The new Democracy Index ranking, compiled annually by The Economist, shows that democracy worldwide is in its worst state in two decades.
What is this index?
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has conducted this research annually since 2006. The latest report for 2024 covers 167 countries and territories, which were rated on a scale from zero to ten based on five criteria
- electoral process and pluralism;
- Government functioning;
- political participation;
- political culture;
- civil liberties.
The assessment results classify states into four categories: full democracy, imperfect democracy, transitional regime, and authoritarian regime.
Norway has been the most democratic country in the world for 16 years, with a score of 9.81. It is followed by New Zealand (9.61) and Sweden (9.39).
Afghanistan has been ranked the lowest since 2021, gaining only 0.25 points. The biggest change was in Bangladesh, where the government changed last year after a government uprising. The country has fallen from 75th to 100th place.
The average global democracy score fell to a new record low of 5.17, down from a high of 5.55 in 2015. Only 6.6% of the world’s population lives in full democracy, down from 12.5% a decade ago. A significant portion of the world’s population out of five people under authoritarian rule.
In particular, in Pakistan, a week before the election, a wave of attacks on parliamentary candidates swept through the country – at least three were killed. The most popular politician, Imran Khan, was imprisoned shortly before the election. The country’s score dropped from 3.25 points in 2023 to 2.84. In Russia, another fraudulent election gave Vladimir Putin a fifth presidential term, with the country scoring only 2.03 points in the index. Elections were canceled in other countries, including Burkina Faso, Mali, and Qatar. Norway has been the most democratic country in the world for 16 years, with a score of 9.81. It is followed by New Zealand (9.61) and Sweden (9.39).
Afghanistan has been ranked the lowest since 2021, gaining only 0.25 points. The biggest change was in Bangladesh, where the government changed last year after a government uprising. The country has fallen from 75th to 100th place.
The average global democracy score fell to a new record low of 5.17, down from a high of 5.55 in 2015. Only 6.6% of the world’s population lives in full democracy, down from 12.5% a decade ago. A significant portion of the world’s population out of five people under authoritarian rule.