The Democracy Index published by the British media company the Economist Group is an index measuring the quality of democracy across the world. This quantitative and comparative assessment is centrally concerned with democratic rights and democratic institutions. The methodology for assessing democracy used in this democracy index is according to the Economist Intelligence Unit which is part of the Economist Group, a UK-based private company, which publishes the weekly newspaper The Economist.
The index is based on 60 indicators grouped into five categories, measuring pluralism, civil liberties, and political culture. In addition to a numeric score and a ranking, the index categorizes each country into one of four regime types: full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes, and authoritarian regimes. The first Democracy Index report was published in 2006. Reports were published every two years until 2010 and annually thereafter. The index includes 167 countries and territories, of which 165 are sovereign states and 164 are UN member states. Other democracy indices with similar assessments of the state of democracy include the V-Dem Democracy Indices or Bertelsmann Transformation Index.
Methodology
As described in the report, the Democracy Index produces a weighted average based on the answers to 60 questions, or indicators, each one with either two or three permitted answers. Most answers are experts' assessments. Some answers are provided by public-opinion surveys from the respective countries. In the case of countries for which survey results are missing, survey results for similar countries and expert assessments are used in order to fill in gaps.
The questions are grouped into five categories: electoral process and pluralism (12 indicators) functioning of government (14 indicators) political participation (9 indicators) political culture (8 indicators) civil liberties (17 indicators)
Each answer is converted to a score, either 0 or 1, or for the three-answer questions, 0, 0.5 or 1. With the exceptions mentioned below, within each category, the scores are added, multiplied by ten, and divided by the total number of questions within the category. There are a few modifying dependencies, which are explained much more precisely than the main rule procedures. In a few cases, an answer yielding zero for one question voids another question; e.g., if the elections for the national legislature and head of government are not considered free (question 1), then the next question, "Are elections... fair?", is not considered, but automatically scored zero. Likewise, there are a few questions considered so important that a low score on them yields a penalty on the total score sum for their respective categories, namely:
"Whether national elections are free and fair"; "The security of voters"; "The influence of foreign powers on government"; "The capability of the civil servants to implement policies".
The five category indices, which are listed in the report, are then averaged to find the overall score for a given country. Finally, the score, rounded to two decimals, decides the regime-type classification of the country.
The report discusses other indices of democracy, as defined, e.g., by Freedom House, and argues for some of the choices made by the team from the Economist Intelligence Unit. In this comparison, a higher emphasis is placed on the public opinion and attitudes, as measured by surveys, but on the other hand, economic living-standards are not weighted as one criterion of democracy (as seemingly some other investigators have done).
The report is widely cited in the international press as well as in peer-reviewed academic journals.
Definitions Full democracies are countries where civil liberties and fundamental political freedoms are not only respected but also reinforced by a political culture conducive to the thriving of democratic principles. These nations have a valid system of governmental checks and balances, an independent judiciary whose decisions are enforced, governments that function adequately, and diverse and independent media. These nations have only limited problems in democratic functioning. Flawed democracies are countries where elections are fair and free and basic civil liberties are honoured, but may have issues (e.g. media freedom infringement and minor suppression of political opposition and critics). These countries can have significant faults in other democratic aspects, including an underdeveloped political culture, low levels of participation in politics, and issues in the functioning of governance. Hybrid regimes are countries with regular electoral fraud, preventing them from being fair and free democracies. These countries commonly have non-independent judiciaries, widespread corruption, and weak rule of law. Political opponents and the media face harassment and pressure from governments. These countries have a less-developed political culture, lower levels of participation in politics, and more pronounced issues in the functioning of governance compared to flawed democracies. Authoritarian regimes are countries where political pluralism is nonexistent or severely limited. These nations are often absolute monarchies or dictatorships and may have some conventional institutions of democracy but with meagre significance. Infringements and abuses of civil liberties are commonplace, elections (if they take place) are not fair or free (especially sham elections), the media is often state-owned or controlled by groups associated with the ruling regime, the judiciary is not independent, and censorship and suppression of governmental criticism are commonplace.
By regime type The following table indicates the number of nations and the percentage of world population for each type of regime. Some microstates are not considered in the calculation.
+ By regime type (2025) Type of regime Score Countries % world population Number Percent Full democracies 26 15.5% 6.6% Flawed democracies 48 28.7% 38.4% Hybrid regimes 32 19.1% 15.7% Authoritarian regimes 61 36.5% 39.2%
List by region The following table lists the average of each country scored by geographic region, as defined by the Economist Democracy Index.
Region Countries 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2008 2006 Western Europe 21 North America 2 Latin America and the Caribbean 24 Eastern Europe and Central Asia 28 Asia and Australasia 28 Sub-Saharan Africa 44 Middle East and North Africa 20 World 167
The following table lists the number of countries in each of the four democracy classifications.
+ Year 2025 Rank Region Countries Authoritarian Hybrid regime Flawed democracy Full democracy Average score 1 Western Europe 21 0 1 4 16 2 North America 2 0 0 1 1 3 Latin America and the Caribbean 24 4 7 11 2 4 Asia and Australasia 28 8 6 10 4 5 Eastern Europe and Central Asia 28 8 5 13 2 6 Sub-Saharan Africa 44 24 11 8 1 7 Middle East and North Africa 20 17 2 1 0 World 167 61 32 48 26
List by country The following table shows each nation's score over the years. The regions are assigned by the Economist Intelligence Unit, and may differ from conventional classifications (for example, Turkey is grouped in Western Europe). Asia and Australasia Eastern Europe and Central Asia Latin America and the Caribbean Middle East and North Africa North America Sub-Saharan Africa Western Europe
Region2025 rankCountryRegime type202520242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020082006 Asia andAustralasia167Authoritarian 13=Full democracy 101Hybrid regime 79Hybrid regime 131=Authoritarian 142Authoritarian 82Hybrid regime 90Hybrid regime 47Flawed democracy 60Flawed democracy 13=Full democracy 159Authoritarian 42Flawed democracy 57=Flawed democracy 166Authoritarian 106Hybrid regime 2Full democracy 165Authoritarian 139Authoritarian 75Hybrid regime 62Flawed democracy 68Flawed democracy 32Flawed democracy 56Flawed democracy 15 Full democracy 54Flawed democracy 46Flawed democracy 133Authoritarian Eastern Europe andCentral Asia67Flawed democracy 84Hybrid regime 127Authoritarian 149Authoritarian 85Hybrid regime 61Flawed democracy 57=Flawed democracy 23Full democracy 24=Full democracy 99Hybrid regime 55Flawed democracy 123Authoritarian 116Authoritarian 33Flawed democracy 39Flawed democracy 77Hybrid regime 53Flawed democracy 64Flawed democracy 34=Flawed democracy 69Flawed democracy 148Authoritarian 63Flawed democracy 48Flawed democracy 29Flawed democracy 155Authoritarian 160Authoritarian 93Hybrid regime 146Authoritarian Latin America andthe Caribbean49Flawed democracy 83Hybrid regime 50Flawed democracy 27Flawed democracy 73=Flawed democracy 19Full democracy 135Authoritarian 51Flawed democracy 86Hybrid regime 96Hybrid regime 94=Hybrid regime 71Flawed democracy 125=Authoritarian 92Hybrid regime 52Flawed democracy 81Hybrid regime 150=Authoritarian 44Flawed democracy 73=Flawed democracy 76Hybrid regime 45Flawed democracy 43Flawed democracy 12Full democracy 144=Authoritarian Middle East andNorth Africa110Authoritarian 138Authoritarian 128=Authoritarian 152Authoritarian 119=Authoritarian 30Flawed democracy 115Authoritarian 130Authoritarian 109Authoritarian 141Authoritarian 91Hybrid regime 121Authoritarian 112Authoritarian 118Authoritarian 147Authoritarian 161Authoritarian 162=Authoritarian 94=Hybrid regime 117Authoritarian 153=Authoritarian Sub-Saharan Africa107Authoritarian 102=Hybrid regime 36Flawed democracy 137Authoritarian 144=Authoritarian 37=Flawed democracy 136Authoritarian 164Authoritarian 158Authoritarian 125=Authoritarian 128= Authoritarian 104Hybrid regime 156= Authoritarian 131=Authoritarian 156=Authoritarian 150=Authoritarian 134Authoritarian 119=Authoritarian 111Authoritarian 97Hybrid regime 65Flawed democracy 143Authoritarian 162=Authoritarian 89Hybrid regime 66Flawed democracy 80Hybrid regime 88Hybrid regime 70Flawed democracy 140Authoritarian 108Authoritarian 21Full democracy 113Authoritarian 59Flawed democracy 153=Authoritarian 105Hybrid regime 114Authoritarian 72Flawed democracy 98Hybrid regime 41Flawed democracy 87Hybrid regime 124Authoritarian 100Hybrid regime 78Hybrid regime 122Authoritarian North America9=Full democracy 34=Flawed democracy Western Europe17Full democracy 31Flawed democracy 40Flawed democracy 3Full democracy 5Full democracy 26Full democracy 16Full democracy 24=Full democracy 4Full democracy 7Full democracy 37=Flawed democracy 9=Full democracy 28Flawed democracy 11Full democracy 1Full democracy 20Full democracy 22Full democracy 6Full democracy 8Full democracy 102=Hybrid regime 18Full democracy
Components
The following table shows the five parameters that made up the score of each nation in 2024 and the changes that had occurred since 2023.