Democracy Index in Eritrea
Eritrea: Democracy Index was -7 in 2018. ▼ Falling
Democracy Index in Eritrea, 1993–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2018, democracy index in Eritrea stood at -7. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy index in Eritrea peaked at -6 in 1993 and was at its lowest, -7, in 2001.
That places Eritrea 150th out of 168 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Democracy Index in Eritrea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | -6 | — |
| 1994 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | -7 | +16.7% |
| 2002 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2006 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2018 | -7 | -0.0% |
Eritrea compared with similar countries
- Eritrea's -7 is below the median for low income countries, which is 1. (25 countries reporting)
- Eritrea's -7 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.5. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | -6 | -6 | -6 | 7 |
| 2000s | -6.9 | -7 | -6 | 10 |
| 2010s | -7 | -7 | -7 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Eritrea
More social development data for Eritrea
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 119 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 554,891 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.1538 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 554,891 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2011)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy index in Eritrea?
- Democracy index in Eritrea was -7 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy index recorded in Eritrea?
- The highest recorded value was -6 in 1993.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in Eritrea?
- The lowest recorded value was -7 in 2001.
- How does Eritrea rank for democracy index?
- Eritrea ranks 150th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is democracy index rising or falling in Eritrea?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Eritrea data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from -10 to 10 (fully democratic).