Feb 2, 2018 - World

Democracy's global recession continues

Axios

Shanghai skyline at night — The Economist's report says that a large share of those living under autocratic rule are in China. Photo: Artur Widak / NurPhoto via Getty Images

"A decade has passed since Larry Diamond, a political scientist at Stanford University, put forward the idea of a global 'democratic recession.' The tenth edition of the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index suggests that this unwelcome trend remains firmly in place," The Economist writes.

"[L]ess than 5% of the world’s population currently lives in a 'full democracy.' Nearly a third live under authoritarian rule, with a large share of those in China."
"89 of the 167 countries assessed in 2017 received lower scores than they had the year before."
"Norway remains the most democratic country in the ranking, a position it has held since 2010, and western Europe accounts for 14 of the 19 'full democracies' that make up the ranking’s top tier."

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Democracy's global recession continues

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