Wars, international conflicts and political polarisation are putting democracy under pressure worldwide, according to an annual report by the Economist group.
The report assesses countries based on various criteria including the electoral process, government functionality, political participation, cultural values and citizen freedoms.
The overall average democracy score stands at a mere 5.23 out of 10 in 2023, marking the lowest level since the inception of the study in 2006.
“Only 32 countries improved their index score in 2023, while 68 countries registered a decline. The scores for 67 countries stayed the same, painting a global picture of stagnation and regression,” Joan Hoey, the editor of The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index, said.
“Three years after the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to a rollback of freedoms around the globe, the results for 2023 point to a continuing democratic malaise and lack of forward momentum,” Hoey said.
The Grand Duchy ranked eleventh globally with a score of 8.81 out of 10. However, the report highlights areas of concern, particularly in political participation, where Luxembourg’s compulsory voting system results in lost points according to the research group’s evaluation criteria.
Luxembourg is only one of the 23 countries that is classified as a “full democracy” and where 7.8% of the world’s population live. Despite the high ranking, the country is still behind Norway, New Zealand, Iceland and Denmark.
In contrast, neighbouring countries like Germany and France face differing democratic landscapes. While Germany closely trails Luxembourg in 12th place, France struggled, landing at the bottom of the “full democracies” list alongside Spain. Belgium, with a score of 7.64 out of 10, falls into the category of “flawed democracies”.
More than a third, or 37.6%, of the world’s population resides in flawed democracies, with challenges persisting in various regions. While Paraguay and Papua New Guinea appeared in this category for the first time this year, other countries are struggling to move out of the category and regain “full democracy” status.
The United States, once considered a democratic stronghold, has faced setbacks since 2016, the year Donald Trump was elected president. Eight years later and just months before the next presidential election, there is little hope that the situation in the US will improve this year.
“If the election comes down to a contest between the president, Joe Biden, and the former president, Donald Trump, as looks likely, a country that was once a beacon of democracy is likely to slide deeper into division and disenchantment,” the study said.
In just under half of the world’s countries, people either live in a hybrid regime, in which democratic elements combine with an authoritarian regime, or a full authoritarian state. Nations like Senegal are experiencing democratic regression, exemplified by President Macky Sall’s postponement of the presidential election.
The most alarming cases include Niger and Gabon, plummeting in rankings following coups. Myanmar and Afghanistan stand out as the worst performers with less than one point out of 100, trailing even North Korea.
(This article first appeared on the Luxemburger Wort. Translation by Haneyl Jacob.)
