freedom

Norway scores 9.81 out of 10 on the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index, making it the world's most democratic nation. North Korea sits at 1.08, the world's most authoritarian state. This ranking covers the top 20 democracies, the bottom authoritarian regimes, and the disturbing global trend of democratic backsliding.

Four major democracy indices, V-Dem, Freedom House, the EIU and International IDEA, have reported global decline for years, though the EIU's 2025 edition found scores stabilising. V-Dem counts 92 autocracies and 87 democracies at the end of 2025. What democracy requires, how the indices measure it, where they disagree, and how democracies erode.