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Less than one fifth of the countries worldwide were classified as liberal democracies in 2023. The share also decreased slightly after reaching nearly 25 percent in 2011, indicating a democratic backlash over the past 10 years. Around one third of the countries were classified as electoral democracies, and the same share were classified as electoral autocracies. Over two thirds of the world population were living in some form of autocracy in 2023.

Distribution of countries worldwide from 1900 to 2023, by regime type

Regime type	Liberal democracies	Electoral democracies	Electoral autocracies	Closed autocracies
2023	17.88%	32.96%	30.17%	18.99%
2022	18.99%	32.4%	30.17%	18.44%
2021	18.99%	32.96%	31.84%	16.2%
2020	19.55%	32.4%	34.64%	13.41%
2019	21.23%	30.73%	35.2%	12.85%
2018	21.79%	30.73%	35.2%	12.29%
2017	21.79%	31.28%	34.08%	12.85%
2016	21.23%	31.84%	33.52%	13.41%
2015	22.91%	29.05%	35.75%	12.29%
2014	22.6%	29.94%	35.03%	12.43%
2013	22.35%	29.61%	35.2%	12.85%
2012	24.02%	27.37%	37.43%	11.17%
2011	24.02%	27.37%	36.31%	12.29%
2010	24.29%	28.25%	35.03%	12.43%
2009	24.16%	26.4%	36.52%	12.92%
2008	24.16%	26.97%	35.96%	12.92%
2007	24.16%	26.4%	35.39%	14.04%
2006	23.73%	29.38%	34.46%	12.43%
2005	23.73%	29.38%	32.77%	14.12%
2004	23.3%	30.68%	30.68%	15.34%
2003	22.73%	30.11%	31.25%	15.91%
2002	22.16%	27.27%	35.23%	15.34%
2001	22.03%	27.12%	31.07%	19.77%
2000	22.03%	25.99%	32.2%	19.77%
1999	21.5%	27.7%	31.6%	19.2%
1998	20.5%	28.4%	33.5%	17.6%
1997	20.6%	27.4%	33.7%	18.3%
1996	20.8%	26%	33.5%	19.7%
1995	19%	26.4%	31.6%	23%
1994	19%	25.3%	30.5%	25.3%
1993	19%	24.1%	28.2%	28.7%
1992	17.8%	22.4%	28.7%	31%
1991	18%	20.3%	27.9%	33.7%
1990	17%	19.3%	26.9%	36.8%
1989	17.1%	13.3%	27.8%	41.8%
1988	16.6%	14%	25.5%	43.9%
1987	16.6%	11.5%	26.1%	45.9%
1986	16.6%	11.5%	27.4%	44.6%
1985	16.6%	10.8%	25.5%	47.1%
1984	15.5%	11.6%	23.2%	49.7%
1983	15.5%	10.3%	23.9%	50.3%
1982	14.7%	11.5%	22.4%	51.3%
1981	14.7%	10.9%	24.4%	50%
1980	14.7%	11.5%	24.4%	49.4%
1979	14.6%	10.2%	24.2%	51%
1978	14.8%	9.7%	20.6%	54.8%
1977	14.8%	9%	22.6%	53.5%
1976	14.2%	9.7%	22.6%	53.5%
1975	12.8%	10.3%	25%	51.9%
1974	12.7%	10.2%	24.2%	52.9%
1973	12.9%	9.7%	23.2%	54.2%
1972	12.9%	9.7%	23.2%	54.2%
1971	12.7%	9.6%	24.2%	53.5%
1970	12.8%	10.3%	24.4%	52.6%
1969	12.2%	10.3%	25.6%	51.9%
1968	11.6%	11%	27.1%	50.3%
1967	11.5%	10.3%	26.9%	51.3%
1966	11.5%	9.6%	27.6%	51.3%
1965	10.9%	10.3%	28.8%	50%
1964	10.9%	10.3%	29.5%	49.4%
1963	10.9%	9.6%	32.1%	47.4%
1962	10.9%	9%	29.5%	50.6%
1961	10.9%	8.3%	30.1%	50.6%
1960	11%	8.4%	29%	51.6%
1959	10.9%	7.7%	24.4%	57.1%
1958	10.9%	7.1%	25.6%	56.4%
1957	10.9%	7.7%	23.7%	57.7%
1956	10.9%	7.7%	19.9%	61.5%
1955	10.3%	7.7%	17.4%	64.5%
1954	10.3%	7.1%	15.4%	67.3%
1953	10.3%	7.1%	15.4%	67.3%
1952	10.3%	7.1%	15.4%	67.3%
1951	9.6%	6.4%	15.4%	68.6%
1950	9.7%	6.5%	15.6%	68.2%
1949	9.6%	5.1%	15.4%	69.9%
1948	8.4%	5.2%	16.9%	69.5%
1947	8.7%	4%	19.3%	68%
1946	8.1%	3.4%	14.1%	74.5%
1945	4.7%	3.4%	13.5%	78.4%
1944	4.8%	2.7%	10.9%	81.6%
1943	4.1%	3.4%	11.6%	81%
1942	4.1%	4.1%	11.6%	80.3%
1941	4.1%	4.1%	12.2%	79.7%
1940	4.1%	4.1%	12.2%	79.6%
1939	6%	5.3%	11.3%	77.3%
1938	5.9%	5.3%	12.5%	76.3%
1937	5.9%	5.3%	11.2%	77.6%
1936	5.9%	5.9%	10.5%	77.6%
1935	5.9%	5.9%	9.9%	78.3%
1934	6%	6%	12.6%	75.5%
1933	6%	7.3%	14%	72.7%
1932	6%	9.4%	12.8%	71.8%
1931	6%	8.6%	11.3%	74.2%
1930	5.9%	8.6%	9.9%	75.7%
1929	6.6%	8.6%	10.5%	74.3%
1928	6.6%	8.6%	11.8%	73%
1927	6.6%	8.6%	11.3%	73.5%
1926	6.7%	9.3%	13.3%	70.7%
1925	6.6%	9.9%	12.6%	70.9%
1924	6%	10.6%	12.6%	70.9%
1923	6%	10.6%	13.2%	70.2%
1922	6%	9.3%	14.6%	70.2%
1921	5.4%	8.8%	16.2%	69.6%
1920	4.7%	6.7%	16.1%	72.5%
1919	4.1%	4.8%	14.5%	76.6%
1918	3.5%	2.8%	15.6%	78%
1917	2.2%	2.9%	18.1%	76.8%
1916	2.2%	2.9%	17.4%	77.5%
1915	3%	2.2%	18.7%	76.1%
1914	3%	2.3%	18%	76.7%
1913	3.8%	2.3%	18.3%	75.6%
1912	3.1%	3.1%	16.8%	77.1%
1911	3%	3%	15.9%	78%
1910	3.1%	3.1%	14.7%	79.1%
1909	3.1%	3.1%	14.1%	79.7%
1908	3.1%	3.1%	14.1%	79.7%
1907	3.1%	3.1%	14.8%	78.9%
1906	3.1%	3.1%	14.8%	78.9%
1905	3.1%	2.4%	17.3%	77.2%
1904	3.1%	2.3%	17.2%	77.3%
1903	3.2%	1.6%	16.7%	78.6%
1902	3.3%	1.6%	17.1%	78%
1901	2.5%	1.7%	18.2%	77.7%
1900	2.5%	1.7%	17.4%	78.5%

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Release date

March 2024

More information

Region

Worldwide

Survey time period

1900 to 2023

Supplementary notes

The V-Dem Institute defines the different regimes as follows:
Closed autocracy: citizens do not have the right to choose either the chief executive of the government or the legislature through multi-party elections.

Electoral autocracy: citizens have the right to choose the chief executive and the legislature through multi-party elections; but they lack some freedoms, such as the freedoms of association or expression that make the elections meaningful, free, and fair.

Electoral democracy: citizens have the right to choose the chief executive and the legislature in meaningful, free and fair, and multi-party elections.

Liberal democracy: electoral democracy and citizens enjoy individual and minority rights, are equal before the law, and the actions of the executive are constrained by the legislative and the courts.

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