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V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · Liberal Democracy Index
Liberal democracy by country
Are rulers held in check by courts, rights and the rule of law, as well as by elections?
Denmark placed first of the 176 countries compared in 2025, at 0.884, and Eritrea last, at 0.009. In the middle country the figure was 0.354. Among the 165 countries measured in every edition since 1990, the middle one moved from 0.205 to 0.352.
Liberal democracy · 2025
Context statistic
Highest of 176Denmark
0.884012025 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 176 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: User:Aconcagua · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2Photo: User:Pieter Kuiper · Public domain, greyscale
3Photo: Ximonic , Simo Räsänen · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Lowest in 2025
- 176
Eritrea0.009 - 175
North Korea0.014 - 174
Myanmar0.015
Positions out of 176. Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
Highest on each continent
- Africa
Seychelles0.680 - Americas
Costa Rica0.809 - Asia
South Korea0.739 - EuropeDenmark0.884
- Oceania
Australia0.793 - Every region
02Every measured country
Liberal democracy on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- 0.009–0.102
- 0.103–0.251
- 0.260–0.457
- 0.462–0.645
- 0.664–0.884
- No reading in 2025
- Europe
0.667
the middle country, of 40 measured · 49 members
Denmark0.884
Belarus0.038Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Oceania
0.581
the middle country, of 6 measured · 21 members
Australia0.793
Papua New Guinea0.384Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Americas
0.523
the middle country, of 27 measured · 48 members
Costa Rica0.809
Nicaragua0.019Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Africa
0.165
the middle country, of 55 measured · 55 members
Seychelles0.680Eritrea0.009Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Asia
0.159
the middle country, of 48 measured · 52 members
South Korea0.739North Korea0.014Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Every region
20 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Northern Europe
0.815
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Denmark0.884
United Kingdom0.689Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Western Europe
0.782
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Switzerland0.843
Austria0.757Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Caribbean
0.587
the middle country, of 6 measured · 24 members
2 share 0.679
Cuba0.057Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Southern Europe
0.568
the middle country, of 13 measured · 17 members
Spain0.741
Serbia0.208Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Southern Africa
0.519
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
South Africa0.633
Eswatini0.097Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- South America
0.515
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Uruguay0.790
Venezuela0.042Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Eastern Europe
0.457
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Czechia0.794Belarus0.038Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Eastern Asia
0.424
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
South Korea0.739North Korea0.014Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Central America
0.380
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
Costa Rica0.809Nicaragua0.019Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- South-eastern Asia
0.294
the middle country, of 10 measured · 11 members
Timor-Leste0.549Myanmar0.015Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Western Africa
0.270
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Cabo Verde0.6312 share 0.095
Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Southern Asia
0.260
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Sri Lanka0.613
Afghanistan0.018Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Eastern Africa
0.165
the middle country, of 19 measured · 19 members
Seychelles0.680Eritrea0.009Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Western Asia
0.127
the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members
Cyprus0.664
Yemen0.043Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Northern Africa
0.121
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Tunisia0.265
Sudan0.034Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Middle Africa
0.115
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
São Tomé and Príncipe0.519
Equatorial Guinea0.047Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Central Asia
0.079
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Kyrgyzstan0.178
Turkmenistan0.034Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia0.793
New Zealand0.787Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Melanesia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Vanuatu0.623Papua New Guinea0.384Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
Canada0.736
United States0.571Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
03The whole field at once
The spread
176 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 0.354; a quarter are above 0.608, and a quarter below 0.116. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 176 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. Elections are a precondition here, not the whole story: a country with competitive elections but compliant courts or a weak legislature sits well below its electoral democracy reading. The figures are expert-coded estimates with uncertainty V-Dem publishes separately, so neighbours a few thousandths apart are not meaningfully different.
Showing 25 of 176 countries
Values for 2025. The change column compares 2025 with 2024 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051990–2025 · 36 reference years
Over time
Each point is one year from 1990, all of them re-estimated together in V-Dem's v16 release. Because elections are built into the index it moves with the Electoral Democracy Index; a gap opening between the two means the limits on power are moving on their own.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 165 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 176 | 0.354 | 0.116 – 0.608 | 0.352 |
| 2024 | 176 | 0.358 | 0.123 – 0.609 | 0.357 |
| 2023 | 176 | 0.354 | 0.123 – 0.621 | 0.353 |
| 2022 | 176 | 0.358 | 0.137 – 0.637 | 0.347 |
| 2021 | 176 | 0.367 | 0.140 – 0.631 | 0.362 |
| 2020 | 176 | 0.391 | 0.158 – 0.635 | 0.386 |
| 2019 | 176 | 0.393 | 0.161 – 0.621 | 0.393 |
| 2018 | 176 | 0.388 | 0.161 – 0.630 | 0.391 |
| 2017 | 176 | 0.374 | 0.161 – 0.629 | 0.372 |
| 2016 | 176 | 0.379 | 0.166 – 0.634 | 0.395 |
| 2015 | 176 | 0.389 | 0.174 – 0.642 | 0.397 |
| 2014 | 176 | 0.389 | 0.163 – 0.634 | 0.391 |
| 2013 | 176 | 0.389 | 0.150 – 0.644 | 0.396 |
| 2012 | 176 | 0.370 | 0.166 – 0.663 | 0.369 |
| 2011 | 176 | 0.373 | 0.163 – 0.664 | 0.377 |
| 2010 | 175 | 0.373 | 0.159 – 0.664 | 0.371 |
| 2009 | 175 | 0.376 | 0.165 – 0.654 | 0.376 |
| 2008 | 175 | 0.367 | 0.162 – 0.652 | 0.367 |
| 2007 | 175 | 0.369 | 0.158 – 0.646 | 0.366 |
| 2006 | 175 | 0.364 | 0.164 – 0.649 | 0.361 |
| 2005 | 175 | 0.371 | 0.149 – 0.652 | 0.367 |
| 2004 | 175 | 0.372 | 0.151 – 0.650 | 0.372 |
| 2003 | 175 | 0.373 | 0.152 – 0.650 | 0.371 |
| 2002 | 175 | 0.363 | 0.150 – 0.648 | 0.362 |
| 2001 | 174 | 0.330 | 0.143 – 0.640 | 0.327 |
| 2000 | 174 | 0.326 | 0.141 – 0.651 | 0.325 |
| 1999 | 174 | 0.321 | 0.139 – 0.616 | 0.325 |
| 1998 | 172 | 0.310 | 0.136 – 0.619 | 0.310 |
| 1997 | 171 | 0.307 | 0.137 – 0.613 | 0.307 |
| 1996 | 171 | 0.299 | 0.134 – 0.611 | 0.304 |
| 1995 | 171 | 0.305 | 0.132 – 0.608 | 0.307 |
| 1994 | 171 | 0.298 | 0.133 – 0.607 | 0.303 |
| 1993 | 171 | 0.296 | 0.130 – 0.617 | 0.301 |
| 1992 | 170 | 0.256 | 0.108 – 0.581 | 0.267 |
| 1991 | 169 | 0.216 | 0.111 – 0.561 | 0.225 |
| 1990 | 165 | 0.205 | 0.096 – 0.547 | 0.205 |
062024 → 2025
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after
Mauritius0.371 → 0.639 · 85th → 38th+0.268- Sri Lanka0.497 → 0.613 · 64th → 44th+0.116
- South Korea0.627 → 0.739 · 42nd → 22nd+0.112
Botswana0.470 → 0.520 · 69th → 59th+0.050
Ghana0.560 → 0.606 · 50th → 45th+0.046
Declined most
before → after- United States0.751 → 0.571 · 23rd → 51st−0.180
- Vanuatu0.686 → 0.623 · 32nd → 42nd−0.063
- United Kingdom0.750 → 0.689 · 24th → 30th−0.061
Tanzania0.357 → 0.297 · 89th → 97th−0.060
Ecuador0.443 → 0.386 · 73rd → 79th−0.057
176 countries were measured in both 2024 and 2025.
07Across every edition
Liberal democracy in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
0.896
Liberal democracy index (0–1)
Lowest reading on record
0.005
Liberal democracy index (0–1)
Biggest improvement between editions
+0.425
0.384 → 0.809
Biggest decline between editions
−0.275
0.390 → 0.115
Most improved since first measured
+0.509
0.097 → 0.606
At the top most often
35 of 36
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About liberal democracy
V-Dem's Liberal Democracy Index asks whether a country holds genuine elections AND whether power is limited between them — by protected civil liberties, the rule of law, independent courts and effective checks on the executive. It runs from 0 to 1, and a higher figure is more democratic.
What the number is: Liberal democracy index (0–1).
What it does not measure
It measures political institutions and rights, not economic freedom or how well a government performs.
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Governance & Institutions and Democracy & Civil Liberties, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Governance & InstitutionsDemocracy & Civil LibertiesWhich statistics vote, and why
Moves with
Where liberal democracy is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- V-Dem Electoral Democracy IndexKeyV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ 0.98
- Voice and AccountabilityWorld Bank Group · 175 countries in commonρ 0.97
- Deliberative Democracy IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ 0.97
Moves against
Where liberal democracy is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Political Corruption IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ −0.77
- Informal Employment RateILO · 86 countries in commonρ −0.66
- Refugees by Country of OriginUNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency · 173 countries in commonρ −0.65
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 187 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
More from V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
11Questions
Liberal democracy: questions and answers
Which country has the highest liberal democracy?
Denmark, at 0.884, among the 176 countries compared in 2025.
Which country has the lowest liberal democracy?
Eritrea, at 0.009, among the 176 countries compared in 2025.
How many countries does the Liberal Democracy Index cover?
176 in 2025. The number measured varies from 165 to 176 between editions.
What is the world average liberal democracy?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 176 compared in 2025, the figure was 0.354.
Is this V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg’s own ranking?
No. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Liberal Democracy Index published?
This site holds 36 reference years, 1990–2025, all recalculated in V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg’s 2026 report on one method — not 36 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, under CC BY-SA 4.0. From the V-Dem Institute's Country-Year Core dataset (v16), University of Gothenburg, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. V-Dem's data runs back to 1789; the series here starts in 1990 so that every row belongs to a present-day country. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Liberal Democracy Index — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
From the V-Dem Institute's Country-Year Core dataset (v16), University of Gothenburg, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. V-Dem's data runs back to 1789; the series here starts in 1990 so that every row belongs to a present-day country.
Newest edition
Report year 2025Data year 2025
Cite the source as: Coppedge, M. et al. V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v16. Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project, University of Gothenburg.
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0, checked 2026-09-26.
How this page reads the numbers
- V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Denmark — User:Aconcagua, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Sweden — User:Pieter Kuiper, Public domain
- Norway — Ximonic , Simo Räsänen, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Liberal democracy by country: Liberal Democracy Index, data from V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/liberal-democracy