7 2025 down 22.2% falling
16 Nepal 7 2025 up 40.0% rising
16 Papua New Guinea 7 2025 up 16.7% falling
16 Poland 7 2025 down 30.0% falling
16 Paraguay 7 2025 unchanged falling
16 Slovakia 7 2025 down 12.5% falling
16 South Africa 7 2025 unchanged falling
32 Argentina 6 2025 up 20.0% rising
32 Armenia 6 2025 up 50.0% rising
32 Bulgaria 6 2025 down 25.0% falling
32 India 6 2025 down 33.3% falling
32 Iraq 6 2025 up 20.0% rising
32 Kenya 6 2025 unchanged flat
32 Liberia 6 2025 unchanged rising
32 Sri Lanka 6 2025 up 100.0% falling
32 Moldova 6 2025 down 14.3% rising
32 Montenegro 6 2025 down 14.3% falling
32 Malawi 6 2025 down 14.3% falling
32 Namibia 6 2025 down 14.3% falling
32 Romania 6 2025 down 25.0% falling
32 Senegal 6 2025 unchanged rising
46 Benin 5 2025 down 28.6% falling
46 Mexico 5 2025 down 28.6% falling
46 Nigeria 5 2025 down 28.6% falling
46 Panama 5 2025 down 28.6% falling
46 Peru 5 2025 down 28.6% falling
46 Ukraine 5 2025 down 28.6% falling
52 Bolivia 4 2025 down 42.9% falling
52 Central African Republic 4 2025 down 20.0% falling
52 Georgia 4 2025 down 33.3% falling
52 Guatemala 4 2025 down 20.0% falling
52 Honduras 4 2025 down 42.9% falling
52 Hungary 4 2025 down 20.0% falling
52 Lebanon 4 2025 down 20.0% falling
52 Lesotho 4 2025 unchanged falling
52 Madagascar 4 2025 unchanged falling
52 Malaysia 4 2025 unchanged falling
52 Philippines 4 2025 down 33.3% falling
52 Singapore 4 2025 up 33.3% falling
52 Sierra Leone 4 2025 down 20.0% falling
52 Serbia 4 2025 down 42.9% falling
52 Uganda 4 2025 down 33.3% falling
52 Zambia 4 2025 down 33.3% falling
68 Angola 3 2025 unchanged rising
68 Bangladesh 3 2025 down 40.0% falling
68 Cote d'Ivoire 3 2025 down 25.0% rising
68 Cameroon 3 2025 unchanged falling
68 Democratic Republic of Congo 3 2025 unchanged rising
68 Algeria 3 2025 down 25.0% falling
68 Ethiopia 3 2025 unchanged falling
68 Jordan 3 2025 unchanged falling
68 Kyrgyzstan 3 2025 down 50.0% falling
68 Kuwait 3 2025 down 25.0% falling
68 Mauritania 3 2025 unchanged falling
68 Pakistan 3 2025 down 25.0% flat
68 El Salvador 3 2025 down 57.1% falling
68 Togo 3 2025 unchanged rising
68 Tunisia 3 2025 down 57.1% rising
68 Turkey 3 2025 down 57.1% falling
68 Tanzania 3 2025 down 50.0% falling
68 Uzbekistan 3 2025 up 50.0% rising
68 Zimbabwe 3 2025 unchanged falling
87 United Arab Emirates 2 2025 unchanged rising
87 Azerbaijan 2 2025 unchanged falling
87 Burundi 2 2025 down 50.0% falling
87 Bahrain 2 2025 down 33.3% falling
87 Belarus 2 2025 unchanged rising
87 Congo 2 2025 down 33.3% falling
87 Egypt 2 2025 down 33.3% falling
87 Haiti 2 2025 down 33.3% falling
87 Iran 2 2025 down 33.3% falling
87 Kazakhstan 2 2025 unchanged falling
87 Laos 2 2025 up 100.0% rising
87 Libya 2 2025 unchanged flat
87 Morocco 2 2025 unchanged falling
87 Mozambique 2 2025 down 50.0% falling
87 Nicaragua 2 2025 down 50.0% falling
87 Qatar 2 2025 unchanged falling
87 Russia 2 2025 down 33.3% falling
87 Rwanda 2 2025 down 33.3% falling
87 South Sudan 2 2025 down 33.3% falling
87 Thailand 2 2025 unchanged falling
87 Tajikistan 2 2025 down 33.3% falling
87 Turkmenistan 2 2025 unchanged flat
87 Venezuela 2 2025 down 33.3% falling
87 Vietnam 2 2025 unchanged rising
111 Afghanistan 1 2025 down 66.7% falling
111 Burkina Faso 1 2025 down 66.7% falling
111 China 1 2025 unchanged falling
111 Cuba 1 2025 down 50.0% rising
111 Eritrea 1 2025 unchanged falling
111 Guinea 1 2025 down 80.0% falling
111 Cambodia 1 2025 down 50.0% falling
111 Mali 1 2025 down 75.0% falling
111 Myanmar 1 2025 down 75.0% volatile
111 Niger 1 2025 down 87.5% falling
111 Oman 1 2025 down 50.0% falling
111 North Korea 1 2025 unchanged flat
111 Saudi Arabia 1 2025 unchanged falling
111 Sudan 1 2025 down 66.7% falling
111 Somalia 1 2025 unchanged rising
111 Syria 1 2025 down 50.0% falling
111 Chad 1 2025 down 50.0% falling
111 Yemen 1 2025 down 66.7% volatile

About this data

Indicator
Separation of Powers 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 of mutual checks and balances on political powers.