Study says 7.8% of population lives in “full democracies”; Brazil takes 51st place in the ranking
The EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit) warned of the regression of democracy in the world. In a study published on Thursday (02/15/2024), the Economist Group's research department said its democracy index in 2023 had reached its lowest level since 2006, when it began developing the analysis.
According to data for last year, the global average was 5.23 a decrease of 0.06 percentage points compared to 2022, when the index was 5.29. “The [o resultado] is consistent with a general trend of regression and stagnation [da democracia] in recent years,” the study says. Here is the full text (PDF 5 MB, in English).
The analysis says the decline in average scores began in 2016 and was made worse by restrictions on civil liberties during the Covid pandemic. He also said wars and conflicts over the past year had damaged democracy in the world “even more.”
“The war in Ukraine is weakening its already fragile democratic institutions (although it remains much more democratic than Russia, the country that invaded Ukraine in 2022). […]. Sudan's civil war and Israel's war against Hamas threaten security and democracy in the region,” he said.
Brazil is ranked 51st on the list, the same figure as in 2022. In 2021, it was ranked 47th. The country has historically had an overall score of 6.68 and is classified as an “imperfect democracy.”
Norway remains the most democratic country in the ranking. The country has held this position for 14 years, reaching a score of 9.81 in 2023. This is followed by New Zealand (9.61), Iceland (9.45), Sweden (9.39), Finland (9.30) and Denmark (9.28). Afghanistan (0.26), Myanmar (0.85) and North Korea (1.08) occupy the bottom three places.
METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS
The socalled Democracy Index has been compiled annually by the EIU for 18 years. The aim is to provide an overview of the state of democracy in 167 countries, of which 165 are independent states and 2 territories. The indicator is based on 5 categories:
- electoral process and pluralism;
- government function;
- political participation;
- political culture;
- civil liberties.
Each category is rated on a scale of 0 to 10. The EIU also analyzes the five factors to determine an overall score for each country. As a result, nations are classified into one of four regime types:
- “complete democracy”: score greater than 8;
- “imperfect democracy”: greater than 6 and less than or equal to 8;
- “Hybrid regime”: greater than 4 and less than or equal to 6;
- “authoritarian regime”: less than or equal to 4.
According to the 2023 survey, 74 of the 167 countries and territories are in a democracy model, 24 of which are “full democracies” (there was no change from 2022 to 2023). The number of “imperfect democracies” has increased from 48 to 50 compared to 2022.
Of the remaining 95 countries, 34 are classified as “hybrid regimes,” combining elements of formal democracy and authoritarianism, and 59 are classified as “authoritarian regimes.” In 2022 there were 36 and 59 respectively.
The results suggest that “nondemocratic regimes are becoming increasingly entrenched and that 'hybrid regimes' are having difficulty democratizing,” the study says.
Based on the population of the countries analyzed, only 7.8% live in “full democracies”. 39.4% are now under an authoritarian regime.