Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Denver news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Des Moines news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Minneapolis-St. Paul news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Tampa Bay news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Charlotte news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
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."