According to The Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Democracy Index one of the biggest threats to democracy is the anxious mood of our times

Sri Lanka is placed 69th in the ranking of democracies falling within the category of Flawed Democracies like India at No. 35 and Japan at No. 23

According to The Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Democracy Index the US has dropped to 20th on the Economist Intelligence Unit’s ranking of democracies – down three places since 2007, it’s now tucked in below Uruguay.

The fearful era in which we live is not conducive to defending democratic standards or extending democracy’s reach across the globe. The latest edition of The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index reflects the situation in 2015, a year in which democracy was tested in the face of war, terrorism, mass migration and other crises, and, in some cases, suffered serious setbacks. In our age of anxiety, the first casualty of fear and insecurity is often freedom.

The Democracy Index provides a snapshot of the state of democracy worldwide. Almost one-half of the world’s countries can be considered to be democracies, but, in our index, the number of full democracies” is low, at only 20 countries; 59 countries are rated as flawed democracies”. Of the remaining 88 countries in our index, 51 are authoritarian” and 37 are considered to be hybrid regimes”. Norway tops the Democracy Index global ranking in 2015 and North Korea is bottom. The US scrapes into the “full democracy” category, in 20th place, reflecting deepening polarisation of the political scene, popular discontent with the workings of democracy and a repressive law enforcement system.

Most “full democracies” are in western Europe. There are two Asian countries, one Latin American country (Uruguay) and one African country (Mauritius). Flawed democracies” are concentrated in Latin America, eastern Europe and Asia. “Authoritarian regimes” are concentrated in Africa, the Middle East and the CIS countries of eastern Europe. Around 2.6bn people, more than one-third of the world’s population, live under authoritarian rule (with a large share being, of course, in China).

The title of this year’s report reflects the threat to democracy emanating from the fearful mood of our times. According to Joan Hoey, Editor of the report, “An increased sense of anxiety and insecurity in the face of diverse perceived risks and threats—economic, political, social and security—is undermining democracy. Defending democracy means upholding liberty, equality, tolerance and free expression, promoting a democratic political culture and fostering democratic institutions.”

 The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index 2015 is available free of charge at: www.eiu.com/democracy2015

Notes for editors

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index is based on five categories: electoral process and pluralism; civil liberties; the functioning of government; political participation; and political culture. The index provides a snapshot of the current state of democracy worldwide for 165 independent states and two territories (almost the entire population of the world). Countries are placed within one of four types of regimes: full democracies”, flawed democracies”, hybrid regimes” and authoritarian regimes.”

The overall index of democracy, on a 0 to 10 scale, is based on the ratings for 60 indicators grouped in the five categories. The overall index is the simple average of the five category indexes. A three-point scoring system for the 60 indicators is used. The category indexes are based on the sum of the indicator scores in the category, converted to a 0 to 10 scale. Countries are placed within one of four types of regimes: full democracies” (scores of 8 to 10); flawed democracies”—scores of 6 to 7.9; hybrid regimes”—scores of 4 to 5.9; authoritarian regimes”—scores below 4.

About The Economist Intelligence Unit

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) is the world’s leading resource for economic and business research, forecasting and analysis. It provides accurate and impartial intelligence for companies, government agencies, financial institutions and academic organisations around the globe, inspiring business leaders to act with confidence since 1946. EIU products include its flagship Country Reports service, providing political and economic analysis for 195 countries, and a portfolio of subscription-based data and forecasting services. The company also undertakes bespoke research and analysis projects on individual markets and business sectors. More information is available at www.eiu.com. The EIU is headquartered in London, UK, with offices in more than 40 cities and a network of some 650 country experts and analysts worldwide. It operates independently as the business-to-business arm of The Economist Group, the leading source of analysis on international business and world affairs.

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