Citizen support for democracy by country
Central estimate of the average extent to which citizens support a democratic political system and reject autocratic alternatives. It combines responses across more than one thousand nationally-representative surveys on how desirable citizens find democracy, how they evaluate undemocratic alternatives (such as a...
Countries reporting
141
Highest
2.89
Iceland
Lowest
-1.85
Vietnam
Median
-0.259
Years covered
33
1988–2020
Data points
3,104
What the numbers show
Citizen support for democracy is currently reported for 141 countries. The highest value is 2.89 in Iceland; the lowest is -1.85 in Vietnam.
The median across all reporting countries is -0.259, and the mean is -0.191.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2.
Over the past decade 57 countries rose and 84 fell. The largest increase was in Japan (up 1,431.2%), and the largest decrease in Thailand (down 1,100,160.0%).
Citizen support for democracy: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland | 2.89 | 2020 | up 18.0% | rising |
| 2 | Norway | 2.5 | 2020 | up 8.8% | rising |
| 3 | Denmark | 2.35 | 2020 | down 9.2% | rising |
| 4 | Sweden | 2.13 | 2020 | up 76.5% | rising |
| 5 | Switzerland | 1.94 | 2020 | up 8.0% | rising |
| 6 | Albania | 1.94 | 2020 | up 199.3% | rising |
| 7 | Andorra | 1.92 | 2020 | down 8.5% | falling |
| 8 | Greece | 1.87 | 2020 | down 12.5% | falling |
| 9 | Germany | 1.86 | 2020 | up 37.2% | falling |
| 10 | Austria | 1.78 | 2020 | up 63.5% | rising |
| 11 | Finland | 1.6 | 2020 | up 46.9% | rising |
| 12 | Mauritius | 1.15 | 2020 | down 29.7% | falling |
| 13 | Spain | 1.08 | 2020 | up 55.9% | rising |
| 14 | Netherlands | 0.9533 | 2020 | up 6.2% | falling |
| 15 | Zambia | 0.9472 | 2020 | up 14.4% | rising |
| 16 | Botswana | 0.9445 | 2020 | up 3.1% | rising |
| 17 | United Kingdom | 0.9021 | 2020 | up 229.6% | volatile |
| 18 | Uganda | 0.8817 | 2020 | up 17.0% | volatile |
| 19 | New Zealand | 0.8661 | 2020 | up 77.2% | rising |
| 20 | Hungary | 0.851 | 2020 | up 131.0% | volatile |
| 21 | Canada | 0.8493 | 2020 | up 0.1% | falling |
| 22 | France | 0.8361 | 2020 | down 15.4% | rising |
| 23 | Australia | 0.793 | 2020 | down 21.1% | falling |
| 25 | Israel | 0.7144 | 2020 | down 6.2% | flat |
| 26 | Italy | 0.7076 | 2020 | down 8.5% | falling |
| 27 | Burundi | 0.695 | 2020 | up 107.5% | rising |
| 28 | Belgium | 0.6238 | 2020 | down 6.0% | rising |
| 29 | Sri Lanka | 0.6014 | 2020 | up 112.9% | volatile |
| 30 | Sierra Leone | 0.534 | 2020 | down 5.1% | falling |
| 31 | Slovenia | 0.4731 | 2020 | up 70.9% | volatile |
| 32 | Cote d'Ivoire | 0.4725 | 2020 | down 51.4% | falling |
| 33 | Senegal | 0.4563 | 2020 | up 11.3% | volatile |
| 34 | Gabon | 0.4402 | 2020 | up 4.1% | flat |
| 36 | Benin | 0.3831 | 2020 | down 8.7% | volatile |
| 37 | Czechia | 0.3381 | 2020 | up 414.5% | volatile |
| 38 | Estonia | 0.3296 | 2020 | up 78.5% | volatile |
| 39 | Uruguay | 0.3207 | 2020 | down 59.4% | falling |
| 40 | China | 0.3027 | 2020 | up 137.6% | volatile |
| 41 | Poland | 0.2986 | 2020 | up 238.6% | volatile |
| 42 | Tanzania | 0.2797 | 2020 | down 31.3% | volatile |
| 43 | Ghana | 0.234 | 2020 | down 67.4% | volatile |
| 44 | Japan | 0.2249 | 2020 | up 1,431.2% | volatile |
| 45 | Azerbaijan | 0.2181 | 2020 | down 65.9% | falling |
| 46 | Trinidad and Tobago | 0.2138 | 2020 | up 111.6% | rising |
| 47 | United States | 0.2049 | 2020 | down 66.6% | falling |
| 48 | Taiwan | 0.1955 | 2020 | down 24.2% | volatile |
| 49 | Costa Rica | 0.1553 | 2020 | down 45.6% | volatile |
| 50 | Venezuela | 0.1397 | 2020 | down 88.2% | volatile |
| 51 | Malawi | 0.128 | 2020 | up 94.6% | volatile |
| 52 | Singapore | 0.127 | 2020 | down 33.1% | volatile |
| 53 | Croatia | 0.1249 | 2020 | up 103.1% | volatile |
| 54 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0.121 | 2020 | up 182.4% | volatile |
| 55 | Cape Verde | 0.0888 | 2020 | down 68.2% | volatile |
| 56 | Cambodia | 0.0875 | 2020 | up 202.7% | volatile |
| 57 | Liberia | 0.0866 | 2020 | down 83.2% | volatile |
| 58 | Togo | 0.086 | 2020 | up 181.9% | volatile |
| 59 | Guinea | 0.0267 | 2020 | up 134.0% | volatile |
| 60 | Sao Tome and Principe | 0.0113 | 2020 | up 102.8% | volatile |
| 61 | Slovakia | -0.0113 | 2020 | up 71.7% | volatile |
| 62 | Lithuania | -0.1006 | 2020 | up 85.7% | rising |
| 63 | South Korea | -0.113 | 2020 | down 133.2% | volatile |
| 64 | Namibia | -0.1222 | 2020 | up 71.5% | volatile |
| 65 | Cyprus | -0.1302 | 2020 | down 113.4% | volatile |
| 66 | Belize | -0.1569 | 2020 | down 300.5% | volatile |
| 67 | Lebanon | -0.1699 | 2020 | down 281.4% | volatile |
| 68 | Rwanda | -0.177 | 2020 | down 206.3% | volatile |
| 69 | Kuwait | -0.1858 | 2020 | up 62.3% | rising |
| 70 | Chile | -0.1956 | 2020 | down 171.0% | volatile |
| 71 | Niger | -0.2359 | 2020 | up 47.4% | volatile |
| 72 | Ethiopia | -0.2583 | 2020 | down 188.3% | volatile |
| 73 | Belarus | -0.259 | 2020 | up 23.4% | volatile |
| 74 | Kenya | -0.2886 | 2020 | down 189.1% | volatile |
| 75 | Mali | -0.3029 | 2020 | up 50.0% | rising |
| 76 | Zimbabwe | -0.3361 | 2020 | down 177.3% | volatile |
| 78 | Armenia | -0.4036 | 2020 | up 52.8% | rising |
| 79 | Latvia | -0.4722 | 2020 | up 5.1% | falling |
| 80 | Georgia | -0.4798 | 2020 | down 104.3% | falling |
| 81 | Bulgaria | -0.4845 | 2020 | up 44.0% | rising |
| 82 | Turkey | -0.4914 | 2020 | down 6.2% | falling |
| 83 | Suriname | -0.5018 | 2020 | down 319.7% | volatile |
| 84 | Cameroon | -0.5305 | 2020 | down 1,429.8% | volatile |
| 85 | Dominican Republic | -0.5441 | 2020 | down 423.8% | volatile |
| 86 | Portugal | -0.5501 | 2020 | down 109.8% | volatile |
| 87 | Argentina | -0.5533 | 2020 | down 458.6% | volatile |
| 88 | Tunisia | -0.5571 | 2020 | up 8.0% | falling |
| 89 | Yemen | -0.595 | 2020 | up 44.3% | rising |
| 90 | Morocco | -0.6191 | 2020 | down 24.1% | falling |
| 91 | Eswatini | -0.6218 | 2020 | down 80.2% | falling |
| 92 | Nicaragua | -0.6735 | 2020 | down 2,671.9% | volatile |
| 93 | Burkina Faso | -0.7201 | 2020 | up 8.9% | rising |
| 94 | El Salvador | -0.7299 | 2020 | down 106.8% | volatile |
| 95 | Bangladesh | -0.7347 | 2020 | down 173.7% | volatile |
| 96 | Palestine | -0.755 | 2020 | down 39.0% | falling |
| 97 | Malaysia | -0.7681 | 2020 | down 226.4% | falling |
| 98 | Bolivia | -0.7735 | 2020 | down 5,568.8% | volatile |
| 99 | Nigeria | -0.801 | 2020 | down 223.5% | volatile |
| 100 | Paraguay | -0.8079 | 2020 | down 110.3% | rising |
| 101 | Bahrain | -0.8121 | 2020 | down 99.0% | falling |
| 102 | Madagascar | -0.8225 | 2020 | up 10.5% | rising |
| 103 | Haiti | -0.8751 | 2020 | down 16,864.1% | volatile |
| 104 | North Macedonia | -0.8789 | 2020 | down 23.4% | flat |
| 105 | Lesotho | -0.8851 | 2020 | down 74.2% | falling |
| 106 | Brazil | -0.8999 | 2020 | down 289.5% | falling |
| 107 | Romania | -0.9167 | 2020 | down 14.2% | falling |
| 108 | Colombia | -0.923 | 2020 | down 530.4% | volatile |
| 109 | Jordan | -0.9346 | 2020 | down 13.2% | rising |
| 110 | Nepal | -0.9406 | 2020 | up 13.9% | rising |
| 111 | Russia | -0.944 | 2020 | up 31.9% | rising |
| 112 | Libya | -0.9724 | 2020 | up 5.1% | rising |
| 113 | Montenegro | -0.9805 | 2020 | down 68.3% | volatile |
| 114 | Guyana | -0.9881 | 2020 | down 143.2% | falling |
| 115 | Mexico | -0.9881 | 2020 | down 45.2% | falling |
| 116 | Algeria | -1 | 2020 | up 20.7% | rising |
| 117 | Peru | -1.04 | 2020 | down 137.3% | volatile |
| 118 | Uzbekistan | -1.05 | 2020 | down 4.4% | falling |
| 119 | South Africa | -1.08 | 2020 | down 47.4% | falling |
| 120 | Sudan | -1.08 | 2020 | down 14.6% | flat |
| 121 | Iran | -1.12 | 2020 | up 4.4% | rising |
| 122 | Mongolia | -1.15 | 2020 | down 139.3% | falling |
| 123 | Ukraine | -1.17 | 2020 | down 11.9% | rising |
| 124 | Guatemala | -1.18 | 2020 | down 58.0% | falling |
| 125 | Tajikistan | -1.19 | 2020 | up 24.9% | rising |
| 126 | Panama | -1.2 | 2020 | down 2,929.9% | volatile |
| 127 | Serbia | -1.23 | 2020 | down 27.4% | volatile |
| 128 | Myanmar | -1.32 | 2020 | up 20.2% | rising |
| 129 | Iraq | -1.38 | 2020 | down 670.4% | volatile |
| 130 | Jamaica | -1.39 | 2020 | down 544.2% | volatile |
| 131 | Moldova | -1.42 | 2020 | up 0.8% | falling |
| 132 | Philippines | -1.43 | 2020 | down 72.8% | falling |
| 133 | Ecuador | -1.43 | 2020 | down 727.3% | volatile |
| 134 | Saudi Arabia | -1.43 | 2020 | down 3.0% | falling |
| 135 | Egypt | -1.44 | 2020 | down 308.5% | volatile |
| 136 | Indonesia | -1.57 | 2020 | down 175.0% | volatile |
| 137 | Honduras | -1.64 | 2020 | down 272.9% | volatile |
| 138 | Kazakhstan | -1.69 | 2020 | down 347.4% | volatile |
| 139 | Mozambique | -1.71 | 2020 | down 34.4% | falling |
| 140 | Kyrgyzstan | -1.72 | 2020 | down 51.3% | falling |
| 141 | Thailand | -1.74 | 2020 | down 1,100,160.0% | volatile |
| 142 | India | -1.79 | 2020 | down 53.6% | falling |
| 143 | Pakistan | -1.81 | 2020 | down 11.3% | falling |
| 144 | Vietnam | -1.85 | 2020 | down 46.6% | falling |
About this data
Central estimate of the average extent to which citizens support a democratic political system and reject autocratic alternatives. It combines responses across more than one thousand nationally-representative surveys on how desirable citizens find democracy, how they evaluate undemocratic alternatives (such as a strong unelected leader, the army, or religious authorities), and how they assess democratic and autocratic political systems relative to another.