

It turns out the ‘Leaders of the free world’ aren’t actually anywhere near the lead of the Global Democracy Index. Joe Biden and John Kerry back in 2014.
32. Iran – 1.95, Authoritarian

31. Saudi Arabia – 2.08, Authoritarian

30. Cameroon – 2.56, Authoritarian

29. Qatar – 3.65, Authoritarian

28. Morocco – 5.04, Hybrid Regime

27. Senegal – 5.53, Hybrid Regime

26. Mexico – 5.57, Hybrid Regime

25. Ecuador – 5.71, Hybrid Regime

24. Tunisia – 5.99, Hybrid Regime

23. Serbia – 6.36, Flawed Democracy

= 21. Croatia – 6.50, Flawed Democracy

= 21. Ghana – 6.50, Flawed Democracy

20. Poland – 6.80, Flawed Democracy

19. Argentina – 6.81, Flawed Democracy

Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona
18. Brazil – 6.86, Flawed Democracy

17. Belgium – 7.51, Flawed Democracy

16. Portugal – 7.82, Flawed Democracy

15. USA – 7.85, Flawed Democracy

14. Spain – 7.94, Flawed Democracy

What a team.
13. France – 7.99, Flawed Democracy
France, perhaps surprisingly, is classified as a ‘flawed democracy’, if only by 0.01. It’s enough for them to finish in unlucky 13th on this list, which is equivalent to 22nd globally. That said, their score stayed the exact same year on year even with mass anti-Covid protests. Despite a stable score, there are some concerning numbers for France’s future stability. To start with, nearly three quarters believe that political overhaul is needed. More ominous still is that 17 per cent of French people apparently believe that military rule could benefit the country. The same portion of people in Italy and the USA agree, I should mention.12. Costa Rica – 8.07, Full Democracy

= 10. England & Wales – 8.10, Full Democracy

9. Japan – 8.15, Full Democracy

8. South Korea – 8.16, Full Democracy

7. Germany – 8.67, Full Democracy

6. Uruguay – 8.85, Full Democracy

Uruguay’s victorious team ahead of the 1930 World Cup final
5. Canada – 8.87, Full Democracy

4. Netherlands – 8.88, Full Democracy

= 2. Switzerland – 8.90, Full Democracy

= 2. Australia – 8.90, Full Democracy

1. Denmark – 9.09, Full Democracy

Denmark celebrate winning this competition (and the 1992 European Championship’s Final after a 2-0 victory against Germany).

3 Comments
@jon7906 Hi Jon, thanks for your comment. I take your overall point, but I disagree that it’s inaccurate to ‘lump’ the two together. The country is the UK. While I believe there are elements to admire in each of the devolved governments, I personally think it would be unfair and inaccurate to assess them in the same way as the UK’s government as a whole. They serve different purposes. I may be wrong. As I said in the article, I’m certainly unqualified to give a score myself. Anyhow, thanks for taking the time to read and thanks for your comment!
@Archie Brydon just as the Welsh and football teams are different so are the ways the Welsh government and the English are elected are different. Wales is being measured by the lower democratic standards of the Westminster governement.
@jon7906 Absolutely, but the devolved Welsh government is not fully sovereign, unlike Westminster. Wales is being meausred by the standards of Westminster because it is also ultimately governed by Westminster as part of the United Kingdom.