The Democracy Index
December 17th, 2011 at 11:55 am by David FarrarThe Economist Intelligence Unit has published its fourth survey of the state of democracy in the world, as at December 2011.They have five groups of criteria:
- electoral process and pluralism
- civil liberties
- functioning of government
- political participation
- political culture
Countries are then ranked into one of four groups:
- full democracies – 25 countries (11% of world pop)
- flawed democracies – 53 countries (37% of world pop)
- hybrid regimes – 37 countries (13% of world pop)
- authoritarian regimes – 52 countries (38% of world pop)
The top 10 countries are:
- Norway 9.80
- Iceland 9.65
- Denmark 9.52
- Sweden 9.50
- New Zealand 9.26
- Australia 9.22
- Switzerland 9.09
- Canada 9.08
- Finland 9.06
- Netherlands 8.99
The bottom countries are:
- North Korea 1.08
- Chad 1.62
- Turkmenistan 1.72
- Uzbekistan 1.74
- Myanmar 1.77
- Equatorial Guinea 1.77
- Saudi Arabia 1.77
- Central African Republic 1.82
- Iran 1.98
- Syria 1.99
NZ’s score and ranking is the same as in 2010.
Related posts:
- Direct Democracy
- NZ still tops Global Peace Index
- The Happy Planet Index
- The Humanitarian Response Index
December 17th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
if you had all these things + a tax rate of 60%, would the country still be democratic?
Vote:December 17th, 2011 at 1:10 pm
whoisthisguy02 : Yes
Do you understand the word democratic?
Vote:December 17th, 2011 at 1:43 pm
Deeply suspicious of the criteria being used. Civil Liberties? In Sweden and Norway you can be arrested for suggesting that mass immigration may not be a good idea, that Islam is not a religion of peace, and that homosexuality might be wrong. Yet these countries rate highly?
Puhleeease. More latte liberal bullshit.
Vote:December 17th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
And in these Scandinavian countries women get promoted by quota rather than merit. That does not seem democratic to me.
Vote:December 17th, 2011 at 4:35 pm
Starting to think the Economist lacks intelligence.
Some of the countries above NZ are a joke; Iceland?? a functioning Government??!??!! this is the one country in the world to have actually (somehow or other) gone bankrupt.
As for Icelandic democracy – 3 years ago a few loudmouthed loons (of the John Minto and Hone type) stood on the steps of the Iceland Parliament banging pots and pans (!) and the Government resigned! mob rule writ large, not democracy.
It is also quite wrong to suggest that Australia, with compulsory voting (duh!), somehow got marked down on the ‘political participation’ score compared with 76% turnout in Norway.
There are numerous other points I could raise showing this to be a jackup but you get the general idea.
As Lee01 says “more latte liberal bullshit”
Vote:December 17th, 2011 at 6:57 pm
List is full of horse shit. since when has this countries politicians given any time for what the vast majority of the population wants. No need for examples. Democracy is only for those that get to call the shots. And I’m not moaning like the insane left, to many times the wishes of the people have been tested only to be scoffed at, is that democracy?.
Vote:December 17th, 2011 at 8:48 pm
full democracies
flawed democracies
Which do we have….?
Vote: