Democracy data

The Global State of Democracy Indices depict democratic trends in 166 countries at the country, regional and global levels from 1975–2020, updated annually. The indices are divided into five main attributes of democracy, which contain a total of sixteen subattributes:

• Representative Government: Clean Elections, Inclusive Suffrage, Free Political Parties, Elected Government
• Fundamental Rights: Access to Justice, Civil Liberties, Social Rights and Equality
• Checks on Government: Effective Parliament, Judicial Independence, Media Integrity
• Impartial Administration: Absence of Corruption, Predictable Enforcement
• Participatory Engagement: Civil Society Participation, Electoral Participation, Direct Democracy, Local Democracy

The Indices are used around the world to assess and compare the quality of democracy. Organisations concerned with democracy and development assistance use the indicators to identify priority countries and areas for policy interventions and benchmarks to assess the impact of their assistance. The data enable civil society organisations and media outlets to monitor the democratic performance of governments by comparing their government with other governments.

International IDEA’s Global Monitor of Covid-19’s Impact on Democracy and Human Rights project was launched in July 2020 with support from the European Union and the European Parliament. The online Monitor is a qualitative monitor and ‘one-stop-shop’ tool for assessing the democracy and human rights implications of measures adopted by governments to curb the Covid-19 pandemic.

This digital platform is updated every two weeks and includes the 166 countries covered by the GSoD Indices, aggregating up-to-date information to offer individual country profiles, with links and data on events and trends across regions. It is aimed to be a user-friendly tool for policy-makers, civil society organizations, journalists, and the general public to easily access in one place all democracy and human rights-related information on COVID-19 measures, by country, by region and globally. The Global Monitor contributes to the debate on the pandemic’s impact on democracy globally and makes it possible to hold policymakers accountable.

The World Press Freedom Index is a tool published annually by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The index is important for advocacy based on the principle of emulation between states, and its findings are widely reported on and discussed by a variety of actors and democracy supporters across the globe.

The Index ranks 180 countries and regions according to the level of freedom available to journalists. It is a snapshot of the media freedom situation based on an evaluation of pluralism, independence of the media, quality of legislative framework and safety of journalists in each country and region. Data is also featured regarding the intensity of abuses and violence against media actors during the period under evaluation.

The European Democracy Hub is a joint initiative by Carnegie Europe and the European Partnership for Democracy, which acts as a focal point for work on democracy. The platform brings together analysts and policymakers engaged with EU democracy support and democratic challenges in Europe. The page gathers leading resources and insights on democracy both in Europe and beyond.

Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) is a multidimensional and disaggregated dataset that provides a new approach to conceptualising and measuring democracy. The complexities of democracy past free and fair elections are captured through five high-level principles of democracy: electoral, liberal, participatory, deliberative, and egalitarian. V-Dem collects data to measure these principles with the work of six Principal Investigators, seventeen Project Managers with special responsibility for issue areas, 33 Regional Managers, 134 Country Coordinators, Research Assistants, and 3200 Country Experts. The collection is one of the largest social science databases on democracy, spanning over 28.4 million data points.

The EIU Democracy Index provides a snapshot of the state of world democracy for 165 independent states and two territories, across the following five categories:

• Electoral process and pluralism
• Civil liberties
• The functioning of government
• Political participation
• Political culture

Based on the scores across 60 indicators within the five categories, each country or territory is classified as a full democracy, flawed democracy, hybrid regime or authoritarian regime.

Since 1973, Freedom House has assessed the condition of political rights and civil liberties around the world. The data is composed of numerical ratings and descriptive texts across 195 countries and 15 territories through a combination of on-the-ground research, consultations with local contacts, and information from news articles, nongovernmental organizations, governments, and a variety of other sources.

For each country and territory, Freedom in the World analyzes the electoral process, political pluralism and participation, the functioning of the government, freedom of expression and of belief, associational and organizational rights, the rule of law, and personal autonomy and individual rights. The data and report are used on a regular basis by a wide array of policymakers, journalists, academics, activists, and many others.