Democracy Index

Democracy Index

The Democracy Index is an index compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit. It intends to measure the state of democracy in 167 countries, of which 166 are sovereign states and 164 are UN member states. In 2016, Venezuela was downgraded from a full democracy to a flawed democracy. Australia and Taiwan both legalised same-sex marriage in 2017.

About Democracy Index in brief

Summary Democracy IndexThe Democracy Index is an index compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit. It intends to measure the state of democracy in 167 countries, of which 166 are sovereign states and 164 are UN member states. The index is based on 60 indicators grouped in five different categories, measuring pluralism, civil liberties and political culture. Each answer is converted to a score, either 0 or 1, or for the three-answer questions, 0, 0. 5 or 1. The Democracy Index, rounded to two decimals, decides the regime type classification of the country. In 2016, Venezuela was downgraded from a full democracy to a flawed democracy, which had been declining for some years. Australia and Taiwan both legalised same-sex marriage in 2017. In 2017, China, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of China, registered the worst year for global democracy since 2010–11.

The United States, the United States is on a list available on The Economist website, on the U.S. version of the index, is on the Economist website on the website, the Economist.com on the US version, and the Economist Europe on the European version. The Index is widely cited in the international press as well as in peer reviewed academic journals. 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 public opinion and attitudes, as measured by surveys, but on the other hand, economic living standards are not weighted as one criterion of democracy.