Global democracy score hits historic low: report
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The quality of global democracies hit an all-time low in 2024, and the U.S. continues to be seen as a "flawed democracy," according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's annual Global Democracy Index report.
The big picture: More than one-third of the world population now lives under authoritarian rule, according to the index.
- The overall global Democracy Index score has fallen from 5.52 in 2006 to a historic low of 5.17 in 2024, down from 5.23 in 2023.
- The index ranks countries on a 0 to 10 scale, based on ratings for 60 indicators that are grouped into five categories: electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, the functioning of government, political participation and political culture.
Driving the news: Even among regions that improved or saw no change in 2024, discontented populations increasingly turned to anti-mainstream or insurgent parties.
- The U.S., which was downgraded from a "full democracy" to a "flawed democracy" in 2016, saw some positive developments in 2024, the report found, including the smooth election and political engagement. But low trust in media and institutions, political gridlock, lobbyist influence and sharp inequalities persist.
- The score for North America — where Canada is the only "full democracy" — remained unchanged.
- But the unpopularity of current prominent political leaders threatens to undermine North America's score moving forward, the index cautioned, noting that heightened cynicism toward electoral processes and possible declines in voter participation could trigger a fall.
"If insurgents come to power and fail to improve governance and deliver tangible improvements for citizens, there is a risk that disaffection and political [polarization] will grow," Joan Hoey, the director of the Democracy Index, said in a statement.
Zoom out: Western Europe was an outlier as the only region in the world that saw its average index score improve (by 0.01 points).
- Norway ranks highest in the region — and in the world — with an overall score of 9.81.
- France was downgraded from a "full democracy" to a "flawed democracy" in 2024 amid a year of political unrest and deteriorating confidence in government.
South Korea, which was among the top 10 "worst performers" in the index last year, similarly slipped into the "flawed democracy" category after the chaos that unfurled late last year following impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's shock martial law declaration.
Yes, but: Despite the general decline, some democracies are on the rise: The Czech Republic, Estonia and Portugal moved up to become "full democracies."
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