Democracy’s Decline: A Global Alert

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has sounded the alarm on the worldwide decline of democracy.

Its 2023 report, unveiled on February 15, reveals the Democracy Index at its lowest since the survey began in 2006.

Globally, the average score fell to 5.23 from 5.29 the previous year. This dip signals a worrying trend of democratic backslide and stagnation over recent years.

As of 2023, 74 countries qualify as democracies, with 24 achieving the status of “full democracies.” Meanwhile, the number of “flawed democracies” has increased to 50.

Authoritarian regimes govern over one-third of the global population (39.4%).

These findings expose a troubling increase in non-democratic and hybrid regimes, which significantly obstruct global democratic advancement.

Starting in 2016, this downward trajectory was exacerbated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on civil liberties.

Last year, various conflicts, including the war in Ukraine and unrest in Sudan, further eroded democratic norms.

Despite challenges, Ukraine has maintained higher democratic standards than its aggressor, Russia.

Brazil’s ranking as a “flawed democracy” remained unchanged, holding the 51st position.

Norway leads as the most democratic nation, a status it has enjoyed for 14 years, followed by New Zealand and Iceland.

At the other end, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and North Korea rank lowest.

Background

The Democracy Index, now in its 18th year, assesses democracy in 167 entities based on electoral processes, government functionality, political engagement, culture, and civil liberties.

The index assigns scores from 0 to 10 to countries and categorizes them into one of four governance types: full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes, and authoritarian regimes.

As of 2023, 74 countries are considered democracies, with 24 labeled as “full democracies.” The count of “flawed democracies” has risen to 50.

The findings reveal a concerning consolidation of non-democratic and hybrid regimes, posing significant hurdles to global democratic progress.

The EIU’s democracy measure shows that 45.4% of the world’s population lives in some form of democracy, but only 7.8% in a “full democracy” (scores above 8.00).

The number of democracies rose by two in 2023, with upgrades for Paraguay and Papua New Guinea from “hybrid regimes” to “flawed democracies.”

Greece achieved “full democracy” status, while Chile moved to “flawed democracy.” Pakistan dropped to an “authoritarian regime,” and Angola improved to a “hybrid regime.”